How hedging can make you more persuasive and benefit your business
Contrary to what we might assume, new research reveals it’s the type of hedge, rather than whether we hedge, that can damage persuasion.
Do you find yourself using hedging language like something is “probably” the best option, or that a solution “might” work? Well, those hedges can impact how persuasive you are, and not necessarily in a bad way.
Contrary to what we might assume (see how I hedged just now?), new research reveals it’s the type of hedge, rather than whether we hedge, that can damage persuasion. Why? Because hedges affect perceptions of how confident you are.
Two dimensions of hedges
What are hedges? Words or phrases that express ambiguity, caution, or indecisiveness about a statement (Lakoff 1973). Expressions like “I think”, “it might”, “seems to be”, “probably”, “may” and “arguably”.
It’s difficult to avoid hedging because we are rarely able to provide certainty about a product, service, or investment’s outcome. Plus the lawyers wouldn’t let us!
So, with equivocation being part and parcel of our communications, researchers from Duke University and the University of Pennsylvania, Oba and Berger (2022) teased apart what impact hedges have on our ability to persuade.
With the hypothesis that not all hedges are equal, Oba and Berger suggest there are two key dimensions when it comes to hedges:
- Suggested likelihood: This is the probability of something occurring. For example, “It will ‘probably’ work” infers a stronger likelihood of success than “it will ‘possibly’ work”; and
- Perspective: This is whether it is a general or personal view being expressed. “It seems” is general, where “it seems to me” is personal, and infers your opinion.
Hedging your way to a sale
Through a series of six studies, the researchers found using higher likelihood hedges and a personal perspective made speakers seem more confident, which in turn increased persuasion. In other words, you are better to say “I’d argue this is the best product of its type” rather than “this feels like it could be the best product in its class”.
Further, the hedge’s impact on confidence is related to the credibility of the source. The more credible you are, the more heft your hedge will have.
In one study, for example, participants were asked to imagine buying a used car, and someone shared their opinion about it.
The opinion-giver was either a mechanic they were told they trusted, or someone who didn’t know much about cars.
When the mechanic gave an opinion, their relevance to the decision meant their confidence was more influential than for the novice.
According to the researchers: “Using higher likelihood hedges made speakers seem more confident, which made listeners more likely to follow what they suggested. (However) these effects were moderated by the communicator’s relevance to the domain of interest. When the communicator was less relevant, their confidence was less meaningful, and thus their hedge style had less of an impact on persuasion.”
That means that when your knowledge is relevant to someone’s decision, you are best to use a higher likelihood hedge. For example, it would be better to say “Almost certainly this product is best for you” rather than “it feels like this product could be best for you”.
How to hedge
To be more persuasive when hedging:
- Use first-person pronouns (I, me, my) so you sound like you stand by your statement;
- Use a higher likelihood of occurrence (e.g. ‘arguably the best’ rather than ‘feels like the best’) to project confidence; and
- Match your credibility with the hedge. The more they are relying on you as a relevant source of information, the more your confidence will impact their decision.
