In a world where attention spans are shrinking, how do you keep an audience engaged? Whether you’re giving a presentation, writing an email, or speaking on stage, getting people to focus—and stay focused—is harder than ever.
We live in an attention economy. If we’re not paying with money, we’re paying with our attention. And yet, speakers come to us all the time, worried that attention spans are shorter than ever. You’ve probably heard the stat: human attention spans have shrunk from 12 seconds to 8 seconds—supposedly less than a goldfish.
But here’s the thing: people ARE paying attention—just not always to what you think. In fact, some people and brands are thriving at gaining attention, because they understand how to engage their audience the right way.
So if you’re wondering how to keep an audience engaged, we suggest starting with seeking to understand what they actually want to pay attention to—and what makes them tune out.
What Is Grabbing Attention?
If shrinking attention spans were the whole story, apps like TikTok wouldn’t be as successful as they are. But TikTok is the most downloaded app globally (3.5 billion times!) with users spending an average of 45 minutes per day on the platform. And with an engagement rate of 4.25% per post, it outperforms every other platform.
What’s the secret? Short-form, bite-sized, “snackable” content.
People are drawn to quick, engaging bits of content they can easily absorb. The same principle applies to your presentations—if you want to keep your audience engaged, make it digestible.
And it’s not just video content. Even on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), shorter posts get more attention. When X expanded its character limit from 140 to 280, the shorter tweets still performed better. Why? Because less is more when competing for attention.
The Sweet Spot of Long-Form: TED Talks
On the flip side, it’s not always about being brief—it’s about being intentional. TED Talks are a perfect example. At 18 minutes long, these talks are strategically designed—long enough to explore an idea, short enough to hold attention.
And guess what? The average TED Talk gets 1.6 million views, and many get over 4 million.
So, if you’re wondering how to keep an audience engaged for longer than a few seconds, the key is purposeful structure and clarity, not endless rambling.
Where People Lose Focus
Now for what’s not working—overloading your audience with too much information.
Ever read an email so long you gave up halfway through? Or sat through a presentation that tried to cram in every possible detail? We’ve all been there.
Even though we think more information will help, the opposite is true. When presenters are unclear, they tend to over-share to compensate. But the more concise you are, the more powerful your message becomes.
If your goal is to keep an audience engaged, it’s critical to focus on what the audience needs to know—nothing more, nothing less.
It’s About Them, Not You
Here’s a question we ask every client before designing a presentation:
“In a perfect world, what do you want your audience to do after this presentation?”
Every single time, the answer is about what they want the audience to do—never about how they want to feel about themselves.
And that’s the secret: It’s not about you. It’s about them.
If you want to know how to keep an audience engaged, stop thinking about what you need to say. Start thinking about what they need to hear—and how to say it in a way that makes sense to them.
Final Thought: What Will They Pay Attention To?
Keeping an audience engaged isn’t about chasing attention spans—it’s about meeting your audience where they are.
Ask yourself:
- Are you giving too much information or too little?
- Are you structuring your message in a way that’s easy to follow?
- Are you focusing on what you want to say—or what they need to hear?
When you balance the right information, in the right format, at the right time, audiences will pay attention. It’s not as tricky as it sounds—just put yourself in their shoes.
Because at the end of the day, audiences are paying attention. Your job is to give them something worth focusing on.
