We’ve all heard the chatter about our dwindling attention spans. But do we truly grasp the extent of this issue? It’s a shared struggle that many of us are navigating.
Let’s consider how much content contends for our attention. On a typical workday, I receive between 200 and 300 emails, 100 to 200 text messages, 100 or more instant messages across various social media platforms, and over 50 voicemails on both my cell and work lines. The only way to manage this much input is to triage what’s essential and what is not and do my best to respond as quickly and succinctly as possible. This process may be effective for managing my inbox, but it hinders my ability to pay attention and communicate effectively.
And in all of our hands, our smartphones are daily and hourly chipping away at a fundamental skill: paying attention and focusing.
No matter how much we work on our listening and attention skills, our phones pull us toward distraction, reaction, and a lack of focus. And invariably, even if we work on listening and paying attention to others, there’s little hope that we can get others to do the same. We must acknowledge that most of the people we deal with are perpetually distracted, overwhelmed, and drowning in emails, phone messages, instant messages, news notifications, and other matters.
Because we are all overwhelmed with so many incoming messages and notifications, we play an essential role in not adding to the cacophony.
This is what I do to facilitate communication with others who are already overwhelmed by it.
First, adapt to your audience’s preferred communication method. Whether it’s voicemails, emails, text messages, or instant messages, meet them where they’re at.
Second, I get to the point and use bullet points. Sometimes longer communications are unavoidable, but that does not mean you cannot do everything you can to shorten and streamline them.
I typically start an email with a topic sentence that outlines what I’m delving into, then provide a series of titles, subtitles, and bullet points that the reader can easily follow and refer to later if needed. My communications are not meant to benefit me. They are intending to help the recipient, and to do so, I want to make it as easy as possible for them to identify and process the information I am conveying.
Third, I avoid digressions, anecdotes, humor, and related issues unless the situation absolutely calls for it. My job is to get in, share information, and get out.
I’m not trying to receive an award as a humorist or a Pulitzer. I am perpetually aware and appreciate that I’m intruding on someone’s attention and time, and I want the intrusion to be as limited and painless as possible.
A caveat is warranted. The communications I speak of are business-related. It’s easy to transfer these pointed and direct communications into your personal relationships. Please don’t. Your family and friends want to hear from you. They want to talk to you. They don’t want yes-or-no answers. They want something more. So often, we lawyers bring our work home with us, cross-examining and interrogating our families at the dinner table. Let’s not apply our business-style communication to home or to friends.
In addition to written communications, let’s address our oral communications with others. Again, the focus is on getting to the point, answering the questions posed, and providing solutions and resolutions clearly and positively. So often, I’ve been on business calls or on Zoom or Teams, and someone is overextending their welcome by discussing unrelated items, not getting to the point, and prolonging the conversation. Perhaps they think that the more they talk, the more in control they are or the better they will be remembered. They will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. I’ve never been in a meeting where someone said I wish it were longer. Or I wanted that person to have talked more. You have more impact with the less you say. If you’re always talking, people are listening less, and when you make a strong point, others are likely to ignore it. Say only what’s needed and move on.
Remember, in all forms of communication, less is more. Getting to the point is key. Making information digestible and easy to process is crucial. There are times when soaring oratory is required. But for the rest of the time, keep it short and to the point. Your audience will appreciate the clarity and brevity.
Frank Ramos is a partner at Goldberg Segalla in Miami, where he practices commercial litigation, products, and catastrophic personal injury. You can follow him on LinkedIn, where he has about 80,000 followers.
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