Sometimes, it takes a single word â like âbecauseâ â to change someoneâs mind.Thatâs according to Jonah Berger, a marketing professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania whoâs compiled a list of âmagic wordsâ that can change the way you communicate. Using the word âbecauseâ while trying to convince someone to do something has a compelling result, he tells CNBC Make It: More people will listen to you and do what you want.Berger points to a nearly 50-year-old study from Harvard University, wherein researchers sat in a university library and waited for someone to use the copy machine. Then, they walked up and asked to cut in front of the unknowing participant.They phrased their request in three different ways:- âMay I use the Xerox machine?â- âMay I use the Xerox machine because I have to make copies?â- âMay I use the Xerox machine because Iâm in a rush?âResearchers found that both requests using âbecauseâ made the people already making copies more than 50% more likely to comply. Even the second phrasing â which could be reinterpreted as âMay I step in front of you to do the same exact thing youâre doing?â â was effective because it indicated that the stranger asking for a favor was at least being considerate about it, the study suggested.âPersuasion wasnât driven by the reason itself,â Berger wrote in a book on the topic, âMagic Words,â which was published last year. âIt was driven by the power of the word.âOther âmagic wordsâ like because, and how to use themCompanies use âbecauseâ to make their advertisements more convincing, behavioral scientist Nuala Walsh wrote in an Inc.com column last year: Makeup company LâOrĂŠal has used the slogan âBecause youâre worth itâ for five decades, and furniture stores need you to shop their sales now âbecause itâs for a limited time.âThe seven-letter word isnât the only one with communication superpowers. Arguments, requests, and presentations arenât any more or less convincing when theyâre based on solid ideas, Berger says â rather, they depend on the individual words you use.âYou could have excellent ideas, but excellent ideas arenât necessarily going to get people to listen to you,â he says. âSubtle shifts in our language can have a big impact.âRelated: 7 Easy Ways to Improve Your B2B Marketing StrategiesSaying and writing the word ârecommendâ instead of âlikeâ makes people nearly a third more likely to follow your suggestions, Berger noted in his book. The same is true when you swap out verbs for nouns, he says: People are up to 30% more likely to oblige your requests when you ask for helpers instead of help or voters instead of votes.You can and should use these strategies when youâre on the receiving end of a conversation. Berger says: Listen to other people's specific words and craft a response that speaks their language. Doing so can help drive an agreement, solution, or connection.âEverything in language we might use over email at the office ... provide insight into who they are and what theyâre going to do in the future,â says Berger.Related: Business Awards Get Your Business Noticed.Article by Megan SauerSuccess Reporter, Make ItMegan Sauer is a reporter at CNBC Make It. Previously, she worked for Chicago magazine and as a freelance writer for publications like CondĂŠ Nast Traveler, USA Today, and SKATING magazine. Megan, a Michigan native, has a bachelorâs degree from Adrian College and a masterâs from Northwestern University. You can follow her on Twitter at @meggsauer.
