SEAL Inc.

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Do your meetings fall victim to Corporate Attention Deficit Syndrome? 

The message of your meeting is the most important aspect of your meeting. Food, drink, sleeping rooms…yes these are all important. But the ultimate reason for a meeting is to deliver a message. Even an incentive trip to the most exotic, luxurious destination would go awry if the “message” sent to the participants wasn’t correct.

The message must be well crafted (clear, articulate, and consistent).
The message must be delivered (physically heard).
The message must received (fall upon receptive ears).

Presenters or paid speakers certainly shoulder responsibility for crafting their messages. But how can you create the optimal environment to allow that message to be heard and received?

Today’s meeting audiences are typically filled multi-tasking and over-tasked individuals.  Many have likened the challenge of getting and keeping our audiences’ attention as Corporate Attention Deficit Syndrome.

The book, The Attention Economy, outlines what we pay attention to and divides our attention into 6 types:

• Attraction (victory, super models)
• Aversion (car wrecks)
• Captive (bad weather, movies)
• Voluntary (hobbies, print advertising)
• Front of Mind (discussion, task at hand)
• Back of Mind (to do list, commuting)

The authors, Thomas Davenport and John Beck, promote the idea that understanding and managing attention is now the single most important determinant of business success.

You can help meetings be an attraction.  You can help create environments where our audience feels they are participants not captives.

The majority of people are visual learners (60%). They retain information best when they can “see” the information. Numerous surveys show that retention increased by 70 - 80% when visuals are used. That’s one reason every speaker seems to use PowerPoint. (In addition, to the fact that speakers find it a great crutch!)

Beyond PowerPoint, consider changes in your meetings to make presentations more visual so you and your presenters shine:

• Stories This is not your traditional visual. However, stories woven within a presentation create pictures in people’s minds. Stories work to grab attention and create emotional connections. When done in support of a point in the presentation, stories help increase retention and interest.
• Props Props help make information tangible. Props should illustrate or emphasize a key point. Several suggestions for presenters when using props:

1.       Make sure the prop is large enough to be seen

2.       Allow sufficient time for the audience to see the prop

3.       Don’t let the prop become a distraction from you or your presentation

 

• Handouts Handouts need not be the PowerPoint slides reproduced. Handouts can include background information, supplemental charts and statistics, anything that supports the presentation. Handouts have the following advantages:

1.       Handouts can help fill in gaps in the audience’s knowledge and understanding of the topic

2.       Add to the presenter’s creditability

3.       Keeps everyone focused

4.       Serve as a place to take notes

 

• Flip Charts The old fashioned flip chart is still a work horse in small to mid-sized meetings. Flip charts allow a presenter to:

1.       Create group interest and attention

2.       Focus the group on key points

3.       Allow people to visually trace their conversation

 

• Change the scenery The same part of your brain that controls long-term memory also controls large motor skills. Who among us hasn’t sat through a mind-numbing presentation? When a presenter asks the audience to move, they get their attention and re-awaken the part of their brain that controls long term memory.
• Questions Questions ask the audience if the picture is complete for them. Presenters can ask rhetorical questions or they can ask the audience to respond to a question. Additionally, PowerPoint slides can be crafted in such a way that each slide asks questions thereby inviting the audience to reflect and possibly express their opinions and feelings.

You can fight Corporate Attention Deficit by creating visually more interesting meetings.  Work toward well crafted (clear, articulate, consistent), well delivered (physically heard) and well received (fall upon receptive ears) messages.  Both you and your meeting participants will be glad you did.