Be Mindful Of Adult Attention

Combining technology with adult learning principles, L&D professionals can confidently take on increasing distractions and win the war for the hearts and minds of the distracted and confused learner with utmost confidence.

- Dipankar Das

The Professor turned Trainer was losing patience with the class. Delivering a session on Strategy, Dr. Raina was used to rapt, if not devout, attention from his class. However, delivering the same session at this blue chip MNC, he was struggling to get the participants to comprehend what was being put across by him. It was not that they were intellectually challenged, indifferent, or disinterested, but armed with their mobile phones and, thereby, WhatsApp, their office mailboxes, and a welter of Apps- which seemed to be ceaselessly pinging their attention away. Dr. Raina, like any Trainer, knew that concepts need undiluted attention to be understood and thereafter practiced. Fractured or piecemeal attention would leave them clueless, and thus render the training ineffective - a situation no trainer would love to be in. This unfortunately is the sorry tale of nearly all trainers. Parachuted into a class, often without prior awareness of the organisational context, and the specific needs of the participants, the trainer launches into his standard spiel, only to be greeted by eyes glazing over and dull or distracted expressions; and the constant dart of eyeballs to the mobiles and laptops.

Looking closely at the literature