In today’s media-saturated environment, attention is hard to find. You may be selling information, goods or your ideas, all need attention. So how can you capture someone’s interest?
When you can do the common things of life in an unusual way, you will attract the world’s attention. -George Washington Carver
1) Tell stories: The best way to keep attention is to tell stories. One has to stimulate creative ideas or innovation and stick with it while keeping the focus with a powerful story. The younger generation believes in being triggered by actions that allow the brain to focus on one thing and therefore maintain Attention. For example, when playing a video game, one is glued to the screen for endless minutes or hours playing without being distracted. These games continuously trigger the orientation response, keeping the user’s attention glued to the screen. Through Storytelling, you can immediately connect with people by including them in the story and, consequently, have the power to convince with your message. Use your emotions and make it personal.
“The most basic way to get someone’s attention is this: break a pattern.” -Chip Heath
2) Quality Content: Another method to attract attention is through Content. “Content is King”. Post only good quality and useful content. A useful benefit must be associated with a good read and the use of your content must be beneficial to the reader. Focus on quality and keep in mind the target audience for which the content is prepared. If the content expands on an unrelated topic, attention is diverted, so keep the audience in mind. As much as possible, include current events or news that are useful to the reader and follow the old KISS principle “Keep It Simple, Stupid”. Content should be delivered directly in an easy to understand format rather than using fancy words. A confused mind does not pay attention.
3) Get others to turn around: If someone fires a gun, you’re likely to turn around, or if a woman walking by is wearing red, they’re more likely to pick her up. Similarly, find ways to play on people’s instincts to get attention. Not necessarily by yelling, but perhaps treating your customers to a hot coffee might help get them noticed.
4) Mystery: Have you ever wondered why we can’t stop reading a good book or stop watching a fascinating movie? Our memory is tuned to remember incomplete stories and we don’t like uncertainty either. So we try to reduce it by all possible means, and you can use this to your advantage. For example, tell a client or give yourself a task that you will complete it, only when he does. This compulsion to complete will annoy him, and you have that attention.
5) Reward: Rewards that we can touch, experience, or even visualize have a greater impact on our attention. For example, if the incentive is a party, instead of saying it, if you could send photos of the delicious food and atmosphere, it would instantly grab attention.
6) Interruption: People often tend to pay attention when expectations are violated. The more disruptive something is, the more interesting it becomes. Do the unexpected or surprise them. For example, hitting a deadline that is very difficult, calling a friend or colleague for a walk instead of coffee, etc.
7): People consistently rate experts as more trustworthy than any celebrity. It is believed that if an expert gives advice, then the person who is listening blindly follows it because the brain slows down in making decisions and makes them feel that the expert is always right. So, the credentials, your experience in the field and your reference in terms of knowledge on the subject in question, are absorbed with full attention.
8) Repetition – If you really believe in passing on a message, try repeating it. Exposing subjects to the same statement may cause them to believe it.
It is a common phenomenon where children remember things that are repeated frequently, so adults are also more likely to see something or an ad that is repeated over and over again.
9) Acknowledgment – Create a feeling that you care about them and this feeling will capture their interest and they will reward you. All mammals need attention, but humans are the only ones that need recognition. So give them the feeling of belonging to a community that cares about them and you will surely get that much desired attention.