How To Capture Attention At Work To Boost Employee Engagement

I recently watched a TEDx talk from behavioral researcher Vanessa Van Edwards, where she shared an experiment in which she simply stood on a busy sidewalk and looked up at absolutely nothing. One by one, people stopped and joined her, looking at the same empty spot in the sky. Eventually, a woman leaned over and asked, “Is he going to jump?” The crazy thing is that there was no one there. That moment tells us something serious about human behavior: we are wired to imitate others. It is a kind of social learning we rarely talk about at work. When you watch people around you, you unconsciously begin to mirror their behaviors, expectations, and patterns. The question is, what are you copying and what are you causing others to copy?

Why Nonsense Captures Attention At Work

Vanessa’s staring-at-the-empty-sky story reminded me of several others I like to share when I speak. For example, a woman went into an eye doctor’s office, thinking she was getting her eyes examined, but she was part of a thought experiment. A bell would ring every so often and everyone around her, who were really actors and not other patients, stood up and sat down for no reason, just to see what she would do. After hearing the bell ring just three times, she imitated that behavior and stood up and sat down for no reason other than everyone else was doing it. That is how easily people mimic things and fall prey to social learning. At work, when we do what everyone else does without questioning why, we are no different from the woman who leaned over and asked if the man was going to jump. There was no man and no reason behind the bell. Social learning is powerful, even when it is nonsense, because it feels comfortable to go along with the group.

How Physical Presence Can Improve Attention At Work

Van Edwards’ talk was packed with research that shows how people respond to cues, signals, and questions. I hope you take time to watch it, because her delivery and content were terrific. In the meantime, the following are some of the things I found most interesting from her talk.

She mentioned how people tend to use similar kinds of hand gestures, but some were more impactful than others. Her team coded thousands of minutes of TED Talks and found that the most watched speakers used hundreds of purposeful hand gestures in an 18-minute talk, while the least watched used far fewer. When a speaker said, “Here are three things that matter,” and held up three fingers, the brain assigned pays attention to the idea. When people use visible gestures, it helps listeners process information better.

In addition to gestures, our facial expressions determine how others perceive us. In one study from Finland, people who looked at photos with real smiles caught the positive emotion and showed a measurable mood lift. Photos with fake smiles had no effect. A leader who shows a real smile while asking a real question raises the energy of the room and marks the moment as worth remembering.

Van Edwards shared findings from Dr. Paul Ekman’s research on universal facial expressions. When I interviewed Ekman, he emphasized that emotions show on the face in predictable ways across cultures. Delivery matters as much as words. If you ask a great question with a blank face, you send mixed signals. If you ask with authentic interest, people sense it instantly.

How Dopamine Shapes Attention At Work

An important point of her talk was about dopamine, which is the feel-good hormone. Dopamine spikes when we encounter novelty, anticipate something good, or feel recognized. It not only makes us feel good in the moment but also helps the brain save experiences as memorable.

The brain likes novelty and surprises. Familiar scripts of information offer nothing unexpected, so you don’t get a rush of dopamine. A unique, specific question creates a gap between what the brain expects and what it receives. That gap is the spark to dopamine. Asking, “What did you learn from today’s customer call that changed your perspective?” is more powerful than “How did the call go?”

Dopamine surges when people talk about progress. Invite employees to share what worked well for them, no matter how small. The brain relives that success, releasing another dose of dopamine. “What moved forward this week that you are proud of?” is the kind of question that both lifts energy and anchors attention.

Social reward is one of the strongest dopamine triggers. Quoting someone’s idea from last week and asking them to build on it creates a clean hit of recognition. People light up because they feel valued. Attention at work increases when employees see that their contributions are noticed.

Molecular biologist John Medina describes dopamine as the brain’s Post-it note. Once dopamine fires, our recall improves, and we remember the information surrounding the moment. That means if you open a meeting with a dopamine-worthy question, people are more likely to remember everything else that follows. If you close with another memorable question, you anchor the experience again. Dopamine is the foundation for sustained attention.

Questions That Capture Attention At Work

Better questions move people off autopilot. They do not need to be complex, but they should spark curiosity and anticipation. Here are a few examples.

• What was the most energizing part of your work this week, and why?

• What surprised you regarding this project and changed how you approached it?

• What did a customer or colleague say recently that stuck with you?

• What is one win we can celebrate right now that gives momentum for the next step?

• Where are you curious to explore next, and what action will you take today?

When you ask these questions, remember to consider your presence. Look up, smile genuinely, and keep your hands visible. If you are on video, set your camera at eye level and pause after asking questions because silence draws out deeper answers.

Building Habits That Sustain Attention At Work

Attention might just be the most valuable currency in today’s workplace. Leaders who guide it well change the quality of every interaction. Try opening your meetings with one dopamine-worthy question. Rotate who answers first to give more people opportunities. Keep your hands visible to signal your intention. Be sure to close with a question that points to future intended action. Over time, these habits replace boring scripts with meaningful exchanges. They create a culture where people expect to think, share, and remember. Better questions are the spark that captures attention at work and create a culture of curiosity.