Cognitive Load Theory Explained | Presentations and Public Speaking

The theory states that there is only a limited amount of information the human brain can remember. As a presenter, you don’t want to go past that load.

Cognitive load theory consists of three loads:

1. Intrinsic load
2. Extraneous load
3. Germane load

Intrinsic load is how difficult a subject or topic is to learn and remember. For example, basic adding and subtracting is easy, but calculus is far more complicated to understand.

As a presenter, you need to ensure your subject is simple and easy for your audience to remember. When you present a slide, instead of printing a paragraph, you want it to create some sort of an emotional impact by simplifying it to one or two words.