Just don’t make things worse. Have you ever thought that to yourself before a crucial meeting, conversation, or presentation? Seems simple enough, right? You can set the bar pretty low for yourself and almost ensure your success if your only goal is just not to make things worse. But there is a phenomenon in which your well-intentioned efforts to persuade your listener(s) actually backfire on you. It’s appropriately called the boomerang effect.
So today we’ll learn a little more about this strange phenomenon. We’ll understand why we sometimes make things worse despite our best efforts not to. And we’ll cover some ways to avoid the boomerang effect when we communicate.
Can I start with a story?
The clearest real-world example I’ve seen of the boomerang effect happened a few years back around Christmas time in my hometown. A Christian man owns our local McDonald’s, and every year around the holidays he hires an artist to paint religious scenery on his restaurant windows. In response to this artwork, a man in town, who was an atheist, posted on the local Facebook page about how it offended him to drive by and see this artwork.
In response to his post, Christians took to the comment section with a fury, posting Bible verses and berating the man for his opinion. As a result of the social media interaction, the atheist was even more convinced that Christianity and organized religion wasn’t for him. Any Christians who had hoped to change his mind with their Facebook comments only ended up reinforcing what he already believed. In short, they had produced the boomerang effect.
So what is the Boomerang Effect?
If the boomerang effect was a college student, it would hang out in the psychology, sociology and communication departments, because it’s a mix of all three. The psychology dictionary defines the boomerang effect as “a persuasive form of communication sent to a receiver, yet returned back with the opposite reaction. Thus, the consequential result is not the original, intended message.” In other words, the boomerang effect happens when you deliver a message hoping to produce a certain response or reaction, but the reaction turns out to be the opposite of what you had hoped it would be.
Those of us who tend to be a bit rebellious or mischievous understand the boomerang effect quite naturally. Have you ever been shushed, and it made you want to increase your volume rather than decrease it? Or have you ever wanted to push a button specifically because a sign said not to? This reverse effect is the work of the boomerang principle.
How conformity and control play a part
Some of it stems from a natural desire not to conform. For those who have a stronger natural inclination to assert their autonomy and independence, doing the opposite of what you are asked or told is a way to communicate that you are in control. The boomerang effect is also sometimes called the psychological reactance theory.
In an article called “Understanding Psychological Reactance: New Developments and Findings,” author Christina Steindl, along with her other co-authors, talks about this phenomenon, “Being persuaded to buy a specific product in the grocery store, being forced to pay tuition fees, being prohibited from using a mobile phone in school, and being instructed to perform work for the boss are all examples of threats to the freedom to act as desired, and this is where reactance comes into play. Reactance is an unpleasant motivational arousal that emerges when people experience a threat to or loss of their free behaviors. It serves as a motivator to restore one’s freedom.”
So what can we do as communicators and presenters to make sure we don’t elicit a boomerang from our listeners or audience members?
How to avoid the Boomerang Effect
1. Understand what you are asking.
The first step in avoiding the boomerang effect comes from understanding what our message asks of our listeners. This relates to a something we talk about quite a lot: audience analysis. Quite simply, audience analysis is understanding our message from the perspective of the audience. And then, it’s creating a targeted and effective message based on that understanding.
When we know that the boomerang effect often happens because people feel out of control or don’t want to conform, we can use language that is gentler. And we can give options rather than mandates to help the audience maintain a sense of control.
This reminds me of strategy I used as a mom when my girls were little. Most days, I let them choose to wear about anything they wanted. But on days when it was important that they were dressed more appropriately, I would set out 3 outfit choices. They were free to pick the one they wanted. This was a win-win. It allowed me to guide their behavior, and it allowed them to have a sense of control.
2. Soften your delivery when the content is tough.
A lot of the boomerang effect has to do with delivery. If the content is already tough, the delivery needs to be softer. Think about situations like a breakup, a company merger, or a lack of a yearly raise. If both the content and the delivery of these kinds of messages are aggressive or lack warmth, the audience might shut down or boomerang.
If you have to give a presentation that you know will not go over well, your delivery style is more important than ever. Remember, your audience likely feels that they have lost some autonomy or control. They’ll be looking to your body language and facial expressions and tone of voice to confirm or deny that. They need you to assure them with a calm demeanor that you intend them no harm, and that you have their best interests in mind, especially when the news is not something they want to hear.
3. Don’t oversell or overcommunicate.
We might think that more communication, more messages, a longer presentation will help us persuade the audience and assure our intended response. Research from Northwestern University shows that’s not the case, especially when there are clear sides to an issue. In a study about how messages about climate change affected participants, researchers found clear evidence of the boomerang effect. Some participants already held strong opinions that climate change was not a risk. When those people were exposed to scientific evidence contrary to their opinions, it didn’t change their minds. Interestingly, it only served to solidify their stances. The repeated messages caused them to dig in their heels.
This research makes sense if we look back at numbers 1 and 2. Those participants felt some loss of control or some pressure to confirm in light of the messages. And the way they were bombarded with a large number of messages probably felt somewhat aggressive to them. This means we need to think carefully about the number of messages we send out and the means by which we send them when we are delivering content with which people might disagree.
So what is the answer?
In the case of the story I shared above about the social media interaction between the atheist and the Christians, it would have benefitted everyone involved to know about the boomerang effect. We can all be better communicators and presenters and humans when we remember:
- We don’t like messages that remind us we aren’t in control.
- We don’t like to feel pressure to conform.
- We need tough messages to be delivered calmly.
- We like to have choices.
- We don’t want to be bombarded with communication.
Just don’t make things worse. Hopefully, with a little knowledge on the boomerang effect, you now feel even more equipped to meet that goal. And to strive beyond just maintaining status quo to actually using your communication tools and your presentations to make things better. It’s a worthwhile pursuit. One that can make a world of difference.
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