Most people know what it’s like to have a ‘poor’ attention span. They also know that it’s hard to stop doing favourite tasks. In the final part of this series, Peter Clough and Doug Strycharczyk consider how to improve performance through better concentration.
Research and feedback from practitioners shows that the most useful interventions for developing mental toughness fall under five broad headings: positive thinking, visualisation, anxiety control, goal setting and attentional control. The latter, which is about focusing better and for longer, is one of the least exploited areas of intervention, yet it has the most scope for significant benefit for the client.
If there is one factor that is highly significant in enabling people to perform to their potential and feel less stressed in doing so, it is their ability to focus and to do it for a sustained period of time. This is particularly true for those whose life and work is centred on intellectual activity – reading, writing, studying – as opposed to physical activity, though it is still important with the latter, too.
Attentional control works on:
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Life control (self-efficacy)
Commitment
Challenge
Confidence in abilities (self-esteem).
It has been variously estimated that the average attention span for a young person is around eight minutes. Moreover, we know that each time we break away from a piece of work we never return exactly to the point we left off. We have to backtrack to ‘tune in’.
Estimates suggest you might have to re-visit up to 30 per cent of the work you carried out before you broke off.1
This means a mental activity like writing a report or reading an important document, already stressful activities, can take much longer to complete than if we could concentrate fully.
However, research in the US and elsewhere, particularly in sport, shows it is possible to develop a person’s attention span to 45 minutes or more.
A key issue is that attentional control is learned and experiential: you cannot teach someone to concentrate better.
Attentional control has three parts:
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Practice: We learn to focus through repeated experimentation and purposeful exercise
Reflection: As we develop, it is important to take stock of what we are now doing – this enables us to concentrate better.
Measurement: Providing evidence that what we are now doing is somehow tangible and beneficial.
This area is extremely well suited to the support that can be provided by a skilled coach or facilitator.
Interventions fall into four broad groupings, which essentially deal with interruptions and distractions.
1. Developing concentration
The interesting thing is, we can often concentrate with amazing intensity when we want to or need to. Try interrupting a teenager who is hooked on computer games or try asking someone a question during a football match.
The challenge here is to reproduce those moments of intense concentration, and make the client aware of what they are doing now and what it is they are doing to achieve that state. Then they need to think about how they might reproduce that when needed in other circumstances.
Make it work
There are several games and exercise that help do this. One is Bop-iT – an inexpensive electronic toy that requires the player to follow a complex set of instructions to achieve a progressively higher score.
Another is the number grid exercise (see www.aqrexercises.com for a beta version), Stroop tests, etc. Computer games, such as Space Invaders, can be helpful if the client reflects on how they achieve higher scores. Improved concentration will be a factor.
2. Emptying the mind
Learning to still the mind enhances concentration, but is easier said than done. As soon as you say: “Don’t think about X!”, you think about X.
Make it work
Techniques range from yoga, meditation and mindfulness, through to exercises like the ‘stork stand’.
Ask the client to stand on one leg with arms outstretched. Ask them to close their eyes and maintain that balance. For most people, thinking about maintaining balance often means they lose it. If they learn not to think about it (perhaps by thinking about something else entirely) they are suddenly much more able to maintain the position.
If you speak with the client while they’re doing this, you will find that the ability to maintain balance is enhanced. This is an example of the third broad grouping: controlled distraction
3. Controlled distraction
It may sometimes be easier to think of, or do, something calming which you know develops that state of mind.
Make it work
It can be a mental or physical task.
Music is thought to work well for some – especially listening to the lyrics of certain songs. Looking at pictures of relaxing scenes may have an effect, too.
Physical activities can include carrying out routine tasks – weeding a garden border, playing with a pet, and the like.
Help the client to identify those opportunities, and with guided reflection, help them understand why and how such opportunities work
for them.
4. Managing interruptions
It helps to carry out important and valuable work in an environment that is free from interruptions.
Make it work
First, work with a client to identify the frequent sources of interruption that creates stress or pressure. Second, identify how they can create chances for interruption-free work.
Conclusions
The majority of these techniques rely firmly on experiential learning. Whereas concentration can be developed, it is extremely difficult to teach it to someone. It is important to stress the need for practice, practice, practice, and the need to monitor change (which is why using tools such as Bop-iT and Number Grid exercises work so well – the client can see and measure progress).
Make sure you manage the client’s expectations of achieving immediate results. It isn’t possible – but the rewards for those who persevere are significant.
References and further info
P Clough and D Strycharczyk, Developing Mental Toughness, Kogan Page, 2011
J Passmore (ed.), Psychometrics in Coaching, Kogan Page, 2008
For information on MTQ48, see ‘A tough nut to crack’ (Coaching at Work, Vol 4, Issue 1): www.coaching-at-work.com/2009/01/02/a-tough-nut-to-crack/
or email: doug@aqr.co.uk
For information on resilience, see ‘Bouncing back’ (Coaching at Work, Vol 7, Issue 3): www.coaching-at-work.com/2012/04/24/bouncing-back/?_login=e1c22eddff/
Coaching at Work, Volume 7, issue 5