<description>&lt;p&gt;Stanford researchers analyzed 272,000 comments on Reddit to determine what makes text persuasive versus inflammatory. The decisive factor was often a simple choice of pronouns.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Posts using "we" and "our" saw higher engagement and fewer moderator removals because they signaled a collective experience. However, posts using "you" and "your" were perceived as aggressive and less trustworthy because they placed responsibility (and often blame) onto the reader. This affects how we can approach scripts or style of speaking in our episodes and shows.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;In this micro-episode:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;The link between pronouns and online engagement&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Why "you" creates distance while "we" builds community&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;A simple rule for when to use collective vs. direct language&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Resources:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The reddit study: &lt;a href="https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/yes-we-can-swapping-pronouns-can-make-messages-more-persuasive" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/yes-we-can-swapping-pronouns-can-make-messages-more-persuasive&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Find more episodes and subscribe at &lt;a href="https://stereoforest.com/minute" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;stereoforest.com/minute&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

The Credibility Minute

Jen deHaan

44 - A study on the difference between "we" and "you" in scripts

MAR 19, 20262 MIN
The Credibility Minute

44 - A study on the difference between "we" and "you" in scripts

MAR 19, 20262 MIN

Description

Stanford researchers analyzed 272,000 comments on Reddit to determine what makes text persuasive versus inflammatory. The decisive factor was often a simple choice of pronouns.Posts using "we" and "our" saw higher engagement and fewer moderator removals because they signaled a collective experience. However, posts using "you" and "your" were perceived as aggressive and less trustworthy because they placed responsibility (and often blame) onto the reader. This affects how we can approach scripts or style of speaking in our episodes and shows.In this micro-episode:The link between pronouns and online engagementWhy "you" creates distance while "we" builds communityA simple rule for when to use collective vs. direct languageResources: The reddit study: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/yes-we-can-swapping-pronouns-can-make-messages-more-persuasiveFind more episodes and subscribe at stereoforest.com/minute.