Attention /əˈtɛnʃ(ə)n/
the appropriate amount of mental energy to solve a particular task
Stephen Hick’s definition of attention
In the most recent latest WhatComesNextLive conversation, it was a pleasure to talk with Stephen Hicks. As a way of introducing his work and his thinking around the way the human brain views things (he has a particular focus on helping the visually impaired), he gave us the definition of attention above.
My own shortcut definition of another word, wisdom, is:
Wisdom is something concise that, when you hear it, you feel you always knew it.
I feel that Stephen’s definition of Attention is most wise, the essence being in the use of the word “appropriate”.
In the conversation, I also referenced deep listening as a leader or coach, where we can listen at (at least) four levels: words, visuals, sounds, energy. The key in deep listening is, therefore, in giving the appropriate amount of mental energy to each level of listening at the same time. Are we focussed on the detail too much that we miss the underlying energy of the speaker? Alternatively, are we focussed too much on their voice and appearance and miss the detail?
Fascinating and has me musing. Thank you Stephen! I encourage you to watch or listen to the full half-hour conversation via links here, then I’d love to hear from you as to what this got you musing on.