I recently attended a presentation by an asset manager who was launching a fund, well after many of his competitors had launched a similar offering.
Given this context, one of the main arguments of the presentation was “It’s not too late.”
But did the manager realise that, despite his best efforts, his audience had heard “It’s too late”?
It’s all the more unfortunate that launching this fund now is based on the idea of investing in certain types of company, different from those of the competitors. This illustrates the manager’s convictions about the sector. It gives it a distinctive positioning. A simple misnomer is enough to overshadow the identity and uniqueness of this fund.
Do you think this is an isolated case? No, negative language is used frequently in our industry. Here are a few examples taken from managers’ presentations:
“Our ambition is not to do everything for everyone.”
“We don’t have a single investment approach.”
“We are not dependent on a single source of alpha.”
“A niche market that hasn’t yet reached maturity.”
Why you shouldn’t use negative language.
Firstly, because the human brain is naturally designed to detect the existence of threats or risks. The phrase “It’s not too late” therefore suggests the possibility that it could be too late.
Another reason is that negations are more difficult for the brain to process. They require two steps. First, we visualise the negative part “too late”, then we deconstruct it: “it’s not”. This process can lead to only a fraction of the message being retained, usually the part that provokes fear or a sense of urgency.
Here are a few examples.
It’s fairly certain that when you read the title of this article “Don’t think of a pink elephant” you actually thought of a pink elephant. Especially as I’ve put you on the right track with the illustration.
Tell a child “be careful not to spill your glass of milk”. The milk is very likely to be on the table within two minutes.
Golfers are sometimes challenged by water hazards on the course. If the player prepares his shot by saying to himself “I must avoid dropping my ball in the water”, there is a good chance that his ball will end up in the water. But if his mental preparation consists of saying “I must place the ball in this spot” (next to the water, of course) by visualising the correct trajectory, then the chances of success are much higher.
Is it difficult? No, it’s no more complicated to write or say “It’s the right time” than “It’s not too late”.
The next time you prepare a presentation, impose on yourself the discipline of doing a review to check that all the wording is positive. It’s a good complement to the communication beliefs I’ve already shared with you:
The client is more focused on his problems than your powers
Communication takes place in the ear of the listener not the mouth of the speaker
