Why the overload temptation breaks courses (and how the rule of three fixes them)
The best teachers in the world have the slimmest lesson plans.
They don't try to cram everything they know into a few hours of video or dozens of pages of text. Instead, they distill just a few principles at a time. They share just enough, so their students feel challenged without getting overwhelmed.
Unfortunately, as experts, we often try to teach everything our students could possibly use. This seems nice in theory, but in reality, they experience information overload—more information than they can process.
And why is info overload a problem?
It kills implementation.
When people are overloaded, they intend to review the notes later and figure out what to do, but they rarely do. The memory of being overloaded often leads them to resist taking action later.
But what should we do instead?
Use the rule of three structure.
That means teaching no more than three ideas in a segment of learning. Whether you're giving a lecture, writing a module in a course, or leading a live workshop, limit yourself to just three concepts (or less).
Why is the rule of three so valuable?
First, it ensures you don't overload your students with more information than they can handle. That's the death knell of any learning experience.
Second, it's easier to remember three things. That's why Goldilocks and the Three Bears is so memorable. There are three scenes, and in each scene, only three things happen.
Goldilocks sits in three chairs.
Goldilocks tastes three bowls of porridge.
Goldilocks lies in three beds.
So many nursery rhymes and fairy tales use the rule of three - The Three Little Pigs, The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Even in Snow White, the evil queen tries to kill Snow White three times.
Because of this simple structure, you can tell a child these stories from memory.
Here's a recent example
I conducted a workshop at the Second Brain Summit last week.
I taught a project planning method that increases your ability to follow through on big goals. Guess how many parts of the framework I taught- three.
There are actually more elements I could have shown them, yet I focused on only three because that's enough to make a pretty robust plan.
By the end of the workshop, each participant took a vague goal or project and made a visual map that showed how to get from where they are today to their goal in the future.
(Incidentally, I may turn this into an online workshop soon. So stay tuned.)
Had I tried teaching them a few additional concepts, two things would have happened
First, they wouldn't have had time to practice during the workshop, so I wouldn't have known if I'd succeeded at teaching them or not.
Second, they might have gotten overloaded and remembered very little of what I showed them.
Morgan DeGroff, who attended my workshop, wrote in her feedback afterward.
Rodney has a way of asking the right questions. His visualizing method helped me see patterns in the actions needed to bring my project to life. It got me thinking about the tools and skills I would need to possess and implement to follow through on my dreams.
We know how important it is to limit the information we share and the rule of three is a good guide but you may have a lingering question on your mind.
What if learning "just one more thing" will make all the difference?
I faced that situation last week as I prepared for my workshop.
Participants created a real plan on paper to help them reach a challenging goal. But in the future, most will want to do this on a computer. I don't want them to have to waste time figuring that out on their own, as it may stop them from using the planning process as much as they should.
My solution: I made a video showing how to plan their project using a free, easy to use software. I gave a link to that video to participants after the workshop.
That way, they can still learn this vital piece of information without being overloaded.
Want guidance in designing your next course or workshop?
Schedule a 30-minute discovery call with me. We’ll explore your goals, challenges and what it takes to solve them. At the end, we’ll discuss whether it makes sense to work together to complete your project.