Toronto Behavioural Design Meetup @TBDC
The Meaning Behind The Message: The Extraordinary Power of Ordinary Words
Every single person has been around language since before they were born. This makes us fluent speakers, but it also blinds us to its pervasive effects. Just because we have a lifetime of experience doesn’t mean we’ve mastered words. Far from it. We’ve been missing a structured way to think about how words operate in – and shape – everyday discourse. This talk provides exactly such a framework. What we say, how we say it, and how we speak and hear words all reveal that every word, big or seemingly small, is a choice. Those choices add up to opportunities to better understand the subtle power of language, improving our ability to communicate along the way. Magic words? All words are magic.
About the Speaker
Dr. Sam Maglio is a Professor of Marketing and Psychology at the University of Toronto Scarborough, with a cross-appointment to the Rotman School of Management. His research explores the fascinating intersection of cognition, motivation, and affect, examining how language choices and time perception shape consumer behavior and wellbeing.