The Hindu Business Line : Mood-transforming vocabulary

The 12 most persuasive words in English are, “You, money, save, results, health, easy, love, discovery, proven, new, safety, and guarantee,” say Kevin Hogan and James Speakman in Covert Persuasion ( www.landmarkonthenet.com ). In marketing, you might want to add ‘this dozen,’ the authors suggest: “Free, yes, fast, why, how, secrets, sale, now, power, announcing, benefits, and solution.”

Millions of words have been written about how the human brain works and how we think, but the secret to persuading someone else to your way of thinking is to align your mind with theirs, the book advises.

The method is ‘covert persuasion,’ which is all about “bypassing the critical factor of the human mind without the process being known to the receiver of the message… This is accomplished when one person sends a message and the message is received without significant critical thought or questioning on the part of the receiver.”

One of the many persuasion tricks in the book is ‘because,’ which when used in answers can find people agreeing more often. “Use the word ‘because’ when asking someone to comply with your request,” instruct Hogan and Speakman. Why? Because, “People have an almost instant positive response to this word.”

Another trick is to ask questions that can lead people where you want them to go, rather than telling them what to say, think, do or feel. While the latter approach can lead to resistance, asking a question or a series of questions can lead the other person to your conclusion.

“When done carefully, the other person feels that his opinion matters and that he has some control over a situation. In reality, of course, you are structuring his thought direction and range of responses.”

A lot of power is packed into a question, the authors observe. “If you can get yourself to ask instead of tell, you will find success in stirring the internal motivations in the other person. You’ll get him to want to help you.”

Explaining ‘transformational grammar’ — a theory developed by Noam Chomsky in 1956 — Hogan and Speakman contend that by changing your words you can change your feelings and mental state associated with them.

“Commit yourself to using a mood-transforming vocabulary,” the authors urge, therefore.

Persuasive arguments.

D. MURALI

http://BookPeek.blogspot.com