When you want to persuade someone, this is the word you need to use

If you’re the sort of person who likes to get things done, you’ve probably got a few regular tricks up your sleeve.

You might have a ‘let me go first’ pity-look, or you might prefer to be more forceful and bully your way to achievement.

However, if you’re someone who likes to use their words, there’s one trick to success which you’re either (a) already using or (b) about to start using a lot more.

The key, according to Inc, is the word ‘because’. 

It’s a little more complex than that, though.

The word might be the most persuasive in the English language because (see what we did there) it opens up the opportunity to make your case.

Essentially, saying ‘because’ when asking for something is often better than not saying it, but the words which follow can be even more important.

If you lead up to asking for something ‘because’ and don’t have a compelling reason, you might be worse off.

Inc cites a study in which researchers tried using the ‘because’ trick to jump the queue to photocopy some files.

The test situation, in which someone tries to jump the queue by simply asking to use the machine, saw 60% of people given permission to go first.

That rose to 93% when the person said “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I have to make copies?”, but “I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I am in a rush?” upped it to 94%.

This demonstrates how a good reason can increase the chance, but merely having a reason and using ‘because’ is effective in its own right.

Time to start using ‘because’ more when you want something, because it might just help you get it.

(Images: Getty/Pixabay/Pexels)