The Language of Success: How to Create Powerful Messaging That Changes Behavior
Words are powerful.
They allow us to communicate thoughts, ideas, and emotions. They enable us to share information and express ourselves in ways that can be understood by others. They shape perceptions and influence what people believe and value. They can be used to inspire, motivate, educate, entertain, and even manipulate. They have a profound impact on the way people see the world, themselves, and those around them. They shape our reality and the world in which we live.
So it's no surprise, then, that language plays such a significant role in influencing others to change their health behaviors.
But despite its power and influence, language is often overlooked or misused in the process of trying to promote behavior change. In fact, most people don't realize that being skilled at communication can be the difference between helping someone make a positive change or leaving them feeling lost, upset, scared, or unsure.
But here's the thing, it only takes a few basic techniques to change the game. To allow you to begin using language to influence and shape health behaviors in a positive and meaningful way.
Here are four you can get started with today.
Choose the right words
The words we use can impact how we think about and understand health concepts. For example, the words we use to describe health conditions or treatments can affect how we perceive their severity or susceptibility as well as whether we perceive the benefits to outweigh the barriers. All of these beliefs influence our readiness to take action. (See Health Belief Model).
Epidemic vs outbreak - "Epidemic" increases the perception of severity
Can't vs don't - can't is a barrier, don't is a benefit (empowered and in control)
Heidi Halvorson, director of the Motivation Science Center at Columbia University, explains this perfectly when she says,
“Don’t and can’t may seem somewhat interchangeable, but they are very different psychologically. I don’t is experienced as a choice, so it feels empowering. It’s an affirmation of your determination and willpower. I can’t isn’t a choice – it’s a restriction, it’s being imposed upon you. So thinking “I can’t” undermines your sense of power and personal agency.”
Frame words around what you’re going to do
Language can influence our attitudes and beliefs about health behaviors. For example, certain words or phrases may have a negative or positive connotation, which can affect how we feel about engaging in certain health behaviors. It's why approach-oriented goals have greater success than those that are avoidance-oriented.
Approach-oriented goals focus on moving toward a positive behavior and avoidance-oriented goals focus on avoiding a negative behavior.
One study made up of roughly 1000 participants monitored New Year’s resolutions for a year and found that those who set approach-oriented goals were more successful than those who set avoidance-oriented goals (59% vs 47% success rate).
I’ll walk for an hour first thing in the morning vs. I want to stop watching YouTube when I wake up in the morning.
I’ll start at least one conversation with my classmates each day vs. I will stop being so shy at school.
Keep it simple
Since only 12% of Americans are considered to be proficient in health literacy skills, present health information in plain terms that avoid the use of jargon or technical language. (The only national data on health literacy in the US that's available, dates way back to 2003!) Naturally, when people understand the information being given they can make more informed decisions about their health.
You should see a doctor regularly during your pregnancy. vs You should engage in regular prenatal care.
You have a level of sugar in your blood that’s higher than normal vs You have a HbA1c of 6%.
Be inclusive
Using inclusive language or culturally sensitive language can help to create a more welcoming and supportive environment for discussing health behaviors. This means considering factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, and socioeconomics.
We recently worked on creating educational content for a federal organization with representatives from across the country. The topic was breastfeeding and there was a lot of discussion about using inclusive language. "Breastfeeding" came into question. Individuals from multiple states were advocating for the use of the term "chestfeeding" for those who have given birth but don't identify as women. This term can be used by transgender individuals who were assigned female at birth but now identify as men, as well as those who identify as non-binary. Some had never heard the word before and needed further understanding, and some questioned it, but in the end, all agreed to the change, despite there being some slight resistance from a few states.
I won't go into why the term chestfeeding is important (you can read about that here). What stood out is that there was someone aware enough to know that the existing language being used was excluding people. It mattered not that the people made up only a fraction of their audience or that the word being used sounded odd to most, or that it was far from being part of the mainstream language.
Part of being inclusive means being proactive with our words. Not waiting for someone to feel overlooked, but ensuring everyone is seen and heard.
Some will question the language you use, and not everyone will agree. But there will be those who feel accepted and supported by your words. And that is at the heart of inclusion.
The last word
When you begin seeing language as a tool you can wield and use in many different ways to help your audience achieve behavioral success, suddenly you have a wealth of options you can draw from to create powerful messaging that can have a meaningful impact on your audience - as long as you’re aware of who’s in it.