Attention Spans Are Growing


Attention Spans Are Growing




by , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, August 28, 2018

Business professionals are spending more time with content. In fact, 59% say they can give a piece of content their undivided attention without becoming distracted more today versus one year ago. And 49% admit they have become more selective about the content they consume, according to data released Tuesday.


The research attempts to prove that business professionals are paying more attention at a longer clip, but there is no scientific proof as to why. 


The key seems to be a combination of compelling narrative with eye-catching visuals and dialogue, per research from Prezi, a presentation platform company. The research, 2018 State of Attention Report, measures the effectiveness of content and presentations and how they resonate with business professionals across demographics, including Millennials, Generation Xers, and Boomers. Kelton Research conducted the study, in which more than 2,000 U.S. business professionals participated between February 27, 2018 and March 7, 2018.


The cost of not keeping their attention can be critical. Some 95% of business professionals say they multitask during meetings. Around one-third of these multitaskers lose track of or have trouble retaining the information being discussed in meetings, and one in five admit that multitasking in meetings has caused them to make an error in their work. Breaking that down, it means 25% of Millennials, 19% of Gen Xers and 10% of Boomers.


When dividing the focus between more than one topic, 56% of Millennials said they had to watch, read or listen to something again to get the meaning, compared with 49% of Gen Xers, and 44% of Boomers. Some 45% of Millennials reported issues retaining the material they consumed, compared with 36% of Gen Xers, and 33% of Boomers.


If more Millennial business professionals at 90% than Gen Xers at 85% or Boomers at 82% shifted their focus away from a speaker during the most recent presentation or sales pitch they saw live, think of how these generations ignore search ads.

MediaPost.com: Search Marketing Daily

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