While strolling the streets of New York City, I came upon a unique scenario.
It involved a homeless man and his assistants - his dogs. This homeless
man was dressed in tattered clothing and looked as if he had not taken
a shower for quite some time. His head was bowed; exposing his hair caked
with supposed grime. A cardboard sign hung from his neck, scribbled on
it was, “I am homeless. My pets and I have not eaten. I love them.
Help me.”
Lying next to him was a dog, what looked to be a German shepherd, mangy looking and covered in what could easily pass for dirt. Furthermore, surrounding this German shepherd were two well-groomed pups romping with each other.
This homeless person strategically sat by a wall, so as to give himself maximum exposure to passing pedestrians’. The thing that intrigued me about this “supposed” homeless person was how he was able to make people (lots of ‘em) surrender their spare change and loose bills – without question.
It went like this: Passing pedestrians see the homeless man and his dogs. Some do a double take, others utter “that sound.” You know “that sound” you make when you are in the presence of cute, cuddly animals, “aawww.” The pedestrians’, now hooked, fixated onto this homeless man’s set up, approach, paying little attention to the man – focusing more attention on the pups, interacting with them. They then glance at the man’s sign around his neck – And without skipping a beat they surrender any spare change they had.
I took a peek in this homeless man’s money container – strategically placed right below the sign around his neck. This container was choking with bills and coins
I said to myself, “this guy is good. How is he doing it?” I asked myself another question, “What is it that is making all these people so willing and motivated to give up their money?” “Emotion” was the answer. And it was not just any emotion this homeless man aroused in these pedestrians’. He aroused the appropriate emotion necessary for the pedestrians to take the action he wanted them to engage in. EVERY ACTION REQUIRES THE APPROPRIATE EMOTION, a state of mind, if you want to call it.
EMOTION CAN OVERRIDE LOGIC. These people did not know this person. So why would they want to throw away their change? This “supposed” homeless person used his pets to arouse an emotion, that wonderful feeling most people get from seeing loveable, cuddly animals. They then glimpse the man’s sign, “I am homeless. My pets and I have not eaten. I love them. Help me” which ‘possibly’ opened up another emotion. Now, taking this a step further, the last part of the man’s sign is a command, “help me.” As I stated before his money container was strategically placed below the sign around his neck - indirectly asking for money, covertly telling people what to do, “drop money in my container!”
You may have an issue with the way this - homeless person - “worked the crowd” but he was effective. How? FIRST he hooked the passing pedestrians’, fixating their attention onto his set up. SECOND, he elicited the appropriate emotion; a state from them. THIRD, he indirectly – told them what to do, “give me your change!”
In the same way words travel from your mouth on an exhalation (never on an inhalation) you want to awaken the right state/emotion in order to propel yourself or others to action. This is a basic principle of persuasion101.
Think of the people you know, personal or professional, that have moved. They made you “feel” something inside you, so to speak, just before you took action.
Have you ever found yourself, or better yet, do you find yourself doing something illogical, yet logically knowing it is not right, but the feeling is so strong, coursing through you so fiercely, resisting just does not compute? This is how potent and important feelings are.
So, in short, if you want to persuade yourself, or others, a major component, the basics of persuasion101.com, is to get the appropriate feelings to act as an ally. And it is not just any feeling you want to awaken. Asking yourself, “what kind or kinds of feelings/emotions/states do I need to arouse so as to propel myself or someone to action?” is a good place to begin.
And how are you going to go about mobilizing those feeling/emotions/states?
A little secret to some of you who are parents: Children do this all the time unconsciously. And they do it exceptionally well. They say or do things that make you feel wonderful, like do their home chores, make good grades in school, etc. And when they see you are at your emotional apex, bathing in ecstasy - then they plant the suggestion that you buy something for them they have always wanted. Who is controlling whom?
Visit: http://www.persuasion101.com "simple tools for a complex world - for the non-salesperson!"
© Copyright - John G. Johnson 2004 - All rights reserved!
I SPECIALISE in helping couples with fertility issues. In my private practice I often find that my client’s problems stem from beliefs they have, many of these they have been persuaded to accept by others. The persuaders often think that they know best and express their views from a position of authority, and in some cases truly believe they are helping. Their suggestions are accepted without question, you could say they are hypnotised into their belief. And yet many of the people who take on these suggestions are the very people who are sceptical about hypnosis and its effectiveness; totally unaware of just how easily they can be persuaded to accept negative suggestions.
THE MIND has enormous power over the body, which is constantly influenced by our emotions, thoughts and beliefs. Our thoughts and beliefs can affect our bodies, even manifesting themselves physically. We are able to change physical symptoms by how we feel. For example; when watching a movie we sometimes get so caught up in the story that the feelings we get for the characters are quite real.
THERE ARE many factors responsible for infertility, and our emotions can affect the delicately balanced hormonal system, which in turn controls ovulation, spermatogenesis and pregnancy.
OVER THE LAST twenty years there has been a significant rise in the number of people who experience problems conceiving. Approximately 25% of couples planning to have a baby experience problems, and it is common for them to take two – three years to conceive their first child. Of those who seek medical help 30% are told they have unexplained infertility for which medical science can offer no explanation.
AFTER TRYING for a child they go to their medical practitioner “just to make sure” everything is OK and are given suggestions like “they have old eggs”, “they have left it too late”, and one couple was told that they were incompatible. We are programmed from a very early age to rely on doctors’ opinions for our health and well-being, and so these suggestions are readily accepted.
A DOCTOR in San Francisco, worries that today’s fertility specialists often forget than one of the most important aspects of a doctor’s work is often to give their clients hope. If you convince someone they have no reason to hope the lack of hope will be reflected in their bodies. She says she never says never and has delivered a baby to a 53 year old who had undergone an IVF procedure and another to a woman who had her last period the year before.
WOMEN in their thirties and forties often get pregnant and produce healthy children, and in the past 20 years births to the over 40’s has increased by 50%. It is even possible to become pregnant whilst in the menopause, many women fall pregnant this way because they think “they are safe”.
I FIND that the first thing I have to cover with my clients are their beliefs. Most of these come from medical professionals, their families (mothers, aunts, grandmothers) and friends. People that they trust who think that by making them accept the possibility that they wont conceive that they are actually helping them.
BIOLOGICALLY it is more efficient for women to have their families when they are young. But in recent years the average age of women having their first baby has been going up because many of us now want to establish ourselves in a career before starting families. The media’s (recent) inclination to depict women over 35 who want babies as desperate, caught up in a biological clock panic and having wombs that are too old to work can damage the beliefs of millions of women. Given that thoughts and beliefs stimulate hormonal secretions through our bodies these statements can become biological realities in women who believe they really are too old to have babies.
DEEPAK CHOPRA MD believes our cells are constantly eavesdropping on our thoughts and being changed by them. Because our mind influences every cell – human aging is fluid and changeable.
There is a connection between language and our well being. The people around us influencing us, the words they use persuading us. I am sure we have all met people who can change how you feel as soon as you meet. There are those people we love to be with because they make us feel so good and then there are others ………. Almost like mood hovers they travel through life sucking up all the good feelings around them, bringing you down. Emotions, feelings are infectious.
MOST SURGEONS nowadays are aware of the effect their language can have in the operating theatre. Although the patient is not conscious, their unconscious is constantly aware and listening and there have been cases of people recalling later things that were said whilst they were under anaesthesia. Hyper-sensitive to what was being said around them and responding accordingly. Many doctors are now also becoming more and more aware of how their language also affects the conscious patient, using language to give hope rather than set their patients up for failure.
Tina Taylor is an NLP Trainer, Hypnotherapist, Design Human Engineer and
a TFT Diagnostic Practitioner. Through her private practice she specialises
in helping couples with fertility issues as well as teaching them how to use
hypnosis in childbirth. Tina has produced internationally acclaimed CDs with
Nick Kemp which are available from her websites:
http://www.unconscioushealing.com
and http://www.tranceformingnlp.com
as well as www.amazon.co.uk
© Copyright - Tina Taylor 2004 - All rights reserved!