Manipulate Via Metaphor

Jim Nichols on the implications of a recent Stanford study: “The use of concrete imagery is often a primary reason why someone remembers one message over another. The Stanford researchers further concluded ‘People like to think they’re objective and making decisions based on numbers…They want to believe they’re logical. But they’re really being swayed by metaphors.’ So let science reassure you that reducing corporate speak is in your best interest. Words that provoke concrete imagery or relate to something familiar have a far greater impact than trying to sound like a ‘corporate professional.'”