By Hel Reynolds (first published in the Big Yellow Newsletter)
9/10 times when I speak at conferences, I wave my hands around so much I often end up walloping the mic and BOOM! giving the audience a minor heart attack
But do people walk out thinking I’m incompetent? No. They laugh, forgive the chaos, and stay focused on what I have to say.
Anyway, why I’m telling you this is: there’s a principle from psychology called the Pratfall Effect.
It says that when you’re clearly competent, making a small mistake can actually make people like you more.
In the 1960s, a studyasked people to rate a man doing a quiz who answered a load of questions correctly. Some saw an edited version where he just got the questions right, some also saw when the guy then spilled coffee all over himself.
The group that saw the extra spillage blunder said they liked and respected him much more.
Flaws can be charming.
And it’s the same with brands. In comms we can fall into the trap of thinking perfection is professional.
But actually, audiences are suspicious of flawless. Ever seen a hotel with 100% five-star reviews on Tripadvisor? I don’t trust it. Nobody and no service can be that perfect. Where’s the one-star meltdown about the weak tea or the haunted wardrobe?
Some brands get this concept and lean into their flaws.
A nice pint of Guinness takes bloody ages to pour properly and settle. Instead of hiding it, they celebrate it. “Good things come to those who wait.”
Why it matters for comms
Your boss might want polish. Your brand guidelines might scream perfection.
But if every post, email and campaign looks like it’s been buffed to death, you lose something more important. Likability.
Our glorious, unpredictable humanity is exactly what sets us apart from AI.
We don’t need to cover up every flaw. We don’t need to act like the glitch never happened.
As creative comms professionals, we’re human. We humans we will mess stuff up, and we do things imperfectly.
It might just be an advantage.
Try this: Make your comms 5% messier.
Show behind-the-scenes. Share something unpolished. Have a sense of humour about your weaknesses.
And throw perfectionism in the bin.
The pratfall effect is one of our favourite psychology principles because it gives comms professionals permission to stop chasing perfection and start being Unboring.
If you’d like more inspiration and lessons, members of Comms Creatives Academy get access to ALL our courses on creativity, writing, storytelling, social media, comms strategy and content that is unboring and makes an impact.
