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The Science of Getting People To Do Stuff

My dog would probably jump out of a plane with me because he thinks I'm awesome and I give him food. He also seems to enjoy it when I say things like "good dog" or, like, his name. People though--people are harder. People have a much better faculty for...

My dog would probably jump out of a plane with me because he thinks I’m awesome and I give him food. He also seems to enjoy it when I say “good dog” or, like, his name. People though—people are harder. People have a much better faculty for saying “no” to things. Fortunately, some researchers at the University of Michigan are on this mission: how to get other humans to do crap.

The researchers used people being asked to do telephone surveys as their study group, examining the question of what characteristics of speech are more likely to lead to a “yes” answer (yes to taking the survey, that is). Humans, being arguably more predictable than even dogs, showed patterns, some fairly predictable and some not so much.

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A few pointers, based on their research:

  • Talk fast, but not too fast. Slow talkers sound dumb; really fast talkers sound like they’re trying to pull something on you.

  • Use pauses. “When people are speaking, they naturally pause about 4 or 5 times a minute,” U-M researcher Jose Benki said at last week’s meeting of the American Association for Public Opinion Research. “These pauses might be silent, or filled, but that rate seems to sound the most natural in this context. If interviewers made no pauses at all, they had the lowest success rates getting people to agree to do the survey. We think that’s because they sound too scripted.” When you read or hear someone talking, well, you know, like this with, um, gratuitous pauses sprinkled about, they’re just sounding “natural.”

  • Keep an even tone, don’t be too lively. You sound like you’re trying too hard.

  • Don’t have a high-pitched voice if you’re a dude. Sad, but data doesn’t lie.

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Reach this writer at michaelb@motherboard.tv.

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