When it comes to business presentations, simple is better than complex.
I know WHAT works. I was curious about WHY.
I asked Dr. Grace Chang, Ph.D. for insight. Grace has a PhD in cognitive neuroscience and leads learning research initiatives at EY. She and I served together on the leadership team of the Duke Alumni Board of Directors.
Grace’s Response: It's true that simpler presentations that focus on key messages are more effective!
The process of whittling down the message benefits speakers because they have put in the cognitive effort (the brain work) to figure out what’s most important. When speakers have a clear message, they’re more confident.
Just as important is how this benefits the audience. Our brains can only focus on and process a limited amount of information at one time, i.e., we have a limited "cognitive load" that we can handle. When speakers present complex PowerPoint slides that are packed with too much content to an audience, they are not honoring our brain's natural limitations.
It's like stuffing a grocery bag with too many items. Your bag is likely to break, and even your most needed items will fall out. So, the risk of overstuffing your presentations is that even the most important points may not stick with your listeners. If you want your audience to understand and remember your key messages, less is more.
