“Your brain doesn’t pay attention to boring things,” said Dr. John Medina, molecular biologist and author of Brain Rules. “If it doesn’t see a reason to pay attention, it will move on to something else. It has plenty of other stuff to do.”

I interviewed Medina for Viral Voices, an audio original on advanced digital communication skills. If you understand the neuroscience of attention — how your listeners’ brains process information — you’ll be much more persuasive in every type form of communication. Your pitch will stand a better chance of landing with your audience.

The first key takeaway: the human brain has evolved to filter information to conserve energy. “There has not been enough time for TikTok to rewire your brain,” Medina shared. “It will still react as if it were in the Pleistocene era, not the 21st century.”

So, whenever you pitch, present, or lead, listeners’ brains instantly decide whether to pay attention.

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Science reveals four “signals” the brain looks for. If present, your audience tunes in. If absent, you’ve lost them.

1. Novelty

The human brains is wired to notice patterns. Predictable patterns are easy to ignore. Anything that breaks the pattern gets noticed. Steve Jobs was a pattern breaker.

For example, in the famous iPhone launch of 2007, Jobs introduced three new products: “An iPod, a phone, and an internet communication device.” He repeated the pattern three times, then broke it.

“These are not three separate devices. They’re one device. And we’re calling it, iPhone,” Jobs declared.

The audience laughed and cheered. The iPhone presentation has become one of the most iconic business presentations because it contained a novel element — a pattern followed by a surprise twist.
2. Emotion

Messages that evoke strong emotions act as a signal that the information matters. Research shows stories spark emotions because they release neurochemicals that make audiences pay attention. That’s why you’ll often hear talented communicators use stories to prove a point.

During Airbnb’s IPO roadshow, CEO Brian Chesky would start the pitch with the company’s origin: how a group of friends who couldn’t pay the rent decided to offer the use of their apartment and air mattresses to people attending a local business conference.

The story may not seem directly linked to investing, but it proved the need for the model and built trust in the team, who solved a real problem. Stories spark emotions and build trust. Tell more of them. 3. Clarity

If information is confusing or complex, the brain disengages and won’t pay attention. The fix? Make it easy.

One of the most effective tactics to keep a message simple is to stick to the rule of three. Neuroscientists say that humans are only capable of holding three or four items in short-term working memory. For communicators, that means sticking to three key messages your audience will remember after the pitch, not 23.

Highlight three features, three reasons, or three benefits. Resist adding more. Your job is not to tell the audience everything, but what they need to know. Make it easy for them to follow, remember, and decide. 4. Relevance

One of the questions the human brain is asking as it scans its environment is, “Why should I care?” Again, there’s an evolutionary reason for it. Have you heard of fight or flight? Well, that’s your brain assessing the current situation. When people listen to a pitch, they subconsciously decide whether to stay or disengage. Give them a reason to care, and they’ll pay attention.

One tactic to get your audience to care is to hit them over the head with the main message, figuratively. I watched one executive, a skilled communicator, introduce a new initiative to his team. His first slide had only one number: 28%. He explained that adopting the new system would boost revenue by 28% this year. He immediately translated those dollars into things that meant something to the people in the room: bigger bonuses, job security, and resources to hire support staff.

The audience bought in because the speaker made the information relevant. Otherwise, 28% is just a number — unless it’s directly tied to something people care about. The lesson is simple: People get bored easily. Give them a reason to listen.