In today’s over-crowded media environment, Attention is hard to find. You may be selling information, goods or your ideas, everything needs Attention. So how can you capture somebody’s interest?
When you can do the common things of life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world. – George Washington Carver
1) Storytelling: The best way to hold Attention is by Storytelling. One has to stimulate creative insights or innovation and hold on to it by keeping the focus with a powerful storyline. The younger generation believes in getting triggered by actions which allow the brain to focus on a single thing and thus hold Attention. For instance, when playing a video game, one is glued to the screen for endless minutes or hours playing without getting distracted. These games continually trigger the orienting response, keeping the user’s attention glued to the screen. Through Storytelling, you can immediately connect with people by including them into the story and consequently have the power to convince 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 grab attention is through Content.”Content is the King”. Publish only good quality and useful content. A useful benefit must be associated with good reading and using your content should be beneficial to the reader. Focus on the quality and keep in mind the target audience for whom the content is prepared. If content expands to an unrelated topic, then the attention is diverted, so keep track of the audience in mind. As far as possible, include the current events or news that is useful to the reader and follow the age-old KISS principle ” Keep It Simple, Stupid”. Content should be conveyed directly in an easy to understand format rather than using fanciful words. A confused mind does not pay attention.
3) Make others turn around: If someone fires a gun, you are bound to turn around, or if a female walker wears red, she is more likely to be picked up. Similarly, find ways to play on people’s instincts to get Attention. Not necessarily by shouting, but maybe by treating your customers with a warm coffee might help in getting them to notice.
4) Mystery: Have you ever wondered why we’re unable to put down a good book or stop watching an engrossing movie? Our memory is fine-tuned to remember incomplete stories and we also dislike uncertainty. So we try to reduce it by any means possible, and you can use this to your advantage. For instance, tell a client or assign yourself a task that you will complete it, only when he does. This compulsion to complete will nag him and you have got that Attention.
5) Reward: Rewards that we can touch, experience, or even visualize have a greater impact on our attention. Like, if the incentive is a party, then instead of saying it, if you could send pictures of delicious food and the ambience, it would grab instant Attention.
6) Disruption: People often tend to pay attention when expectations are violated. The more disruptive a thing is, the more interesting it becomes. Do the unexpected or surprise them. For instance, beat the deadline that is very difficult, call a friend or colleague for a walk instead of coffee, etc.
7) : People consistently rate experts as the most trusted persons than any celebrity. It is believed that if an expert gives advice, then the person who is listening, blindly follows him because the brain slows down as to the decision-making and makes him feel that the expert is always right. So the credentials, their expertise in the field and their reference as to the knowledge about the topic at hand is all absorbed with full Attention.
8) Repetition: If you really believe in passing a message, then try repeating it. Exposing the subjects to the same statement may make them believe it.
It is a common phenomenon where children remember things that are repeated often and so also adults are more prone to see a thing or an advertisement which is repeated over and over again.
9) Acknowledgement: Create a feeling that you care about them and this feeling will capture their interest and they will repay you. All mammals need attention, but human beings are the only ones who need acknowledgement. So give them the sense of belonging to a community that cares about them and you are bound to get that much desired Attention.