We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: people like to work with people! Recent research published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology suggests that making requests in a face-to-face conversation is nearly 34 times more effective than making requests over email or text message.
While the digital means of communication we have available to us are convenient, efficient, and useful, our persistent use of them has the potential to lead us to forget about the power of face-to-face dialogue.
Writing for the Harvard Business Review, researcher Vanessa K. Bohns explains why the influence that in-person communication has over us is so much stronger than the influence digitally written forms of communication often do. Her research suggests that face-to-face interactions give us the opportunity to establish credibility with the individual we are speaking to. Emails and text messages are great for communicating quickly and effectively, but if you are really looking to persuade, display confidence, or build rapport with customers and clients, nothing beats a good old fashioned human conversation.
Just like people are more prone to engage positively with an individual than they are to an email, so too are customers more likely to want to work with an actual person as opposed to a faceless company. Ensuring that your marketing is focused around the human aspects of your company cultivates a positive and engaging image for your personal and professional brand.
To read Bohn’s full article, click here.