The old adage goes ‘You
catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar’. Spoiler alert: this is no longer only a pearl of etiquette wisdom your Nan might impart. That’s right; it’s now a fact.
Two studies this month have confirmed that choosing your
words wisely – scientifically even - give you a much better chance of getting
what you want.
In a research study published in the Journal of Consumer
Research revealed that if you want to say ‘no’ to something, you are better
off saying “I don’t” as opposed to “I can’t”.
Your words help to frame your sense of empowerment and control. Furthermore, the words that you use create a feedback loop in your brain that impacts your future behaviors. For example, every time you tell yourself “I can’t,” you’re creating a feedback loop that's a reminder of your limitations. This terminology indicates that you’re forcing yourself to do something you don’t want to do. In comparison, when you tell yourself “I don’t,” you’re creating a feedback loop that reminds you of your control and power over the situation.
Of course words can be just as powerful when they are used
in persuasion as they are in dissuasion. In another new
study also published in the Journal of Consumer Research, Elaine Chan of Tilburg
University in the Netherlands and Jaideep Sengupta of the Hong Kong University
of Science and Technology, Advertisement, conducted
research on the effect of flattery in the sales process.
A salesperson should know, therefore, that in praising one person
s/he may be displeasing another. But what’s really interesting is that all this
negativity will not necessarily have an adverse affect on the buying behaviour
of the person overhearing the flattery. On the contrary, the desire to emulate
the person being flattered eventually trumps distaste for the salesperson. Make
no mistake, the evesdropper still wants to shoot the messenger but she wants to
raise herself up to the level of the other customer even more.
The
result is that the eavesdropper is likely to actually pony up for a more
expensive item than if she had never heard the flattery in the first place. … even if envy produces an automatic negative reaction
in observers, it can have a positive influence over time because envy also acts
as a goad to action.”
Wrapped up
in a convenient, generalisation, it seems has been scientifically proven
that by putting some thought into (say it with me, mothers!) choosing your words you can reframe a potentially negative situation and get people to do almost anything.
For example,
don’t say …
We clean
your bum.
Say:
Don’t say …
We don't have enough business and we don't need your
room anyway, why don’t you stay on and spread the word about our hospitality.
Say:
Don't say ...
Kids, you
really need to be careful or you could get hurt.
Say …
There's always an exception to every rule
Instead of saying it with flowers ...
