Be successful at meetings with a 'yeah'

Researchers in the US have claimed to have identified some of the most persuasive words that can be uttered in meetings, with "yeah" being the most favoured one used by speakers in business meets.

Though the words may sound uninspiring, speakers using the words like "yeah", "give", "menu", "start" and "meeting" significantly increase their chances of carrying the room, Daily Mail reported.

Professor Cynthia Rudin and Been Kim, a Ph.D student, identified the words in one of the first data-driven studies aimed at understanding the science of business meetings.

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management hope that by understanding the dynamics of business meetings people can improve their efficiency.

"If we truly knew which words were persuasive, we could use these words to help convey our ideas in the most favourable light."

According to the researchers, "Yeah" was identified as the singlemost influential word that can be spoken in business meetings. Its power comes from indicating the speaker is in agreement with other people who have already made their views clear.

"Our hypothesis is that framing a suggestion as an agreement with a previous suggestion increases its chances of being accepted," wrote Rudin and Been.

"Give was the second most persuasive word, and its influence is attributed to its positive yet conformist connotations."