My Attention Span Is...Wait, Be Right Back

"Attention Span?" How about calling it "Attention Limit?" 


The latest research tells us that our amount of attention is limited, just like our amount of cash (unless your Buffet or Gates). We cannot expand our attention like we can our waistlines...it just is not possible. So, we may have to rethink this whole "multi-tasking" thing.


Let's face it, if you are driving a car in traffic, then it requires your undivided attention. Don't fool yourself by thinking you can do a good job of driving and talking on your phone at the same time, unless you are on a deserted highway. You really can't contribute your best during a meeting if you are tapping away on your PDA. It just is not possible.


So, why do we do it? Why do we dilute our attention on multiple important tasks simultaneously? One explanation could be that as a species, we are naturally attracted to distractions. The invention of the book helped us to focus our attention on one area for an extended period of time. Now, technology is taking us back to a more primitive state. Is this a good thing?


Oh wait, just got a text...be back in a sec.


Okay, I'm back...what was I saying? Oh yeah, it is important to manage our attention just like any other valuable resource. If we pay attention (notice the word "pay"), then we should get something of value in return. If we ask for attention, then we should give something of value in return. 


As presenters, remember to manage the valuable attention in the room. Here are some frequent goofs that presenters make when it comes to attention management:


1. Talk while asking the audience to fill out a form.
2. Open blinds to hallways and allow others to peer in.
3. Leave irrelevant information on white boards or flip charts.
4. Distribute information that we are not going to cover until a later time.
5. Load up PowerPoint slides with text because we are too lazy to rehearse.


I could go on and on, but you get the idea.


My phone is ringing, gotta go!

Are You Bored?

Here's a thought...if something is boring you, then it is probably you. As a presenter, just because you prepared it does not give you the right to deliver it. Don't be afraid to ask your audience for feedback whenever you sense things are not going as planned. Great presenters remain flexible. Always be able to shift topics or put an end to your presentation. No one has the right to waste precious time and attention.

Steve Jobs' Presentation - The Abbreviated Version

Here's Mr. Jobs' latest 90-minute presentation condensed into 60 seconds. Wouldn't it be great if we could do this to other presentations?

Can We REALLY Multitask Effectively?

During a recent workshop, I suggested that we consider "mono-tasking" instead of multitasking. There was a lot of pushback. Most of us are conditioned to think that multitasking is a good thing. Ask yourself, "Why are so many tasks left unfinished? Why do I find it difficult to focus? When do I get to sleep?"

As a presenter, make it easy for your audience to receive your message as intended. Have them focus on one thing at a time. Release your information is small digestable chunks, and then check to see that it is understood before moving on.

Yes, this is common sense, yet, it is not common practice.

Organizations Going "Topless"

It's happening! The backlash to multi-tasking we've been talking about is making the news. Companies and schools are banning the use of laptops and other mobile devices during presentations and meetings. Checkout this news clip from ABC News. (Of course, you have to first “pay” attention to a brief commercial.) After viewing, please let me know your thoughts.

Attention Management Tips

Manage Self
1. Segment your attention and set one specific goal for each segment. For example, focus your attention on driving home from work.
2. Remove unnecessary items from your desk, office, and other work areas.
3. Unsubscribe to magazines, newspapers, and other content streams that generally go unread.
4. Set up email filters for “friendly-spam.” For example, arrange a separate folder for the daily jokes from your brother.
5. Customize the ringtones on your phone(s).
6. Transfer thoughts being juggled to a notepad.
7. Disable auto-receive on your email. Set it to check at specific times during the day.
8. Ask a caller to hold until you can provide your full attention. “I’m in the car, please hold for a moment while I pull over so I can give you my total attention.”
9. Know when to turn off your cell or PDA. Learn to ask yourself, “What is the worst thing that will happen?”
10. Remember to set your instant messenger (IM) to “away” status.
11. Set up separate IMs for your office hours and your personal hours.
12. Remember to set your email to “Out of Office” status.
13. Set aside a specific time each day as uninterrupted reading time.
14. Close unused windows on your computer.
15. Openly state a response time in your voice greeting and email signature area.
16. Re-condition your thinking about responding to unexpected phone calls, emails, IMs, and text messages. Once again, ask yourself, “What’s the worst thing that will happen?”
17. Close the door to your office or hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign outside your cubicle.
18. Consider mono-tasking instead of multi-tasking.

Manage Others
1. Prepare your 10-second elevator pitch about yourself so you don’t bog down in unwanted details.
2. Suggest when to switch to a different mode of communication. For example, when an IM session starts to become a novel, recommend a phone conversation.
3. Develop a Web site for common resources and frequently asked questions.
4. Close blinds in office or meeting rooms to avoid outside interference.
5. Erase/remove unrelated info on whiteboards and flipcharts.
6. Distribute reading materials after or toward the end of your presentation/meeting. Let your audience know they will receive the details.
7. When using PowerPoint, switch to a black screen (“B” key in presentation mode) when the visual is no longer supportive.
8. Arrange chairs for your visitors so they are not facing windows, toward attractive artwork, or anything else that competes for attention.
9. Keep what they are seeing in sync with what they are hearing.
10. Set aside expensive and attractive jewelry for social occasions.
11. When presenting, remove change from your pockets. Actually, remove everything from your pockets.
12. No heavy perfumes or colognes.
13. Give others time to read things, fill out forms, etc. before you continue talking.

Bottom Line: Pay attention to what you are paying attention to.

Tips To Manage Attention During Your Presentation

Here are three tips to help manage attention during your next presentation:

1. If you use PowerPoint, replace text with simple graphics. Your audience can process graphics much faster than text. This is especially helpful with multicultural audiences. Remember, you are the messenger, not PowerPoint.
   
2. Close window blinds to hallways that have people walking by. Some folks can be so nosy!
   
3. Don't hand out stacks of papers until the end of your presentation. If you must hand them out, do so in small chunks so what your saying is in sync with what they are seeing.

The Value Of Attention

Attention is more valuable than time. Which do you prefer? Thirty minutes of time with someone and five minutes of his or her attention, or ten minutes of time with someone and all ten minutes of his or her attention.

The competition for the attention of others is fierce. If you fail to win, then you become "background noise," much like the music in a hotel lobby or a coffee shop. We all know it is there, yet seldom do we actually remember the drone. Our capacity for attention is limited.

Learn to manage your own attention when communicating with others. Pay attention to them before asking for their valuable attention. You've probably heard that "time is money." However, when communicating with others, attention is gold.