Blizzard of information

According to a new report, we’re not just facing extreme weather. We're all being hit with a blizzard of information at a rate of 2.3 words a second. That translates into about 100,000 words a day - 27% of which are received via our computers.

The implications of the ‘How Much Information?’ study by the University of California, featured in the Sunday Times*, include:

• People so busy processing information that they lose the tendency to think and feel
• Disconnection from family and colleagues
• Rising levels of Continuous Partial Attention syndrome – trying to email, text and talk simultaneously (while possibly listen to your iPod!) is not conducive to ‘living in the moment’

Other, more optimistic, commentators suggest that we consume and process massive amounts of information in face-to-face conversations and, hey, hasn’t the human brain always had a enormous capacity to evolve and adapt?

Either way, there’s no doubt that business communicators face rising competition to get their message across. That’s why I always recommend to clients that they keep it short, simple and signposted. That is:

• Don't use 1,000 words where 500 will do the job just as well, or better
  
• Don't go into too much detail too soon - provide links for more information once you've captured your audience's interest
• Include subheadings and other pointers to guide the reader, especially when the text is for on-screen reading

Perhaps minimising the wordcount is an unusual policy for a writer to recommend, but as the article shows, it’s become more important than ever.

‘Data deluge will reboot our brains’ – Sunday Times 13.12.09.