Navigating Communication Overload

Communication Systems - Reducing Information Overload Healthcare professionals are drowning in messages, emails, and notifications. Here's how to create communication systems that actually work. Essential Communication Principles: Urgent versus important messaging needs different channels. True emergencies use direct calls or secure messaging. Project updates and routine information use scheduled communications, not constant interruptions. Channel Designation: Email for non-urgent information requiring documentation. Secure messaging for quick questions needing immediate response. Video calls for complex discussions requiring back-and-forth dialogue. Shared documents for collaborative planning and updates. The Weekly Communication Rhythm: Monday morning: key priorities and changes for the week. Wednesday check-in: progress updates and obstacle identification. Friday wrap-up: completed items and next week's focus areas. Reducing Message Volume: Before sending any communication, ask: Does this person need to know this? Can they act on this information? Is this the best way to share it? Eliminate "reply all" culture and create specific distribution lists for different types of information. Implementation Strategy: Start with one department or team. Define communication protocols clearly and train everyone on new systems. Measure reduction in unnecessary messages and improved response times. The goal isn't eliminating communication, it's making every message count. Next week: Building decision-making frameworks that stick. #CommunicationStrategy #HealthcareOperations #InformationManagement #WorkflowOptimization

I have worked with a few leaders who communicate with such intensity that I am often left thinking about their emotion rather than their message. These leaders believe they are being clear but their intensity gets in the way of clarity. How often have you seen leaders raising their voice, using bold statements or adding dramatic flair in an effort to make the message stick? When one has clarity of thought, one can deliver the message in a simple, precise manner and the audience will understand without too much effort. Speaking with intensity results in expending emotion and energy. An overuse of this shifts the focus from the message to the emotion. This might lead to people remembering how you made them feel rather than what you actually said. The “Cognitive Load Theory” suggests that people can only process a limited amount of information at once. If you overload them with intense emotions or complex language, they struggle to retain the core message. Also, Daniel Goleman’s research on Emotional Intelligence highlights that clarity in communication fosters empathy, while intensity can sometimes trigger defensive reactions, reducing effective understanding. So, how do you strike the right balance? - Be clear about your core message. - Use intensity to enhance your message—not to carry it. - Check for understanding, not just reactions. The goal isn’t to be heard—it’s to be understood. What’s your experience with this? Have you ever been in a situation where intense communication overshadowed the actual message? #Leadership #Communication #ClarityVsIntensity #EmotionalIntelligence #CognitiveLoadTheory

Message Mission Control is absent in a lot of organizations. In those companies that embrace it, Message Mission Control defines and establishes the culture of messaging. Without it, in addition to other issues, every new messaging technology becomes additive. (You can now get a Teams message asking if you got the email which asked you to confirm receipt of the text message.) This misuse of multiple messaging channels is just one factor contributing to the information overload employees are suffering. That overload -- a deluge of emails, chat notifications, intranet updates, and more -- can lead to disengagement. Some employees may stop spending time paying attention to any messaging at all. Yet in this complex business environment, there is much employees need to know. Where is the balance between getting the word out and overwhelming employees? One answer is better targeting of information. Our CEO told another executive that our intranet reminds him of FM radio: Every now and then there's a great song you stop and listen to. Mostly it's background noise that's okay. And every now and then, a song hits the rotation that makes you wonder, "Why are they playing this crap?" That's why we're switching to a platform that makes it easier for employees to see a feed of items that are relevant to them, and nothing that isn't. Another solution is to write short. Most of us got into internal communications because we are writers at heart. But the hard truth is that employees don't have the time or inclination to read our brilliant prose. Our approach is to tell them what they need to know, then stop. It's a difficult transition for communicators trained as journalists, but using the Smart Brevity approach helps. (We apply it to news and announcements but still take a feature approach to employee spotlight profiles, which employees love; they are always our most-read content.) AI can help, too, by crafting summaries of longer material. When repurposing and cross-posting content, be strategic about it. For example, if we publish an announcement on the intranet, we'll reinforce it on our digital signage and include it as a one-sentence item with a link in the weekly employee newsletter, and we may even ask managers to make sure their employees have heard the news, just to make sure nobody misses it. Paying attention to what's going on in the organization is a sign of good corporate citizenship, but it's a two-way street. It's up to us as professional communicators to make the content consumable.

When is the last time you were overloaded with too many meetings in a day ? What’s the best thing that we can do to avoid a burnt out due to busy calendar. Well, here are some thoughts from my experience. First and foremost gatekeep every meeting request landing into your calendar for below: # Purpose and priority of the meeting ? # Conflicts with any of my or my teams deliverables ? # Value we can add or it can add to our work ? Once the priority is gauged, it’s important to respond back to the organiser well in advance: a) by accepting or b) by declining or c) by marking as tentative d) or propose alternatives (like slot,.. ) # Note: Communication is the key. Declining is absolutely fine. I know many friends or colleagues who have never declined a meeting in last 4 years. It’s best to respond or decline with a note instead of not showing up in the meeting due to other priorities. Time is precious. No one ideally expects us to attend 10 calls in a day alongside our work. It’s we alone have to plan how our day can be spread with productive or unproductive or routine or interesting, … work throughout the working hours ( without skipping breaks ) I remember reaching out to my mentors when I was overloaded at a point. Planning ahead and acknowledging to the meetings for the day has always been rewarding. Hence sharing these simple thoughts.

🧠💬 Too many meetings? Or not enough communication? We often think of software architecture as a purely technical concern. But what if the main architectural challenge is actually controlling the flow of information? In my latest blog post, I explore how the need for communication — often seen as a burden — can be reduced through good architectural decisions. Not by avoiding communication, but by applying classic principles like information hiding, and aligning architecture with team structures and communication pathways. 🔍 Topics include: - Why reducing communication isn't the same as improving productivity - How direct communication (pair/mob programming, colocated teams) outperforms documentation - The architectural impact of organizational decisions - Insights from Team Topologies and Fred Brooks' Mythical Man Month 📚 Read the full post here: https://lnkd.in/e8tAA7-G 👉 The Real Software Architecture Problem: Communication Overload #SoftwareArchitecture #TeamTopologies #InformationHiding #SocioTechnical #DevEx #SoftwareEngineering #Agile #TeamCommunication