“Testimony is responsible, either directly or indirectly, for much of what we know, not only about the world around us but also about who we are.“
J. Lackey, 2010
Even if we don’t realize, sharing experiences is one of our main sources of information; and it has been that way ever since we started communicating.
Nowadays testimonials are commonly used as benchmarks by new costumers and as a guarantee for quality and credibility, specially online.
Although testimonials may vary from simple sentences to talks, even to books; knowledge that is distinctively testimonial requires belief that is based or grounded in, not merely caused by, an instance of testimony. This means that the speaker has to believe his own testimonial for the hearer to believe it as well.
There are several attributes that make an effective testimonial, the most importan being the amount of information provided. As the main purpose of a testimonial is to transmit information that will probably help make a decision, the hearer will most certainly be looking for proof of wether the testimonial is real or not and for as much information as he needs in order to make a good decision.
For example, lets say a costumer wants to leave a testimonial about his experience with an Airbnb host, he may write it as:
- Great service, would recommend it.
- The host was very helpful and always attentive to any doubts we had. He suggested a variety of things to do around the area.
Clearly the second option is better for new costumers and the host, as it provides more information and gives a better sense of confidence.
Lackey, J. 2010. Routledge companion to epistemology. http://faculty.wcas.northwestern.edu/~jal788/documents/TestimonialKnowledge.pdf
