Brain Overload: When Change Becomes Noise

Did you know the human brain is designed to filter and prioritise? It constantly takes in information, decides what matters, and tunes out the rest. It’s an essential survival mechanism - without it, we’d be overwhelmed.

Over time, many of our decisions become instinctive. Just like driving a familiar route, we don’t consciously think through every move. These mental shortcuts exist to keep us safe, productive, and focused.

The brain has limits!

But during times of change or stress, when too much information is coming at us, the brain doubles down on that natural filtering. It defaults to what feels familiar. That’s because the prefrontal cortex - the part of the brain responsible for focus, decision-making, and planning can only take so much. Yes - the brain has limits!

When demand exceeds capacity, it protects itself by reverting to routine or familiar behaviours. In other words, people often fall back on what’s comfortable because their brains are overloaded.

So when people seem resistant or disengaged during change, brain overload could be playing a bigger part than many realise - with evidence showing this can be a key barrier to engaging people through change.

What happens in reality?

I was reminded of this recently in a conversation with an organisation planning a new change initiative. I asked a simple question: “What else is going out to employees at the same time?”

They paused, then started listing; system upgrades, a new leadership framework, a training programme, cost-saving measures… all planning to land around the same time - but with no clear link between them. As they spoke, I could feel my own brain trying - and failing - to connect it all.

If I couldn’t make sense of things in that moment, employees certainly wouldn’t. When the brain is overloaded, even the most motivated people struggle to focus, prioritise, and act. It’s vital to enable and support people to make sense of the noise.

What’s the solution?

So when you’re communicating change, pause and ask yourself:

·        What’s the message I want people to remember?

·        Who needs to hear this right now? And who doesn’t?

·        What’s the most important action they need to take now?

·        And is there anything I can remove or simplify to make that easier?

Because the clearer the message, the lighter the mental load, and the more energy people have to move forward.

Understanding how the brain responds under pressure can help us design change that people can actually absorb and act on. Check out our previous blog for additional tips on making sense of the noise when designing your change communication approach.