Amir Azimi
@amirazimi
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S8 E3: The Language of Confidence (Jonah Berger)

The Next Big Idea Daily

Hedging in language might work against you

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Using language with certainty and confidence can be persuasive, even if the statements are not necessarily true. People tend to prefer advisors or speakers who express more certainty, as it is harder to believe they could be wrong. On the other hand, using hedges or hedging language, such as using words like might, could, probably, undermines our own impact and makes us seem less confident. Research shows that the more we hedge, the less likely people are to listen to us and think we are persuasive. Therefore, it is important to ditch the hedges and own the uncertainty by acknowledging it and providing specific conditions or factors that contribute to the success of a strategy. By doing so, we can maintain confidence in our ideas while still recognizing any potential areas of uncertainty.

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