Avoiding Information Overload

You might think that the more information you have, the better prepared you are to make a decision. However, too much information can actually lead to confusion and uncertainty.

ou might think that the more information you have, the better prepared you are to make a decision. However, too much information can actually lead to confusion and uncertainty. This is called information overload. Being overwhelmed by information is a barrier to decisiveness.

There is no "right" amount of information to have. It varies according to the person and the decision to be made. However, each person has a point at which information received exceeds the capacity to absorb it. Signs of information overload include experiencing confusion despite an abundance of information. The Inability to relax after you've finished work and difficulty sleeping are two other signs.

Select each sign of information overload to learn more about it.

Confusion

If you have a lot of information but still feel confused, you may be overloaded.

For example, Stefan works for a property management company. He's trying to decide whether the company should purchase an apartment building. To determine if the property is profitable, Stefan looks at others in the neighborhood to find out about their valuation and taxes. He also speaks to a range of specialists to assess the state of the building.

Despite the mass of information he accumulates, Stefan feels more confused than ever about what he should do.

Inability to relax

Information overload can make you unable to relax, even after you've finished your work. You find yourself continuing to trawl through the information in your head.

For example, Helga works for a company that sells stylish home design products. Helga's boss asks her to find a local manufacturer to produce a newly designed product. Helga starts by calling manufacturers to get quotes on how long it would take them to fill an order, and what it would cost. She also tries to get a sense of people's opinions of each manufacturer. Then she compares their rates with those of manufacturers located further away.

Helga speaks with more than 30 manufacturers and has a list of more to contact. Having so much to keep track of begins to wear on her. Eventually her boss asks if she's OK since her colleagues begin to sense her tension.

Difficulty sleeping

Finding it hard to sleep at night because you're still thinking about the information involved in your decision is another sign that you may be overloaded.

For instance, Anthony is an investment banker helping a client diversify her portfolio. She wants to invest in reliable and slow-building companies. Being relatively new to the role, Anthony decides to supplement his training with some in-depth research about one company in particular. He consults business reviews, earnings reports, and growth forecasts. He even speaks to some former employees of the company to get a better sense of their stability.

Finally, he gives his client a list of potential investment opportunities. However, in subsequent nights, he doesn't sleep well. He continues to think about different reports and projections he consulted and begins to second-guess his suggestions.

Question

Roberto works in a midsize office and has been asked to assess its computers and network status. His task is to determine whether the company needs to replace its existing computers and network hardware, or if it can get by with updating the software.

Which statements suggest that Roberto is suffering from information overload?

1. While he has consulted industry reports, consumer reports, and every major retailer, Roberto feels like he can't make a confident decision
2. Even after Roberto makes the decision, he remains tense for several days
3. He continues to wake up at night thinking he forgot to consider a particular retailer's offer
4. Only after reading the consumer reports does Roberto finally feel confident that he can decide accurately
5. Despite consulting a wealth of resources on the matter, Roberto makes the wrong decision

A sign of information overload is remaining confused despite having lots of information. In this case, Roberto is still unsure of what to do in spite of his extensive research.

A sign of information overload is being unable to relax, even after you've finished your work. Here, Roberto's continued tension indicates this.

Being unable to sleep well is a sign of information overload. Roberto's anxiety about not checking one thing suggests he's overloaded.

Information overload tends to lead to uncertainty, tension, and sleeplessness. In this case, Roberto's confidence suggests he's not suffering from information overload.

Information overload doesn't necessarily correlate with making misguided decisions. It can result in tension and sleeplessness, but the quality of decisions isn't necessarily impacted.

I have been teaching and training agents, team leaders, supervisors, managers and admins of call centers and other businesses in BPO related fields. This series, comes as a result of that experience. I have more than 4,000 modules that I plan on sharing here. This is # 005-10

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