Your Guide to the Overload-Free Presentation

By Tom Michalek, CPA

In the Information Age of today, we wade through a paralyzing number of details each week. While minute details are great for debating which team will win the Super Bowl, they are often not required or desired for most decisions. This presents a serious challenge in communication: How can you convey volumes of complex information to decision makers without putting them into information overload?

The answer to this question is deceptively simple – conceptually, the proper explanation is the least amount of detail that explains the topic in a freestanding matter. However, complications arise when considering the form of communication.  Popular ways to present information include verbal presentations, written reports, summary reports, and graphical presentations.

Try to step into the shoes of your intended audience and ask yourself "What information would I need or want to make this decision, and how would I like to receive it?" Let your answers guide the content you include, and make every effort to trim out any information that is not relevant to the topic at hand.

Bear in mind that selecting the form can make or break the presentation. A presenter might convey approximately 120 words per minute, while a typical reader covers 300 – 400 words per minute. What that means for decision makers is that the same presentation that would take 30 minutes to cover could be read by the audience in as little as 9 minutes. One way to bridge this gap is to prepare and distribute a written report containing the details of the issue and then give a verbal presentation, perhaps using visual presentation software to summarize and accentuate key points detailed in the written report. Offer the audience time to look over the written report and ask questions. The audience will naturally peruse the data they feel is most important to their decision, and be able engage in higher quality discussions. Following these simple steps will help you avoid causing information overload and lead to better decisions.

Umbaugh has many years of experience in analyzing very complicated matters and translating this analysis into meaningful and understandable presentations. If we can use this experience and expertise to assist you in dealing with "information overload," please contact us at footnotes@umbaugh.com.