RETAILOBSERVER.COM MAY 2017
14
I
n a world driven by mobile technology and multitasking, everyone from
marketers to managers to teachers knows the trials and aggravations
of getting anyone to pay attention. According to a 2015 Microsoft
study, the average attention span for us ever-scattered humans is now
shorter than a goldfish's: eight seconds.
Consultant and popular speaker, Paul Hellman works with leaders at
global companies on how to excel in high-stakes communications when
no one has time to pay attention. (Truth: people pretend to listen every
day.) In YOU'VE GOT 8 SECONDS: Communication Secrets for a
Distracted World, Paul shares his insights, formulas, and tricks for
overcoming the universal challenge of getting heard, getting remembered,
and getting results.
"Sometimes all you get is a moment," Paul stresses, "and these moments
count." He makes seizing those moments a snap – with just three key
strategies, based on his 25-plus years of experience, supported by 100
fast, fun, actionable tactics. A bonus for skimmers who like to skip around:
each tactic is self-contained and topped with a headline, so that readers
can quickly grasp the point and jump into applying it.
In a nutshell, YOU'VE GOT 8 SECONDS shows how to capture
attention with:
• FOCUS – Say less with more meaning, give tough feedback without
getting pushback, and craft critical messages with the author's Fast-
focus™ methodology.
• VARIETY – Stand out as slightly different, tell short riveting stories, shift
gears from announce to discuss, and engage others with smart
questions.
• PRESENCE – Boost your image (looks, voice, and online), rev up your
drive, and temper your temperament (especially how you behave
under stress).
B O O K R E V I E W
YOU'VE GOT 8 SECONDS:
Communication Secrets for a Distracted World
Author: Paul Hellman has worked with thousands of business leaders at organizations including Aetna,
Boeing, Kaiser Permanente, New Balance, and NASA. His columns and advice have appeared in The
New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, CNBC.com, The Boston Globe's online
Job Doc column, and on public radio's Marketplace and CNN's Business Unusual. He lives in Boston.
Publisher: Amacom
RO
