Did my word "obey" jolt you?
Fine. What I mean is I have a quick tip for increasing the chances of getting people to do what you want.
Want to hear it?
Sure you do. Who doesn't like to have people listening to them?
It's surprisingly simple:
Whenever You Ask Someone to Do Something...
Follow it up by the word "because" and then give a reason.
Example -- DO NOT SAY, (to a stranger): "Can I use your cell phone?"
INSTEAD, SAY: "Can I use your cell phone because I left mine with my wife."
YOU CAN ALSO SAY: "Can I use your cell phone because I need to use your cell phone."
Believe it or not, it doesn't matter very much what the exact reason is. Just make the request, followed by "because," followed by the reason, even if the reason is a restatement of the request (like the last example above).
Yes, This Advice Is Supported by Research
In 1978, Professor Ellen Langer, a Harvard professor, conducted a study in which a person was waiting in line to use a busy copy machine.
While the subject was waiting, he asked three groups of people if he could cut the line.
1. To the first group, he just asked to cut the line and did not give a reason.
3. To the second group, he said he needed to cut the line "because I have to make copies."
3. To the third group, he said he needed to cut the line "because I'm in a rush."
The results were quite surprising.
1. In the first group (no reason given), 61% allowed the person to cut the line.
2. In the second group, ("because" + reason given was basically a restatement of the request), 93% allowed the person to cut the line.
3. In the third group ("because" + legitimate reason), 94% allowed the line to be cut.
Conclusion
Asking someone to do something, then saying "because," and then giving a reason can raise compliance to just under 95%. That's truly amazing considering it doesn't take much effort to do.
Why such a huge jump in compliance?
The author of the study suggests that most people are on auto-pilot and as soon as they hear "because," they assume it's a valid request.
