Information overload can be very overwhelming and cause
unwanted stress and anxiety. If information is not presented in the correct way
this can cause mixed signals which can mean that information is overlooked or
missed and both of these things can lead to misunderstanding and struggling
with a concept or idea down the line.
When I was receiving training to be a Kirby vacuum saleswoman
the some of the information was hard to understand because of the way it was
laid out and presented. The information was presented on different slide shows,
which was not the problem. The problem with the slide shows were that they were
not organized and the information was confusing and it was hard to tell what
information was important and what information was just something that is
helpful knowledge. The slide shows could have been better if whomever prepared
them, laid the information in a more readable way. They could have placed
emphasis on what was important by using bullet or list. The creator could have
kept the information consistent and the tone the same to avoid confusion for
myself and others. They could have made procedures easier to understand if they
would have used headings and subheadings as well.
With all of the
options available to us for presenting information it is imperative for us to recognize
which platforms and formats are the most effective and which of these options
will provide the most benefits to the audience. When composing information, you
should remember that there are a few things to help keep it readable and
understandable. If you keep the flow of information being presented consentient
the listener has less time for their mind to wander and therefore pays more
attention to what is being presented to them and absorbs more information. It
is also important to keep in mind the balance of the information. Do not cram
all of the important information into a few disorganized slides. Space them out
with one or two facts on each slide over how many it takes. This will not only
be informing the audience of the crucial information but it will also be
telling them helpful things to keep in mind that might help with whatever the information
is referencing too. It is very easy to include too much detail when presenting
information and this can not only overwhelm the reader but it also has the
ability to make the audience lose sight of what the real and actual information
is.
Proofreading is a very important and critical part of writing.
It is not smart to have a first draft for a final product because you have not
been able to see what mistakes you may have made when you were caught up in
writing it. It is not hard to overlook small things like leaving a comma out
here, or not putting a semi-colon there, or not hyphenating a word correctly;
so it is especially important that you re-read what you have written to not
only make your thought clearer and more understandable, but to make it
mechanically correct as well. One way that I proofread is have someone peer
edit and give me their thoughts and opinions on not only the content but any mechanical
error I may have missed as well. Once I have their notes to read over, I can
review my work again with new information in mind and this will help me to edit
it in such a way that makes it easier to comprehend. I also do a second draft
before completing a final draft to help me better organize and outline my
thoughts and information to support or better teach what information that is
being presented. I may also now use editing programs available to me on the
university website such as Writepoint.
The
way information is presented is also very important and should be something
that is taken into consideration when organizing the information. It is
important to form or adapt to your audience and relate to them and what they may
be thinking and feeling, as much as, possible. If you have empathy and can
relate to someone and their situation you are better able to present
information in a way that you know they are better able to receive and they
will be able to understand the message and better grasp the concept.
It is important that everyone working in a team together be
in communication and be on the same page with one another because if not and
information is not delivered to the correct person or is not delivered in the
correct way then the final product may be wrong because of that. It can also
help that you have different people from different back grounds who have
different ways of thinking trying to produce a product or solution for whatever
the issue at hand is. To have different minds contemplating the same concepts
you have a better chance of coming up with the best answer that will be the
best solution.
