Do Audiences Have Shorter Attention Spans Today? Or Are We Missing the Bigger Picture?
Michael Davis
Author, Keynote Speaker, Presentation Skills Coach | High Impact Communication Skills for Leaders and Sales Professionals | In-person and virtual speaking and coaching
“In an information-rich world, a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ~ Herbert Simon, Nobel Prize-winning economist
It’s easy to believe attention spans are shrinking. Blame TikTok, smartphones, or the endless scroll of social media.
But, have we lost the ability to focus our attention?
In my presentation skills seminars, I make the case that attention spans aren’t the problem. I base to on these observations:
If our attention spans are shrinking, why are movies getting longer?
Why are we able to sit for hours on end, watching our favorite TV shows or play video games.
The REAL Challenge
The reality is the the problem is GETTING and KEEPING attention.
People focus deeply on what captivates them, so the challenge is engagement. We can’t expect audiences to tune in if we’re reading slides, talking through memorized scripts, or failing to create a two-way dialogue with our listeners.
A recent episode of the podcast No Stupid Questions offered insights that support this idea:
The greatest gift we can give an audience is not just information but engagement. Let’s stop blaming shrinking attention spans and start elevating how we deliver our messages.
What do you think?
Is it our attention spans—or the way we communicate?
Professional Innovation/AI Speaker, Trainer, consulting to help you create high performing teams
3 天前Michael, you bring out some very good observations. Presenters need to focus as much on engagement as content, which unfortunately is often not the case.
??Designer, ??producer, ??Certified Speaking Professional, ??emcee for ??Engaging ??????Virtual & Hybrid Meetings. I wrote the #1?? Amazon ??Hot-New Release ??book on Engaging Virtual Meetings.
4 天前As the author of Engaging Virtual Meetings, engagement is the key. There are all sorts of things you (and TV and movies do) to gain and keep your engagement. Here are 2 examples. 1) Change your view - a movie cuts on average every THREE seconds. Consider having more than 1 camera or learning visual tools to change the look of you and your content. 2) YOU are the presentation. Great presenters can hold your attention for a full 60 minutes or more. If your presentation is not holding attention, when you're done pointing your finger at the audience, follow the other 4 and ask yourself what can you do to keep their attention: table exercise, generate conflict, keep them hanging on a key point, build suspense, surprise them, make them do something, and most of all teach them something they want to know. All keys to engagement.
Communication = Persuasion. I help you be awesome at both. | Creator of The Communication Equation framework
4 天前Love seeing this point echoed Michael. Attention spans are absolutely NOT getting shorter...the smart ones know this. Unfortunately, there's an entire industry on here composed of LinkedIn users trying to "hack" using LinkedIn, and it's led to a glut of content about writing "hooks," formatting your posts like some weird visual poetry, and a ton of other useless, generic info. As you note, the issue isn't the recipient's attention span, it's the communicator's CONTENT. Make things that actually resonate and connect with your audience, and there's no need to resort to goofy gimmicks (especially when those goofy gimmicks themselves don't work).
Business Psychologist | Professional Executive Coach @ True North Concepts | Helping Great Leaders Create Even Better Outcomes
4 天前Such an insightful perspective, Michael! I completely agree—it's not about shrinking attention spans, but rather our ability to create engaging, meaningful connections with our audience. When content resonates and captivates, attention naturally follows. It's a great reminder to focus on delivery and dialogue, not just the message. Thanks for sharing this!
I help leaders "think like comedians" to communicate, collaborate, and innovate with their teams to build standout cultures. | Keynotes, Workshops, Comedy Shows, Disruptions
4 天前Storytelling is everything. Give them something worth focusing on! If you build it, they will engage… or something.