‘Rethinking’ Training: Consider a Cognitive Spin

I just finished reading Magic Words: What to Say to Get Your Way, by Jonah Berger, a marketing professor at the Wharton School of Business. It’s especially useful to HR professionals, who are often tasked with training duties and helping improve employee performance. Here are three training gems Berger offers.

Gem #1: Leverage the Power of the Concrete

We all share the desire to be heard, understood, and acknowledged. Consider customer service. Cognitive researchers conduct studies along these lines. For example, a shoe salesperson is waiting on a customer and is fielding a customer request to find a specific type of shoe. Which response is the best?

• (a) “I will go look for them.”
• (b) “I will go look for those shoes.”
• (c) “I will find those lime green Nikes.”

And the winner is . . . that’s right. It’s (c).

Try this: If you’re responding to a call about a package delivery, which response should you choose?

• (a) “The package will be arriving there.”
• (b) “The package will be arriving at your place.”
• (c) “The package will be arriving at your door.”

That’s right. It’s (c) again. Why? Here’s what Berger has to say:

The [c answer] uses more concrete language. . . . The words used are more specific, tangible, and real. These variations might seem like simple turns of phrase, but they had an important impact on how customers felt about the interaction. Using concrete language significantly increased customer satisfaction. When customer service agents used more concrete language, customers were more satisfied with the interaction and thought the agent had been more helpful.

Yes, it takes a bit more effort for the employee, but a small effort provides a solid return on the time investment. And, as the saying goes, we make our habits, and our habits make us. Once you get used to speaking more concretely, it becomes second nature.

Gem #2: Turn Verbs into Nouns

This gem involves creating an identity for employees, who will then act consistently with that identity. Illustration:

• Rather than describing employees as “hardworking,” describe them as “hard workers.”
• Rather than describing coworkers as “innovative,” call them “innovators.”
• Instead of asking a colleague to “help with cleaning up a computer program,” try asking, “Can you be a helper in cleaning up this computer program?”

Back to Berger:

Category labels often imply a degree of permanence or stability. Rather than noting what someone is or does, feels or felt, category labels hint at a deeper essence: Who someone is. Regardless of time or situation, this is the type of person they are. That they will always be that way.

The employees so labeled will rise to that level. As Berger writes, “Want people to listen? Ask them to be a listener. Want them to lead? Ask them to be a leader. Want them to work harder? Encourage them to be a top performer.”

Gem #3: Change ‘Can’ts’ to ‘Don’ts’

Here’s a study conducted by cognitive scientists. Rather than saying “I can’t do XYZ because ______” when fending off the temptation to act unethically, say, “I don’t do XYZ because _____.”

 “I can’t” implies your actions are being dictated by external forces—rules and regulations. It’s a compelled version of acting ethically.

 “I don’t” is more successful in dodging unethical temptation. As Berger points out, “Rather than being some temporary constraint, now the driver of saying no is something more permanent; it’s an entrenched attitude.” It’s an internal and unwavering moral strength, not an external and ever-changing force.

There’s plenty more in the book. Give it a read!

Michael P. Maslanka is a professor at the UNT-Dallas College of Law. You can reach him at michael.maslanka@untdallas.edu.

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