Give me one reason

When you want to increase the chances of someone complying with a request, give them a reason. 

Any reason.

In a landmark 1978 Harvard research study, Ellen Langer tested a few phrases on people waiting in lines to make copies (back when there were lines at the “Xerox machines”).

The phrase “Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine?” achieved 60% compliance.

The phrase “Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine, because I’m in a rush?” achieved 94% compliance.

Langer attributed the increase to the inclusion of a reason, specifically the “because” phrase.

How did she know it wasn’t the fact that the requester was in a rush?

She tested the indeterminate phrase, “Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine, because I have to make copies?”

It received a 93% compliance rate!

Langer’s team repeated the test with a request to make 20 copies, a much larger ask, and only “because I’m in a rush” resulted in heightened compliance.

So what does this all mean?

According to Dr. Susan Weinschenk, “When the stakes are low people will engage in automatic behavior. If your request is small, follow your request with the word "because" and give a reason—any reason. If the stakes are high, then there could be more resistance, but still not too much.”

Reference

Langer, E., Blank, A., & Chanowitz, B. (1978). The mindlessness of Ostensibly Thoughtful Action: The Role of “Placebic” Information in Interpersonal Interaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 36(6), 635-642.