Is more better? Not always!

In many consumeristic societies people have swallowed hook, line and sinker the advertisement industry idea that more is better. When we think about communication though, more is generally not better.

Think about the amount of information you have to process each day. 

You read reports and meeting notes, you discuss problems, you hold team briefings, you interact with your virtual team, and you chat by the water cooler.

Some of the information you receive is easy to understand and retain; some it’s not.

The difference often is in how the information is presented. 

Presenting your message effectively in a logical, organized, and consistent way will facilitate your listener’s ability to easily understand and retain your message. In educational psychology we call this chunking.

When communicating, you need to be aware that the other person can only listen to, process and understand so much information without hitting information overload.

It takes time for a person to hear and assimilate what is being said (or written). That's one of the reasons why in communication "less is more" and not the other way around.

What is message chunking?

Chunking refers to the strategy of breaking down information into bite-sized pieces so that human brain can easily digest the new information.

When information is organized and grouped together, it is making the most efficient use of our short-term memory. When information is chunked into groups, the brain can process them easier and faster.

Therefore, Message chunking involves breaking up the information you have to convey into smaller, well organized and related pieces or chunks. Think of chunks of information as "bricks" or building blocks.

Then, what you do is:

• talk/write about the chunk,
• check for understanding with the other person,
• allow the person to reflect, and
• THEN move to the next chunk, making sure the person is clear about the relationship between one chunk and the next.

For example, if you are offering someone feedback on something, rather than dump the whole load onto the person, you chunk it.

You offer one element.
You discuss the element and its practical implications.
You ask for their reflection and understanding of the issue.
You then move onto the next.

After you have communicated one important message—a “chunk” of instructions—you check how much the person understood by asking something like, “What will you tell your direct report about how many maintenance visits should be scheduled?”

The key element here is that the more you talk without allowing people to assimilate what you are saying, the less likely they will be to understand. More likely they will get lost completely and not be able to implement anything.

Remember. . .

In communication, less is better than more! Chunk your message and people will understand and apply better.