| As you talk to an audience you communicate with | | | | suggesting that this is also true. "Training is a valued |
| them at different levels of consciousness. At their | | | | and beneficial investment in your people.....and further |
| most conscious, they listen to what you are saying and | | | | training will undoubtedly raise morale and reduce |
| consider your meaning. But each word triggers an | | | | turnover." |
| instinctive search of their minds for established | | | | Cause and Effect: Similar to Truisms and Equivalent, |
| meaning and of their beliefs system for emotional | | | | but with less logical or proven connection between the |
| reaction. | | | | two statements, use these in the same way as |
| At a lower level of consciousness the audience are | | | | presuppositions. It is the intuitive meaning to the listener |
| less questioning. They bypass the beliefs systems | | | | of the link words like because and therefore that |
| check. They are more open to suggestion. | | | | makes these so powerful. "Fashion brands have |
| And there is also a level of unconsciousness where | | | | always responded to celebrity endorsement because |
| some words are not even heard but subconsciously | | | | of this we know that price is not an issue!" |
| trigger thought and response. | | | | Yes sets: Here again the language suggests |
| These are the reasons why correct language is so | | | | acceptance and agreement. You ask for agreement |
| critical and why persuasive language so powerful. | | | | to your critical question by preceding it with two |
| Positive words: Eliminate words and phrase that can | | | | questions where yes is certain to be the response. |
| intuitively signal doubt such as "will try" and "perhaps" | | | | "Clearly a solid client base is important to us.....?" "And |
| and "do not worry." Always use positive and | | | | retaining the profitable clients is important...?" "Which |
| assumptive phrases like "we shall" and "when we." | | | | means investing in those key client relationships must |
| Reframe negative words into positive alternatives | | | | be a priority....yes?" |
| such as problems into opportunities, and mistakes into | | | | Generalisations: Here you make generalised |
| expected teething problems. | | | | statements such as: "People always find...!" Customers |
| Metaphors: Illustrate and dramatize your meaning with | | | | happily follow trends...!" "Experience will teach us..." By |
| the visual impression of metaphors such as "an | | | | avoiding detail your audience will find less to disagree |
| explosion of ideas" and "results instantly rocketed." | | | | with. They can also add detail from their own |
| Metaphors create images and stories which lead | | | | experience and more easily relate to what you say. |
| audience thinking away from the beliefs check and into | | | | Vagueness: This technique cleverly allows your |
| a more open-minded state. Use exaggeration and | | | | audience to think about something without your |
| humour to embed meaning with phrases like "he | | | | obvious lead. It will suggest that the conclusion they |
| moved like a rat up a drain" | | | | come to is theirs and not yours. |
| Quotations: Use famous quotations to reinforce your | | | | "I am not sure if this applies to you?" "Maybe this is |
| message, to add credibility and to provide a powerful | | | | something to consider?" "You will probably be able to |
| metaphor. By quoting Churchill, JFK or Ali you suggest | | | | clarify this in your own mind better than I explain it!" |
| association and endorsement with the speaker. | | | | Pacing and Leading: This extremely powerful technique |
| Power of three: First attributed to ancient Greeks and | | | | shifts thought by linking the possibility of the future with |
| illustrated by Tony Blair's "Education, Education, | | | | the certain reality of what is here and now. "Here is |
| Education" manifesto speech, the power of three is | | | | the thing!" is a simple but powerful phrase that gets the |
| proven and accepted as a standard persuasion | | | | audience feeling connected with reality. |
| device. Use it to embed acceptance of your key | | | | "Standing here with you today" is often heard by great |
| message. | | | | speech makers to anchor audiences into reality. Then |
| Presuppositions: Highly positive statements that | | | | by using phrases like "as we go forward and begin to |
| assume truth or acceptance of what you say. "No | | | | appreciate," or "as your understanding increases in the |
| business ever succeeded without making changes." | | | | coming weeks" you suggest that acceptance will |
| These sound and suggest that they must be true and | | | | happen but use language that is difficult to dismiss here |
| subtly work to suggest and encourage agreement. | | | | and now. |
| Use them with convincing words like "it is clear that we | | | | Practice using persuasive language so that you can |
| must" or "it is undeniably true that" or "we are certain | | | | use it elegantly and not conspicuously in your |
| to discover that." | | | | presentations. Remember the more naturally you use it |
| Truisms and Equivalents: Here you make a statement | | | | the more powerfully it will work. |
| of fact and then equate it to a second statement | | | | |
