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Continuous Partial Attention?
Jeff Kenton | Mar 30 2006
Hi everyone, I was reading the March 27 Newsweek, and Steven Levy's column caught my attention. In the article, he quotes a conference talk given my Linda Stone. Linda used to work at both Apple and Microsoft. She's concerned about a phenomenon called Continuous Partial Attention (CPA). This affliction (my word) involves trying to engage oneself in two worlds simultaneously. Levy also provides a metaphor: "A live Blackberry or even a switched-on mobile phone is an admission that your commitment to your current activity is as fickle as Renee Zellweger's wedding vows." (Ouch.) and: What can be done? Is it rude to assume that I can ask my conversation partner to unhook the bluetooth earbud when talking to me? Can I take away my meeting group's Blackberrys until the meeting is over? Does anyone have any strategies for dealing with this? 17 Comments
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 The irony in my experience...Submitted by emory on March 30, 2006 - 3:43pm.
Merlin wrote:
The only time you should ever accept that type of behavior is if you're talking to a client, or someone who is high enough up the food chain that it is even possible that the call they're getting is about their Yacht capsizing or their private Jet catching fire. I have routinely excused people from meetings when they are too busy (for all I know) playing Tetris or talking to their spouse to pay atttention to what is going on. There is another individual in my office requires everyone remain standing in the conference room while they're having a meeting. He is convinced that this keeps people on task and meetings short and fiddlers in check. I don't go to many of his meetings. But you know what they say, "If the meeting can't start without you, that is a meeting worth going to -- and the only meetings you should ever concern yourself with." » POSTED IN:
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