3 pillars of attention that 10x your communication

Speaking
Written By Liam Sandford
yellow attention sign

In today’s world, attention is the top currency. There is always somewhere else you can spend your time and attention. Instagram, TikTok, YouTube etc. All are rabbit holes you could spend hours and hours in.

When you say ‘yes’ to something, you are actively saying ‘no’ to everything else you could be doing at that time. The same goes for everyone else. When you are communicating with people, either one on one, or in a group setting, you have to capture and maintain attention, otherwise the minds of your audience are wandering elsewhere.

How are you going to come out on top when there are millions of other things your audience could be doing? If you want to win that battle with both your speaking and writing you must play the attention game.

You must capture attention right from the start, provide helpful advice, and inspire action to leave a lasting impact. This helps to take someone on a journey.

3 Pillars of Attention

To play the attention game in all of your communication you should seek to cover all three pillars of attention.

Pillar 1: Emotion

When you trigger an emotion, it makes it easier for your audience to connect to what you are saying. You are not just giving them information; you are relating it to their life. When they feel you are speaking directly to them and can solve a problem they have, you have their undivided attention. It helps to start by thinking about the emotion you want to trigger. What do you want your audience to feel? Here are some options:

  • ‘That is so funny’.

  • ‘That is amazing’.

  • ‘That is crazy’.

  • ‘Finally, someone said what I feel’.

  • ‘That is great news’.

  • ‘I am intrigued’.

  • ‘I am inspired’.

Think of emotion as the lynchpin that makes someone ‘feel’. Being able to feel a creates a lasting memory they can tap into. If you tie this into something you say you have the ability to create a moment for someone. Maybe they will remember your message forever, especially if you follow pillars 2 and 3 as well.

Pillar 2: Keep it moving

The killer of attention is unnecessary context. Your audience does not need every detail. They need the defining moment and the actionable items that will help them.

If you want to keep your reader interested, everything you say must either be the key point they need or lead them to the next key point. Remember that you don’t automatically have the right to anyone’s attention, even if they started out listening to you. It is your job to keep them engaged.

The most effective way to do this is through storytelling. People love a story — it is what they go home and tell their family about. Relate it to people using pillar 1, emotion, and make it easily digestible by keeping it moving.

Pillar 3: Actionable items

Give people clear steps they can take. A lot of advice comes in the form of wishy-washy platitudes that sound great but have no substance. People will switch off if there is no depth to what you are saying. A great way to provide depth is by sharing a course of action you have taken that worked, and giving them the exact steps.

By showcasing clear, actionable items you will not only keep your audience engaged as they plan their next steps, but they will remember it was you that set them on the right course. If you get this right, it creates your true fans — those whose attention you have captured forever.

Pillar 3 gives you the ability to create a lasting impact, even if you give just the first step someone needs to take. Your one call to action should be simple, clear, and easy for someone to take action on right now. Remove all barriers for someone to get started. Once people start they will come back for the next step, and you will be on a journey together.

Actionable takeaways

  • Use the 3 pillars of attention to captivate, and maintain attention when you have something important to say.

  • Embed storytelling into the 3 pillars of attention, opening by triggering emotion, keeping the story moving, then provide actionable items your audience can use.

  • Don’t assume you have the right to someones attention. Work hard to earn it, then work hard to maintain it.

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Liam Sandford
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