Filtered dossier

credibility

  • 7 / 7
  • No visual on file
    Narrative Structure Entry #0528

    Why a story with a flaw is more persuasive

    An account that admits a failure is believed more readily than a flawless one. The admission is treated as evidence that nothing else was edited out.

    Novice
    The hidden part #0528

    A disclosed flaw certifies the rest of the account. The audience is reading willingness to disclose, not the flaw itself.

    Open file
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    Market Signals Entry #0401

    Why a costly gesture carries information a cheap one cannot

    A claim anyone could make carries no information. A gesture that would hurt to fake carries some, which is why expense so often stands in for proof.

    Novice
    The hidden part #0401

    Information travels on cost. A signal that is cheap for a liar tells you nothing at all.

    Open file
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    Persuasion Systems Entry #0264

    The reason a request is stronger when it names a cost

    An unspecified ask is priced by the listener at the worst plausible amount. Naming the cost replaces that estimate with a number you chose.

    Adept
    The hidden part #0264

    An unspecified request is priced at the worst plausible cost. A stated one is priced at the figure you named.

    Open file
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    Persuasion Systems Entry #0263

    Why a two-sided argument persuades a sceptic

    Stating the strongest objection yourself removes it as a weapon and demonstrates that you examined it. Both effects work only on an audience already resisting.

    Novice
    The hidden part #0263

    Naming the objection helps only if you answer it. Named and unanswered, it is a gift to the other side.

    Open file
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    Negotiation Frames Entry #0339

    The reason a walk-away must be credible to work

    A threat changes behaviour only if the other side believes you would carry it out. Credibility comes from your position, not from the firmness of your voice.

    Adept
    The hidden part #0339

    A threat is priced by the listener’s estimate of your alternatives, not by your confidence in delivering it.

    Open file
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    Attention & Memory Entry #0190

    Why an accent makes a statement harder to believe

    The listener works harder to parse an unfamiliar accent. The extra effort is felt as difficulty, and difficulty is misattributed to the claim rather than the sound.

    Master
    The hidden part #0190

    The listener cannot separate the effort of hearing from the effort of believing, so the harder voice carries the weaker claim.

    Open file