How to shift the attention in a gathering to be in your favor.

Have you ever been so excited to be at a gathering and when you finally get there, you feel unnoticed like you don't belong or you're being ignored? 

This is a very common occurrence, it happens to the best of us. Shifting the attention and energy in a gathering to be favorable to you can do a lot for you. It helps boost your confidence, reduces anxiety and fidgeting, it also leaves a remarkable memory of you in others, it's a way of pitching yourself and your brand to a group of people without saying or doing too much and it gives you a sense of relevance that most times end up being in your favor.

So how do you bend the attention in a room to be in your favor? 

There are a couple of things that can give you momentum for this

1. Appearance 

Appearance is key to almost everything, it is almost impossible for people to forget what others wear. And we know the popular quote “you are addressed the way you dress” always look presentable and good, it does a lot to your aura, how you feel, and how others think of you. 

Entering a meeting or an event or a gathering when you dress very well, you've automatically caught the attention of some people. Always look the part, it gets you the right kind of attention.

2. Speak only when necessary

This is an underrated hack for getting the right kind of attention. Someone who constantly has something to say at every meeting, every gathering, and every opportunity they get, eventually starts getting taken less seriously. So instead of always being the talker, try being the listener. Come into that gathering, sit, listen attentively, and observe. Silence is one of the loudest sounds, as ironic as that sounds it is true. You get noticed when you talk all the time and you get interestingly noticed when you talk less because people get curious to know why you don't talk more and they tend to take note of what the “quiet person” says when they finally talk. It is a very strategic thing to do.

3. Address people by their names.

Addressing people by their names gives them a feeling of importance and regard. And what better way to get on someone's good side other than by giving them relevance? It shows that you are attentive and that you care to know their identity. So instead of Sir or Ma try addressing a person by their legal name with their befitting title, e.g if you have a doctor or a Ph.D. holder in the gathering, instead of calling Mr blah blah blah or Mrs/Miss blah blah call them Dr (insert their legal name).

4. Admitting your weaknesses.

Everyone has their strength and weaknesses and basking in each of them is a sure pass to elevating your status of relevance. 

I remember telling a friend that my “people problem” was affecting me at my new workplace, I find it hard to warm up to new people and new environments and this is an attribute that doesn’t always come in your favor especially if you are working in an office setting like me. Because I am self-aware of things like that I recognized it as a weakness and when I told my friend about it, he suggested I tell my colleagues and boss about it. At first, I was like “there is no way I would do that” but he convinced me to do it and watch how things change and rules bend for me because of simply admitting I had a weakness, fast forward to the present, I indeed told my colleagues and boss about how being painfully quiet and not wanting to interact with anyone is more of a “ME PROBLEM “ etc and now my colleagues go out of their way to make sure I’m carried along in whatever is going on in the office, my boss interacts with me more over texts because she figured that I express myself freely when I write/text, she constantly checks on me during meetings and calls to make sure I am comfortable and many other good things that happened just because I decided to admit to a weakness. 

It’s a very rare occurrence when someone admits to their weaknesses, especially to a couple of people, as it makes a good impression.

5. Flourishing in your Strength.

It just goes both ways when I said admit your weaknesses, you should also maximize your potential. Whatever you know you are excellent at and you know that thing or that skill will be very useful and impactful to the congregation you find yourself in, it is advisable to use it excellently, and be known for that. This helps your relevance. 

6. Posture. 

This might sound a little silly but the way you carry yourself speaks a lot about who you are. Good posture is important as it is one of the first things that is noticed when you’re seen. No confident person walks with slanting shoulders or heads downwards or even dragging their feet. Heads up, chin up, shoulders leveled, eyes forward is always the posture of confidence, maintaining a good balance and posture makes you feel comfortable and confident. 

Other points like Mannerism, politeness and Time Consciousness are also important hacks that can get you the right attention. If you are quite observant you will find out that the pattern in this article is Attracting the right attention by creating good and memorable impressions of yourself to others. And the good thing is these things are not so difficult and are easily achievable, in addition, they also help boost your confidence and we tend to maximize our potential when we feel good about ourselves, I hope this was helpful to you and you can share with anyone who you might feel would gain from reading this piece.