A simple grammar technique can boost your persuasiveness, according to studies.

In his new book, Magic Words, Wharton marketing professor Jonah Berger explores the impact of specific words and grammar on our persuasiveness.

According to a recent study by Grant Packard of York University and Reihane Boghrati of Arizona State University, using present tense verbs instead of past tense can increase persuasiveness.

Using the present tense can make you more convincing, as demonstrated by Berger's research and other emerging studies in the field.

Present tense conveys objectivity

The researchers found that using present tense when expressing personal opinions or experiences makes them appear more authentic.

Berger stated that experiences are subjective and using the past tense emphasizes that subjectivity. In contrast, the present tense makes the experience appear more factual and applicable to everyone. By using the present tense, the speaker implies that their experience can be generalized and makes them seem more confident in their claims.

The restaurant is excellent.

It’s also more vivid and immediate

A study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology supports Berger's findings that Amazon product reviews written in the present tense are viewed as more helpful than those written in the past tense. Additionally, the effect was found to persist beyond Amazon reviews, as participants were 10% more likely to donate to a charity when the donation proposal was made in the present tense rather than in the past or future tense.

A study suggests that the present appears more vivid to us than the past or future, which enhances our ability to persuade, according to University of Toronto professor and co-author Sam Maglio.

Present tense has been used by writers, including fiction writers, to enhance the impact and vividness of their writing. This technique makes the story seem more immediate and intense, as David Jauss explained in Writer's Digest in 2014.

Berger stated on the Knowledge at Wharton podcast in October 2023 that we are all writers, regardless of whether we write books, novels, or plays. We write emails, PowerPoint presentations, and Word documents every day in various contexts.

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