— The moment when an informal tone becomes the language of an expert
In the past, I thought that in order to appear like an expert, I needed to speak definitively.
Confident statements,
an authoritative tone that leaves no room for rebuttal,
a conclusion that doesn't leave any room for doubt.
That way, I believed people would follow without worry.
But the more I tried to speak that way,
the words wouldn't come out easily.
I had confidence, but
it wasn't a complete certainty.
The inability to be definitive is not due to lack of skill
People who can't be definitive
often have these experiences.
The same problem yields different results depending on the situation
One solution may be wrong under different conditions
Today's correct answer may not be correct tomorrow
That's why they become cautious.
This isn't the attitude of a beginner.
It's the attitude of someone who has accumulated experience.
The more experienced a person is,
the more room they leave at the end of their words.
But why do we perceive this as a weakness
The issue lies with the environment.
The current content environment demands a 'conclusion.'
So, what should I do?
Just give me the conclusion
Summarize it in one line
In the face of this demand,
cautious language seems indecisive.
However, this is a perspective from the consumer's point of view.
The language of experts is naturally cautious
Think of doctors, lawyers, engineers.
They rarely speak like this.
“Everything is fine.”
“This method is always correct.”
Instead, they say things like this.
“Currently, the likelihood is high”
“Under these conditions, this is the judgment”
“Based on the information now, this is what I can tell you”
This isn't about avoiding responsibility.
It's about taking responsibility.
People remember 'honesty' more than 'certainty'
What's interesting is this.
People hear a lot of confident words,
but they remember honest words for a long time.
Because
honest words
contain no deception.
People who admit when they don't know
People who say it hasn't been verified yet
People who acknowledge that their statement may change in the future
To these people,
trust builds gradually.
And once it's built,
it doesn't easily crumble.
An uncertain tone allows for updates
Definitive statements
cannot be reversed.
If wrong, trust is lost.
That's why they tend to exaggerate more.
On the other hand,
statements that leave room for doubt
allow for updates.
“At that time, I thought this way”
“Now I see the conditions are different”
“So, I changed my judgment”
This isn't an excuse,
it's a change log.
This attitude is very natural for developers.
Readers are increasingly able to distinguish this language
The more everyone speaks definitively,
the more cautious language stands out.
Clicks may decrease
Responses may be slow
But the people who remain are different.
Those who ask questions,
those who explain their situation,
those who keep reading.
They are not just fans,
they are fellow readers.
In conclusion
You don't have to provide the correct answer.
You are not someone taking a test.
What you need to do
is not provide the answer,
but to not hide the decision-making process.
That process
doesn't make you look like an expert,
it reveals that you are an expert.
In the next article,
I will discuss how to persuade people
without emphasizing results,
in other words, by talking about context instead of numbers.