As professionals, we have all sat through presentations that felt more like endurance tests than valuable experiences. The presenter shares every tiny detail, provides a historical timeline that would rival a history textbook, and throws in statistics like confetti, leaving you to sift through the mess and figure out what it all means. I never can. I often find out everything I really need to know in the Q&A at the end.
This “Too Much Information” (TMI) approach is ineffective and annoying. It elicits the opposite effect and there is a good neuroscientific reason for it. It’s prime example of what John Sweller described in his Cognitive Load Theory – it’s one of my favourite structures to consider what should be included in a pitch, presentation or included on an agenda for important partner meetings.
1. Cognitive Overload: Less is More
John explains that our brains can only handle a limited amount of information at any given time. This probably sounds obvious but without realising it, I see people do it all the time. The presenter floods the audience with excessive details, facts, and unrelated anecdotes, the brain’s capacity becomes overwhelmed. Instead of absorbing key insights, the audience gets lost in the noise and they feel frustrated, disengaged, and ultimately tune out.
My advice is to be extremely selective with your content and present only the most relevant and impactful information, and simplify any complex ideas. This isn’t about dumbing it down; it’s about making it digestible.
2. The Trap of Excessive History: Less Backstory, More Impact
Another classic mistake is including a long-winded backstory. I promise you the audience does not need to understand every milestone to appreciate the final message. In reality, people like a human
emotion type short story that captures attention or a compelling anecdote but not a lecture. Be brief and relevant, then quickly transition to the core messages.
3. Irrelevant Content: Your Audience Shouldn’t Have to Decipher Your Message
One of the most frustrating aspects of TMI is when presenters tell the audience things without context, expecting the audience to connect the dots. This “figure it out yourself” approach is a
massive barrier to effective communication and audience understanding. If your audience has to spend mental energy trying to understand why you’ve included a particular
slide or data set then it’s a waste of your time and theirs. Your job as the presenter is to translate the information for your audience.
4. The False Allure of Data Dumps: Story Over Statistics
In the age of big data, it’s tempting to pack your presentation with as many statistics as possible. We often believe that numbers speak for themselves, but in my experience, they rarely do. A data dump without context is just another form of cognitive overload. Your audience doesn’t need a mountain of statistics – they need a story that illustrates what those numbers mean in their real-world context.
5. Ignoring the ‘So What?’ Factor: Make Your Message Crystal Clear
The final and perhaps most critical issue with TMI presentations is the failure to address the “So What?” factor. Presenters often assume that the importance of their information is self-evident, but I can’t think of a single time when that was effective. Every point you make should be explicitly tied back to a clear, audience-focused takeaway.
It’s really not about how much you share – it’s about how well you communicate the value to the audience of what you share.