You should read this post because you’ll learn a lot.

A smart Web site I often cite here, Copyblogger, recently published a(nother) smart, helpful article entitled The 5 Most Persuasive Words in the English Language, by Gregory Ciotti.

One of the five I found particularly fascinating:

3. Because

In brief, people are more likely to do something if you tell them why. For example, in a study, 60% of people allowed a participant to cut in line for the Xerox machine without him giving a reason, vs. 94% who agreed when he added, “because I am in a rush.”

But wait: around 93% of people agreed to let him go ahead when he noted, “because I have to make copies.”

Wow.

How does this translate to communications? Ciotti writes, “…you have to remember that when you are focusing on writing persuasive copy, it all comes down to answering your customer’s #1 question: What’s in it for me?”

Just substitute “employee” for “customer” and there you have the internal comms application. Always, always, always remember the WIIFM.

As Ciotti points out, “…even giving weak reasons have been shown to be more persuasive than giving no reason at all.”

Words to live by. Because I said so.

 

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