I’ve made at least 3,997,642 ish in my approximation. This means you should really like me because there is the science that says that when “typically competent people make small mistakes”, they are viewed as more likable.
This is known in the scientific world as the “Pratfall Effect”.
(Cue angels singing and me softly weeping).
True story.
One of my first presentations to a large group had me very jittery and distracted. I nervously started my slides and reminded the group of 200 people to turn off their cell phones. About 20 minutes into the talk, MY phone rang. It was a new flip phone (I’m dating myself so don’t even judge!) and I wasn’t sure how to silence it so I just quickly opened and closed the phone. And it rang again. Again, I opened and closed it quickly. And again. Horrified, I let it ring until it went to voicemail. I sheepishly apologized to the group and did my best to carry on.
During the break, I went to the restroom and was in the bathroom stall when I overheard two of the participants talking about me. One of them commented to the other, “I like her. She seems down to earth!” I choked up with relief.
Ever wonder why we love the “Bloopers” so much?
Perfect people make us feel small. When they visibly mess up, their elevated status is reduced and they seem more vulnerable, endearing, and relatable. As a result, we feel a lot better about ourselves.
Observation:
I recently noticed that a person I follow on LinkedIn has some videos they are posting. The content and delivery are great but the videos are heavily edited and visibly cut to perfection. This person is competent, poised, well-spoken, attractive, the whole package, but it seems to read as too perfect. Learning about the pratfall effect makes sense to me as I find myself yearning for some “realness” when viewing her content.
So what do we do with this information? Your marching orders (aka action step) are to...
Ponder the pratfall effect and allow yourself some grace when you do mess up. As you prepare for that big presentation, interview, pitch, etc. and obsess over every word and body language move, relax a little. Mistakes happen and if they do it’s not as bad as you might think.
And, most importantly, please remember the pratfall effect when reading my articles and find typos and grammar mistakes.
Falling down with appreciation,
Your co-pilot,
P.S.
Have you experienced the feeling of someone being perfect on social media or in real life? Have you ever thought of it this way, as in too perfect?