8 seconds. That’s how long the average person can concentrate at a stretch – and the trend is downward. The much-cited attention or concentration span is repeatedly the subject of studies and discussions. And yes, we also think: It is a problem when people unlearn to deal with content in a concentrated way – especially in the e-learning area. But we also think: Many e-learning offerings do precious little to promote focused and concentrated learning. Long-winded videos and poorly designed PDFs are a real challenge for learners to get distracted and not engage intensively enough with the content. That is why we have developed skillfocus, an e-learning format that aims at focused and concentrated learning.

skillfocus puts the learner’s attention at the center of the learning process. They follow a conversation modeled on a situation from their everyday work. For example, they watch or listen to a meeting or a business lunch. Of course, not everything goes perfectly in this conversation. Compliance violations or any security risks have crept in. Learners must pay close attention to every word, every utterance. Because: If you don’t pay close enough attention and reveal potential violations via the call sign button, you lose points.

Thus, the attention span cannot shorten to goldfish level at all with skillfocus. After all, e-learning success depends on focused engagement with the content. Learners are motivated to intensively receive even complex learning content such as compliance or information security. This trains the ability to concentrate and ensures that important messages are delivered accurately.