This recent post on my LinkedIn was brief and to the point. The message needs to grab one’s attention before they scroll past it. The intentional use of symbols adds a nuance to make the content aesthetically pleasing as well as simpler to comprehend. The key to what I do professionally is invest my time into critical thought on complex issues and create a narrative in a concise, yet thorough, manner tailored to the channel in which it is delivered. While leaders need to be able to communicate, there is a distinct difference between that and the role of professional communicators who possess unique skills and expertise. Their execution of effective communications has profound impact on a company's reputation and culture. Increasingly difficult is the challenge of how best to cut through the clutter and deliver the right message in the right way to an audience that processes information in different ways. In business, it is paramount that information can be easily processed in a finite period of time. Content is (Still) King The foundation to effective communications centers around the message, or shall we call it the “content.” This blog, noted as a personal space, does not adhere to the principle of "concise" but if you meander through to the end, it hopefully meets the criteria of "clear" and "credible." As for “consistent cadence,” that is up for debate because the very nature of this blog is built around a degree of randomness. Are you still with me? There is a high probability you have clicked away and on to something else by now. After all, the attention span of humans is reportedly getting shorter at an alarming rate. A study in 2015 revealed that the average human attention span shrunk by nearly 25 percent over a 15-year period between 2000 and 2015 (from 12 seconds to 8.25 seconds). It also noted that we now have an attention span shorter than goldfish (9 seconds)! RANDOM SOMERSAULT: By the way, Pepperidge Farm Goldfish® ranks among my favorite snacks! Why is this relevant? Only because I dropped an image in at this point of the post to pique your interest as perhaps a feeble attempt to keep your attention. For your information, Goldfish® crackers were introduced to the United States in 1962 after the snack cracker was discovered on a trip to Switzerland by Pepperidge Farm founder Margaret Rudkin. She returned with the recipe invented by the Swiss biscuit company Kambly. The above-mentioned study on attention span gained a fair amount of attention since it was widely reported by news outlets. However, two years later, a story by the BBC cast a shadow (more like a blanket) of doubt on the validity of the study. A deeper dive revealed suspicion around the source of the data for the study. It's very much task-dependent. How much attention we apply to a task will vary depending on what the task demand is." - Dr. Gemma Briggs, a psychology lecturer at the Open University. Further investigation led to the revelation that it is not true that our attention spans are decreasing. It is more a case of something grabbing our attention than an ability for us to stay focused. So, in this evolving digital age, it is harder to hold one’s attention because of the glut of content that flows every second of the day. RANDOM SOMERSAULT: In the likelihood you did not click on the link to the BBC story above, I’ll lure you by sharing the story also debunks the myth that goldfish have short attention spans. If you are like me, you may be swimmingly astonished to learn that a study on fish memory can be traced to 1908. So, I say it again … content is king! Ultimately, our attention span is influenced by our interest in something especially when it comes to content we choose to consume. Better stated, our attention spans are not getting shorter, they are getting narrower. As described by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, “content is increasing in volume, which exhausts our attention and our urge for ‘newness’ causes us to collectively switch between topics more regularly.” To go deeper, find out more about a 2019 study in which he participated. Of course, other factors play into the formula of what grabs our attention including the medium in which that content is delivered to us and how much time we are willing to take to consume it. Something to consider as we are bombarded by videos, podcasts, TV shows, movies, short films, articles, emails, texts, tweets, phone calls, images and more, is perhaps you should set aside some time to grab a book. Surveys indicate that Americans are reading fewer books. Maybe it is time to reverse this trend. Research shows that reading a book can improve focus, attention span and memory. It requires 100 percent focus to understand what you are reading. Perhaps no other medium commands full attention to understand. As a side note, there is proof that reading fiction has great benefit for our social-cognitive abilities. Reading fiction retrains the brain to stay open, comfortable with ambiguity, and able to sort through information more carefully.” – excerpt from article by Alissa Wilkinson on Vox.com Disciplining yourself to read more may also add a few years to your life! It is a great diversion from the noise that is often hard to escape when glued to our smart phones or passing time by staring at the television.
If you struggle with making reading part of your regular routine (as I often do), I highly recommend you take a few minutes to check out this recent article, “How to Fall Back in Love With Reading.” Of course, if you ramp up your reading of books, please carve out enough time to regularly consume your favorite blog, “Random Somersaults."
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WHY "RANDOM SOMERSAULTS?""Random Somersaults"
features storytelling based on themes spurred by personal and professional experiences and thoughts that represent a broad range of topics with a few random, yet relevant, detours. It is a terrific way to get to know Pete Fierle as you gain insight into how he processes information through this less formal and creative style of writing. The blog has been described as “fun and informative” and “what fun to meander through ideas and streams of consciousness.” AuthorPete Fierle has a love for all mediums but a special affinity for the written word (that flows from a keyboard or fountain pen) as a powerful platform for storytelling. ARCHIVEBe sure to check out the archives and roll through past posts for a variety of topics and stories.
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