Magic Words

by Jonah Berger Narrated by Keith Nobbs

Overview

New York Times bestselling author Jonah Berger's cutting-edge research reveals how six types of words can increase your impact in every area of life: from persuading others and building stronger relationships, to boosting creativity and motivating teams.

Almost everything we do involves words. Words are how we persuade, communicate, and connect. They're how leaders lead, salespeople sell, and parents parent. They're how teachers teach, policymakers govern, and doctors explain. Even our private thoughts rely on language.

But certain words are more impactful than others. They're better at changing minds, engaging audiences, and driving action. What are these magic words, and how can we take advantage of their power?

In Magic Words, internationally bestselling author Jonah Berger gives you an inside look at the new science of language and how you can use it. Technological advances in machine learning, computational linguistics, and natural language processing, combined with the digitization of everything from cover letters to conversations, have yielded unprecedented insights.

Learn how salespeople convince clients, lawyers persuade juries, and storytellers captivate audiences; how teachers get kids to help and service representatives increase customer satisfaction; how startup founders secure funding, musicians make hits, and psychologists identified a Shakespearean manuscript without ever reading a play.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

This book is designed for anyone who wants to increase their impact. It provides a powerful toolkit and actionable techniques that can lead to extraordinary results. Whether you're trying to persuade a client, motivate a team, or get a whole organization to see things differently, this book will show you how to leverage the power of magic words.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Words have power – learn to use them to your advantage and watch your career and life change radically! Packed with practical advice and the latest research, Magic Words is the guide you need to hone your words to persuade, sell, and create the life you want.” — Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, Thinkers50 #1 Executive Coach and New York Times bestselling author of The Earned Life, Triggers, and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.

Magic Words is astonishing. It delivers an array of tips on how to become a better persuader along with fresh insights into the science of language. This book will fundamentally change how you speak, how you listen, how you write—and maybe even who you are. — Daniel H. Pink, number one New York Times bestselling author of To Sell Is Human, The Power of Regret, and Drive

This book changed how I speak. It’s mind-blowing to see real, scientific research and data that illustrates how we can persuade others, deepen social connections, and increase our impact. Jonah Berger’s research combined with his crisp storytelling style is sure to turn this book into a modern classic in behavioral science. — Guy Raz, podcast host and creator of How I Built This, Wisdom from the Top, The Great Creators, and Wow in the World

I am grateful to be one of the many who have learned from this master teacher. — Jim Collins, author of Good to Great and coauthor of Built to Last

A riveting read on how the words we use shape the impact we have. Jonah Berger has a knack for making science sparkle, and he doesn’t just tell you how to write and speak more persuasively—he shows you. — Adam Grant, number one New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of the TED podcast Re:Thinking

There’s a difference between being right and being effective. And a few words make all the difference. If you want to be more persuasive, read this book. — Scott Galloway, New York Times bestselling author of Adrift and The Four

"Language so surrounds us that, sometimes, we forget it’s there. But there are some words that have more power. Magic Words shows us how to use them." — Charles Duhigg, author of bestsellers The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better

Kirkus Reviews

2023-03-24
Want to get ahead in business? Consult a dictionary.

By Wharton School professor Berger’s account, much of the art of persuasion lies in the art of choosing the right word. Want to jump ahead of others waiting in line to use a photocopy machine, even if they’re grizzled New Yorkers? Throw a because into the equation (“Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine, because I’m in a rush?”), and you’re likely to get your way. Want someone to do your copying for you? Then change your verbs to nouns: not “Can you help me?” but “Can you be a helper?” As Berger notes, there’s a subtle psychological shift at play when a person becomes not a mere instrument in helping but instead acquires an identity as a helper. It’s the little things, one supposes, and the author offers some interesting strategies that eager readers will want to try out. Instead of alienating a listener with the omniscient should, as in “You should do this,” try could instead: “Well, you could…” induces all concerned “to recognize that there might be other possibilities.” Berger’s counsel that one should use abstractions contradicts his admonition to use concrete language, and it doesn’t help matters to say that each is appropriate to a particular situation, while grammarians will wince at his suggestion that a nerve-calming exercise to “try talking to yourself in the third person (‘You can do it!’)” in fact invokes the second person. Still, there are plenty of useful insights, particularly for students of advertising and public speaking. It’s intriguing to note that appeals to God are less effective in securing a loan than a simple affirmative such as “I pay all bills…on time”), and it’s helpful to keep in mind that “the right words used at the right time can have immense power.”

Perhaps not magic but appealing nonetheless.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175913294
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/07/2023
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	782,698

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