How to win the attention of your executives
Attention spans are short
Your audience is time poor, they have a million things to attend to, they have a billion decisions to make, and their attention spans are getting shorter every year
Back in 2004, our average attention span whilst performing a task at work was 2.5 minutes. By 2012, the average had dropped to 75 seconds. Two decades later, our average attention span is now at 47 seconds whilst the median is at an alarming 40 seconds
You have less time to make your executives care about what you care about, make the decisions you need them to make, and influence the people you need them to influence
What can you do to win their attention and give yourself every chance of success?
Don’t drown them in the details
You and your team have spent days, weeks, perhaps even months gathering data, formulating insights, drawing conclusions and building your business cases. You know every little detail there is to know about your subject. The clearer you get, the more potential you see, and the more you want to share everything with everyone in the excitement of it all. Don’t
Your executives simply don’t care about the these details like you and your team do. At least not at the beginning of your conversation. What your executives want to hear is that:
you are across the depths of these details - the good, the bad, the ugly
you’re confident about what you’re proposing - that you have sound judgment
you are clear about what you are asking them to do - that you’re asking for specific help or input and why
Start with the end in mind
The first thing you should do to grab your executive’s attention during a conversation is to clearly make your ask upfront. Before you present anything to them, tell them what you need from them during your conversation
It gives them a reason to stay in the conversation, a purpose, and a lens with which to view the information you are about to provide them so that they can exercise their own sound judgment
Then use the Minto Pyramid Principle
Barbara Minto, the first female MBA professional hire McKinsey made, is best known for her immortal framework for writing and presenting ideas - the Minto Pyramid Principle. It’s a tool to help you think and articulate your thinking clearly and convincingly
There are only three logic rules to obey. Once you’ve made your ask to your executive, structure your conversation so that you:
lead with your answer (or hypothesis)
support your answer (or hypothesis) with high level insights
back up your insights with data, analysis and evidence
It works, every single time. This is the tried and true formula for consultants around the globe, and the reason why they are so effective in their attempts to rapidly gain the attention, trust and confidence of executives around the world
Want to learn communication strategies like the Minto Pyramid Principle to help you influence more effectively?
Let’s work on this together. Here are three ways:
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Executive and Leadership Team Coaching: Work directly with Lai-Ling to problem solve for your specific situation in a confidential setting. This is for you if you want to develop and execute on a game plan that is 100% tailored to you
Leadership Development: Invest in the product and transformation leaders in your company with leadership development that is customised for their role. This is for you if you want to learn about people and politics
References
McKinsey & Company. (2018). Barbara Minto: "MECE: I invented it, so I get to say how to pronouce it". McKinsey & Company. Retrieved 8 July 2025 from https://www.mckinsey.com/alumni/news-and-events/global-news/alumni-news/barbara-minto-mece-i-invented-it-so-i-get-to-say-how-to-pronounce-it
Mills, K. I., & Mark, G. (2023). Speaking of Psychology: Why our attention spans are shrinking, with Gloria Mark, PhD. American Psychological Association. Retrieved 8 July 2025 from https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/attention-spans