Today I have the privilege of presenting some of our research to a fantastic group of UCC ministers. And, it is is Boston. A double-dip of happiness. Thinking of me presenting also conjured up thoughts of boredom, and some advice I would give to those great people who will listen to me today: doodling can help you pay attention when the speaker is not captivating enough.

There is a famous story about this that involves Tony Blair, Bill Gates, and some doodles found after an important speech. The basic story is that the doodles were mistakenly attributed to Tony Blair and it was claimed that the doodles indicated that he was not paying attention to the speaker. The doodles were evidently drawn by Bill Gates, and researchers have since found that doodling can help us pay attention better. The short story is that drawing occupies part of our attention so we can more fully direct the rest toward the important, but not-so-engaging speech.

So, this might be good to remember when you see congregation members drawing during your sermon. Even if they are not taking notes, they are paying attention.

~matt

[Yes, I am an inveterate doodler]

Here is a New York Times piece on this research.