Lawrence Williams | SpeakerHub

Personal Details

Bio

Lawrence is a dynamic and engaging speaker, respected for the way he distills complex topics into sticky insights. He uses data, human connection, and humor to inspire action and spur lasting change.

In his research, Lawrence has explored the emotional consequences of psychological distance, how people find pleasure in unpleasant experiences, and why bodily states shape mental outcomes. Recently, he has turned his attention toward understanding how consumers’ choices are impacted by the pursuit of meaning in the marketplace.

His papers have been published in the Journal of Consumer Research, Psychological Science, and Science, amongst other outlets. Popular press accounts of his work have appeared in the New York Times, NPR, BBC News, and Harvard Business Review. Currently he serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Consumer Research. He was recognized as a top MBA teacher in 2020. He completed his doctoral studies at Yale University.

Current position (1)

Co-Founder

Williams-Poehlman

Degrees (1)

Psychology

Yale University

2004 to 2008

Presentations

Presentations (2)

Do Customers Want Purpose or Connection?

Companies are increasingly focused on building meaningful relationships with their customers, and often they do so by emphasizing their purpose. But is purpose what customers want? In this presentation, we will walk through research suggesting that consumers are less willing to pay for meaning than we might expect, but when they do find meaning in the marketplace, it is tied to connection. Together, we'll explore implications of these patterns for the better business movement.

Why the Predictive Value of Conscious Thought is Exaggerated

We tend to ascribe magical powers to conscious thoughts (and by extension self reports). This is driven by our natural affinity for storytelling. Businesses have been at the forefront of using new methods to learn about customer preferences, not the least of which is big data analytics, which often entails the study of behaviors (not thoughts). Nevertheless in various phases of business research we rely on customers’ self reports to make consequential decisions (where to invest, who to reward). We sometimes even use these self reports as KPIs. We think that thoughts drive behavior, but it is important to recognize the disconnect between what people think and what they do. Thankfully, emerging research and practice provides us with tools to understand what customers want without relying on their unreliable reporting of their thoughts.

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