Digital transformation is increasingly important in modern businesses, and effective communication is vital to help get people on board about the need to change. Research from the University of Exeter Business School suggests that the medium used to communicate to workers makes a difference in how positively new technologies are perceived.

The study found that people tend to react more positively when new technology is verbally described to them than when this information is written down.

Communication matters

The researchers recruited around 1,000 volunteers to complete three experiments whereby they were randomly asked to read either text or have the identical text read out. The text detailed the various pros and cons of a range of new technologies, including nanotechnology and a new flu drug. The volunteers were then asked to evaluate the risks and benefits of each technology.

The results show that the perceived benefits were found to outweigh the risks more often when the technology was described verbally rather than via text.

A second experiment then saw additional questions asked to evaluate the gut response by participants to new technology. Once more, they found that verbal descriptions of the technologies invoked a warmer response than a written description.

This general trend only changed when people were described technologies that they were much more familiar with, such as nuclear energy or pesticides, where the emotional response was similar regardless of whether the description was written or verbal.

Driving change

The researchers believe that their findings could prove important whether in terms of driving digital transformation within organizations or even more broadly trying to influence public opinion about certain technologies.

“The importance of this should be evident for surveys and opinion polls, so, for example, using a voice or a written survey to conduct a poll on the acceptance of the much-debated 5G technology could increase public acceptance of the technology,” they explain.

“To give another example, the NHS in the UK can now provide health information through Amazon’s Alexa, giving people the choice of either asking their voice assistant for advice on a new medication for example, or reading the information for themselves on the NHS website.

“Our findings mean that patients who receive information about a new medication via their voice assistant system would likely view the medication more favorably.”