When it comes to persuasion, your ability to influence someone’s opinion often comes down to trust of the source. People tend to trust the opinion of someone with authority, credibility or social attractiveness. Of course there are many other factors at play when someone makes a decision, such as how similar the persuader is to the audience, how deeply someone wants to think about the issue at hand and what pre-existing opinions the audience has. But let’s just focus on trust of the source. Authorities, credible communicators and socially attractive communicators all win people over in different ways.
Authorities can have influence because people go along with them to avoid punishment or with the expectation of being rewarded.
You may have heard of a series of experiments conducted in the 1960’s by Milgram where one participant administered electric shocks of increasing intensity to another participant when they answered a question incorrectly. The person on the receiving end were actually not getting shocked and were just acting by screaming in pain as if they were, but the person giving the shock wasn’t aware of that. The experiment was presided over by a man in a white lab coat who urged the shocker to continue. More that 65% of the participants administered the highest level of shock.
This study clearly shows the powerful effects of authority on behavior and shines a light on the fact we may be able to influence others just because we hold power over them. We are always obligated to examine or motives when we hold a position of power.
Credible communicators can influence us because we agree with their values or attitudes not because of their position or ability to punish. A person’s credibility solely belongs with the audience’s perception of them. This means the communicator isn’t guaranteed credibility just because of their position. According to Hart, “Credibility is not something we can be assured of keeping once gotten. Credibility can only be earned by paying the price of effective communication” (Hart et al., 1983,pp. 204-205).
The three factors that are most often cited in someone who is perceived as credible are expertise, trustworthiness and goodwill. For a communicator to be perceived as credible they must possess at least one of these qualities.
Socially attractive communicators are often people who are effective because people what to be with them or be like them. They can be people who are likable, they can be similar to the audience or they can be physically attractive. They often use nonverbal communication like a touch of their hand, moving into someone’s personal space or making direct eye contact.
Likeable people make us feel good about ourselves. These good feelings can be transferred to feelings about their message. Also, a persuader who is likeable has a positive impact on their audience’s emotions, which translates to positive feelings toward whatever they are selling. Lastly, someone who is likeable implies that they have their audience’s best interest at heart, which leaves people with warm feelings and makes them more easily persuaded.
How does all of this translate to the digital world? Credibility and social attractiveness really come into play here. How a website or app looks immediately helps us form an opinion of it’s credibility. An outdated or poorly design interface can give us the impression that either, the company doesn’t know what they are doing or they don’t care about their user’s experience. On the other hand, one that is well designed and has comprehensive information is held in a much higher regard. As we have learned, when it comes to persuasion, your ability to influence someone’s opinions often comes down to trust of the source.
References:
Richard M. Perloff (2014). The dynamics of Persuasion communication and attitudes in the 21st centrury
Lennis Mathews (@Lennis_Mathews) is a creative professional who designs seamless customer experiences across multiple platforms. Translating complex information and data into compelling visual forms, both print and digital. She is also pursuing a Master’s degree in Information Design and Strategy at Northwestern University.
