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We think a lot about how we can use language to increase our impact, how we can use it to make ourselves more persuasive, how we can use it to be more creative, and we can use it to deepen social connection. But it turns out language also reflects a lot about us, and it can help us predict and understand what things are likely to happen in the future. And so a few years ago, some researchers looked into this question in the context of the workplace. They wondered why people get promoted and why people get fired, and if they could predict whether people are going to get promoted or fired based on something we might not pay a lot of attention to, and that is the language we use in email.
So they looked at a mid-size company, and they looked at all the emails people sent back and forth over a six month period. Everyone, when they started out at the firm, used language that was pretty different than their peers. They didn’t know the norms of the company or organization, but many people, as they spent more time in the firm, their language became more similar. They enculturated to the norms and the ways that other people used language. The researchers found that the shift in language was quite important.
Employees that enculturated more over time were more likely to get promoted, and folks that didn’t enculturate as much were more likely to be fired. But after people adjusted, the researchers found that some people actually kept staying with the firm’s language, and other people diverged to use different language, and it turns out those individuals that diverged were more likely to leave the company for a different job elsewhere. They were able to enculturate, but the fact that they stopped enculturating signaled that they were less interested in the firm and more likely to move on in the future.
And so I think this has some important implications. First, as firms, we can get an understanding of how likely people are to stick around and be effective employees based on the language that they use. But second, as individuals, we need to understand the language of similarity and difference. The language of similarity can be a great way to fit in and build connection with our peers. In a variety of different situations, the similarity of language is a good predictor of things like friendship formation and workplace success. People who have more similar language to start with are more likely to become friends, and people whose language evolves to be more similar are more likely to continue those relationships. And so one way to fit in better with others is to match their language. To use language in a similar way to others can increase our effectiveness at building those connections.