7 Ways to Capture Someone’s Attention
Your
long-term success depends on winning the attention of others. If your boss
doesn’t notice your work, how will you get a promotion? If your team doesn’t
listen to you, how can you lead effectively? And if you can’t capture the
attention of clients, how does your business or career survive?
“Attention is the most important
currency that anybody can give you,” Steve Rubel of Edelman once told me. “It’s
worth more than money, possessions or things.”
But very few people know the science
behind captivating others. That’s why I spent two years researching the subject for my new book. I sifted through more than 1,000
psychology, neurology, economics, and sociology studies. I interviewed dozens
of leading researchers and attention-grabbing thought leaders, including Sheryl
Sandberg, Steven Soderbergh, and David Copperfield, just to name a few. And I
drew on my years of experience with startups, both as co-Editor of Mashable
and a venture capitalist.
I learned that there are seven
triggers that call people to attention:
Automaticity.
If somebody fires a gun in the air,
you’re going to turn your head. If a female hitchhiker wears red, she’s more
likely to get picked up. Sensory cues like these to direct our attention
automatically. It’s a safety and survival mechanism that helps us react faster
than our brains can think. I’m not suggesting you speak louder than everyone
else and always wear crimson dresses or socks. But think about more subtle ways
to play on people’s instincts to capture attention. For example, try giving a
star prospect or client a hot cup of coffee or tea. One study published in Science found that
exposure to that kind of warmth made them more giving and friendly.
Framing.
Our
view of the world is shaped by our biological, social, and personal experiences
and biases. These frames of reference lead us to embrace and pay attention to
some ideas and to ignore others entirely. To leverage this trigger, you have to
either adapt to your audience’s frame or change it. One technique you might use
to achieve the latter is repetition. A classic study from the 1970s found that if you expose
subjects to the same statement (e.g. “Tulane defeated Columbia in the first
Sugar Bowl game.”) repeatedly, they will start to believe it is true. So don’t be afraid to repeat a message if you want it to
sink in.
Disruption.
We pay special attention to anything
that violates our expectations. This is because we have an innate need to
figure out whether the incident signals a threat or a positive development. In
academic circles, this is known as expectancy
violations theory.
The more disruptive something is, the more interesting it becomes. To get the
attention of your bosses, clients and colleagues, try surprising them in a
positive way: ask an unexpected question, beat a tough deadline, invite them
for a walk instead of a coffee.
Reward.
Many
people believe the neurotransmitter dopamine causes us to feel pleasure. But,
according to Dr. Kent Berridge of the University of Michigan, it is much more
aligned with anticipation and motivation.
It fuels our desire to “want” food, sex, money or more intrinsic rewards like
self-satisfaction and a sense of purpose. The prospect of capturing these
things makes us pay attention. Your goal as a manager should be to identify the
incentives that most appeal to your employees, colleagues and bosses and to
make them more visceral in their minds. Rewards we can touch, experience, or
even just visualize have a greater impact on our attention. For example, when
you’re offering your team an off-site retreat at the end of a big project,
don’t just tell them about it – send them pictures and make them salivate.
Reputation.
Consumers
consistently rate experts as the most trusted spokespeople, more than CEOs or celebrities. There’s a
scientific reason for this: in a 2009 study, Emory University neuroeconomist
Greg Berns found that the decision-making centers of our brains slow or even shut down while we are receiving advice from an
expert. This is a phenomenon Dr. Robert Cialdini calls “directed deference.”
So, especially if you’re trying to capture the attention of people who don’t
know you, feel free to lead with your credentials, establish your expertise and
cite others who are most knowledgeable
on the topic at hand.
Mystery.
Ever wonder why we’re unable to put
down a good book or stop binge-watching shows like Lost? Our memory is
fine-tuned to remember incomplete stories and tasks. There’s actually a
scientific term for this: the Zeigarnik effect, named after the Soviet psychologist who
discovered it. We also dislike uncertainty and will actively try to reduce it by any
means possible, and you can use this to your advantage. Say you’re meeting with
a prospective client or recruit, and you’d like her to come back for a second
meeting. Tell her a story or assign yourself a task that you’ll complete when
she does. Her compulsion for completion will nag at her, which means you’ve got
her attention.
Acknowledgement.
Dr. Thomas de Zengotita, a media anthropologist
and author of Mediated, believes that acknowledgement – our need for
validation and empathy from others – is one of our most vital needs. “All
mammals want attention,” he told me. “Only human beings need acknowledgment.”
Key to this is a sense of belonging to a community that cares about us. Create
that feeling for anyone whose attention you’d like to capture, and they’ll
repay you.
The most effective employees,
managers, and executives are the ones who use these seven triggers
to shine a spotlight on their ideas, projects, and teams.
Understanding the science of attention is a prerequisite to success in the
information age.
- Ben
Parr
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