Focus Phrase - Business Applications

Business Applications

In corporate awareness-training, focus phrases are used not to change the outer world, but to rapidly shift inner attention, and thus alter personal experience and behavior. For instance, in order to shift rapidly from being lost in thought to present-moment alertness, the following core focus phrase drawn both from perceptual psychology and ancient Yoga meditative tradition is used: "I feel the air flowing in and out of my nose." Immediately, as often explained by spiritual teacher Alan Watts in his numerous books, the words have the psychological power to turn your attention toward the actual breathing experience - which in turn awakens your awareness to sensory experience in the present moment.

Elicitor statements using this general 'focus phrase technology' for mental refocusing can be used to redirect attention toward a more positive mood ("I let go of my worries, and feel peaceful inside"), toward more creative states of mind ("I am open to receive insight into my dilemma"), toward interpersonal relating ("I accept this person just as they are"), or toward any other intent to improve one's experience and behavior.

The term Focus Phrase is recently becoming a more general-usage term found in daily communication, referring to any short sentence intended to help a person's performance or inner experience. There is also some negative discussion of the term. In the opposite direction, the term Focus Phrase has been studied academically as a part of a Semantics dissertation.