37 Words and Phrases That Immediately Increase Your Credibility
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Want your writing or speech to be more persuasive? These words will help.
If you think choosing precisely the right words doesn't matter much,
you're wrong. A single word can have amazing power to change human
behavior, usually without our being aware of it. Which means those who
know how to use powerful words convincingly have an advantage over
everyone else.
Consider the following amazing experiment performed by social psychologist Ellen Langer, and recounted by Buffer's Kevan Lee as an intro to his Big List of 189 Words That Convert, which is very much worth a read.
Langer walked into a series of copy shops (this was before we all had
printer/copiers on our desks) and asked the people waiting in line to
make copies if she could cut ahead of them using three different
specific phrases:
"Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?" When she
asked it this way, 60 percent of the people in line agreed.
"Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because
I'm in a rush?" This time, 94 percent of the people she asked agreed.
Makes sense--we've all been in a hurry one time or another and the
people around us are often kind enough to accommodate us at those
moments, so we tend to give back by doing the same for others.
But here's where it gets interesting. In some cases she said, "Excuse
me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I have to
make some copies?" That's completely meaningless--presumably every
customer in a copy shop has to make copies. Nevertheless, 93 percent of
those she asked agreed to let her go first. That's the power of a single
word--the word "because." It's one of the most persuasive words you can
use.
Here are 37 more.
The most powerful word you can use:
1. You
Like most humans, your readers and listeners are primarily focused on
themselves. Yes, it's a good idea to speak or write about yourself and
your experiences as a way to create a bond with your audience. But
before you do that, you need to engage their attention, and the best way
is to let them know right from the beginning how what you have to say
will benefit them. That makes "you" the single most convincing word you
can use when writing or speaking.
Words that convey urgency:
All of us are too busy, and constantly facing competing demands on
our attention and time. Given this reality, why should anyone stop and
read or listen to what you have to say? Because whatever it is is
urgent, and requires their immediate action. These words to convey that
notion.
2. Now
3. Need
4. Must
5. Must not
6. Don't miss
7. Latest
8. Hurry
9. Only (as in "only three days left" or "only five available")
10. Today
11. Tomorrow
Words that create connection:
We spend more time connecting with others on social media than we
ever have before and yet many of us are also lonely. The trend toward
working at home--a wonderful thing in most ways--makes this problem even
worse. Your readers and listeners are looking for a sense of connection
and community; here are some words that will give it to them.
12. Join
13. Help
14. Discover
15. Create
16. Come along
17. A good fit (as in "our product may be a good fit for your needs")
Words that help people trust you:
"Because" fits into this category, along with many other words and
phrases that imply cause and effect. The reason, according to Darlene
Price, author of Well Said!,
is that cause-and-effect words and phrases make you seem objective and
rational. This list of words includes some other good cause-and-effect
words, as well as other words that imply you are both objective and
trustworthy.
18. As a result
19. Consequently
20. Caused by
21. For this reason
22. Proven
23. Research
24. Results
25. Secure
26. Tested
Words that promise a reward for little effort:
In our busy lives we are constantly, often unconsciously, calculating
how we can best spend our time to get the most useful result. That's
why it's a powerful tactic to use words that suggest that a small amount
of effort--such as the few minutes it will take someone to read your
message or listen to what you have to say--will bring immediate
benefits. One warning though: Do not use these words and then fail to
deliver the goods, or you risk alienating your audience. And that's
tough to recover from.
27. Quick
28. Easy
29. Instantly
30. Immediately
Words that promise a surprise:
In modern times we've all become a little jaded, and we're all on the
lookout for anything truly unexpected, especially so we can share it
with our friends and on social media. These words tell readers or
listeners that what's coming next will surprise them in some way. Here
again, do not use these words unless whatever follows truly lives up to
that promise:
31. Surprising
32. Remarkable
33. Amazing
34. Astonishing
35. Startling
36. You won't believe
37. Unbelievable
This should give you a good start, but there are a lot of other
powerfully convincing words and phrases out there. Share your own
favorites in the comments. (And see how many of these you can spot in
Inc.com headlines.)
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
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