The research, plainly
Elliot Aronson played recordings of a quiz contestant: brilliant, or brilliant-but-spills-his-coffee. The coffee-spiller was liked more. For someone already established as competent, a small blunder humanizes; perfection distances.
The receipt: Aronson et al., 1966
What it means for events
Over-rehearsed, over-polished speakers earn respect and lose the room. The confessed failure, the honest stumble, the unscripted aside — small imperfections from credible people build the trust that flawlessness forfeits. Coach for competence plus humanity, not lacquer.
Where to run it
Speaker coaching
Keep the credentials, add one genuine confession: the deal lost, the launch that flopped. The failure story is the trust story.
Executive presence
Leaders who handle the glitch with grace gain more than a clean run would have earned. Don't fear the live demo.
Panel design
Prompt for 'what did you get wrong?' — the answers outperform every success anecdote on the recording's replay stats.
Seen in the wild
Related concepts
Now use it
Score your own event against principles like this one — or make the whole vocabulary official.
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