Little Language Models

Communication is influenced by the physical location, cultural context, and objectives of the discussion.

You can say no in 8 different ways in Japanese. How easy do you make it for your users to say “no”?

The phrase used in Albanian to signal the end of a hangout is “A jena,” which translates to “Are we?” This expression is often employed casually during social gatherings, such as coffee or drinks, to indicate that it is time to leave. One person will say “Are we?” and the other responds with “Yes, we are,” after which both people get up and leave.

In this article, you’ll learn about the results of a recent study on saying no and get practical tips on how to apply these findings to achieve business objectives.

Giving people the words to say no leads them to feel freer to say yes

According to new research, giving people the words to say no leads them to feel freer to say yes.

How can we structure requests to help people feel they can say no (or yes) more voluntarily? Rachel Schlund and colleagues examined the question in studies with 535 participants.

Participants were asked to unlock their phones—an intentionally uncomfortable request—and give them to researchers who would leave the room with their phones. People who received a script on how to say no to the phone request said no more frequently.

Just telling them they could say no didn’t work as well.

Example: how to frame requests to help people feel they can say no (or yes) more voluntarily

In The User Experience (UX) Of A Graceful No, Ben Nadel shares how weddings can cause distress to someone like him, ”an introvert who can’t drink or dance and doesn’t enjoy dressing up.”

He writes about wedding invitations and how:

“…the RSVP card has always felt too black and white with its Yes/No dichotomy. I believe that some user interfaces (UIs) – like RSVP cards – would benefit greatly from an option that allows people to gracefully opt-out when the user experience (UX) of saying “No” comes with a heavy emotional toll.”

Giving people a script to decline requests makes it easier for them to say no than just telling them they can say no. I didn’t send wedding invites at all, much to my parents’ horror, but I’m a fan of offering graceful opt-outs in invites and beyond.

Information architecture examples of giving people the words to gracefully say no

• Application update notification – When updates are available, instead of a single no, options—or “the script”—may include “Remind me later” or “Skip this version”
• Help center support responses – When a user is chatting to a customer support rep to rebook a flight, instead of a single no in response to “Did it work?”, the software may include options like “No, I need help” or “No, I can’t find my booking number”
• Product research recruitment – To validate product direction, user research is necessary, but not every user you want to talk to has the bandwidth for research sessions. Providing users with a script for declining interviews makes them more likely to respond. The script can include “not now” and options to receive follow-up reminders, submit written feedback, or participate in future prototype testing sessions.
  

Applying recent research findings on the influence of language on decision-making within information architecture and business settings

Giving people the words to say no leads them to feel freer to say yes. In professional environments, these insights can be leveraged to:

• improve user comfort through deliberate language choices
• enhance user autonomy through strategic UX design
• foster a supportive environment that encourages psychological safety and voluntary responses, whether negative or positive
• build and strengthen trust in the brand

Your users know they can say no, but how you frame requests influences how comfortable they feel saying yes or no.

Further reading

• Knowing how to say ‘no’ can elicit a genuine ‘yes’ – The British Psychological Society
• The User Experience (UX) Of A Graceful No
• How To Say ‘Yes’ And ‘No’ In 18 Languages
• Schlund, R., Sommers, R., & Bohns, V. K. (2024). Giving people the words to say no leads them to feel freer to say yes. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 576. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-50532-3