Named after Bertrand Russell (and revisited by Eric Weinstein in Edge and The Portal), a Russell Conjugation shows that by substituting words that are similar, we can change the perception of a sentence.
At its essence, the idea is this:
Words contain both fact and subjective emotion. Therefore, choice of words affect perception.
Let’s start with a factual event – An employee, Mark, has failed repeatedly to hand in work on time. You ask Jess, his colleague, what’s been going on. Here are three possible replies:
He is tired – this is a somewhat positive, empathetic statement
He is lethargic – this is somewhere between a neutral and slightly negative statement
He is lazy – this is a negative statement, with little empathy
How do each of those make you feel towards Mark?
In the first, I am sympathetic. He’s tired, so perhaps there’s something going on at home? Maybe it’s his new baby that has been keeping him up? Maybe I should see how he’s doing and offer my support?
In the second, I have less sympathy. Sure, he has problems but there’s an expectation that he get the work done. I’ll send him a quick note on my expectations for his role and keep an eye on him.
In the third, I’m now thinking Mark needs to buck up his ideas and fast!
That’s three very different outcomes for Mark, all because Jess used a different word.
All we have done is change the adjective and we have completely changed the meaning.
Jess’s choice of words has impacted our perception.
Copywriters and marketers know this instinctively:
“We answer your queries within ten minutes” is very different to “they kept me waiting for ten whole minutes”.
Politicians and many in the media are experts at this. “Death Tax” and “Estate Tax” are the same concept. So are “illegal aliens” and “undocumented immigrants”. But you better believe that politicians know you’ll feel differently if they use one and not the other.
Managers should understand that the words their employees use to describe themselves and their colleagues are often dripping with emotion. Search for the objective fact that is underlying the statement to get closer to the truth of the matter. Don’t ignore that emotion though – it tells you everything about the speaker’s perception of their colleague.
It should also cause managers to examine the words that they use. Are you saying more than you mean to with your emails and comments around the office?
Russell Conjugations are important for marketers and copywriters. Your choice of words can be the difference between a campaign that is just brushed off and one that the customer just can’t get out of their head.
Try substituting words within your headlines and think how that impacts a customer’s perception, and therefore, their actions.