What is cognitive overload and why is it important to consider as managers? The Mayo Clinic describes this challenge as follows: "When there is too much information to process, you may feel cognitive overload. This happens when you reach a point of paralysis of information — not being able to process and then act on what is heard."
When I'm teaching, I always try to be very aware of the cognitive load that I'm imposing on students. I want them to be engaged in challenging and rigorous analysis, solving tough problems, and debating with their peers. The cognitive load can be very high at times. I'm cold-calling intermittently. They have to be on their toes. However, I try to shift gears pretty frequently during class, knowing that the best teaching often has a change in pace, content, or pedagogy every 10-12 minutes. When I change things up, I might occasionally engage students in a brief task that offers them a bit of a cognitive break. For example, I might show a quick video about the company or leader we are discussing, or I may ask them to ask them to get up and go to the whiteboard to brainstorm some options for the company moving forward. The students are still engaging in critical thinking, but this shift gives them a bit of a cognitive break. They are engaging in something a bit less stressful, and/or they are moving around a bit in the room. Then, in a few minutes, they are ready to dive into a different, quite complex issue.
This same approach to managing cognitive load can be useful in meetings, particularly those that are lengthy in duration. Having people sit in their chairs for hours discussing a series of complex financial performance metrics can be difficult. People will eventually become less attentive and productive. They may find their cognitive performance deteriorating due to fatigue and stress. Therefore, managers need to think about giving them a cognitive break during these meetings. That does not just mean having a coffee break here or there. You can intermittently introduce lighter topics or a brief activity that gets them out of their chairs and up to the whiteboards. Movement, change of pace, and topic selection all help to manage cognitive load in a way that leads to more effective meetings.
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