Persuasive language using NLP

Persuasion is the subtle art of helping people make choices that are good for them and good for you. NLP is the most suitable tool for this endeavour, and if you want to get better at Persuasive language using NLP, then read further.

Victor Lustig, one of the greatest conmen of modern times, sold the Eiffel Tower. Twice! India’s “Natwarlal” similarly sold the Taj Mahal thrice, the Red Fort twice and even managed to sell the Rashtrapathi Bhavan and the Indian Parliament. History is replete with stories of such smooth conmen who could sell ice to an Eskimo. Many modern day gurus and so-called trainers continue this grand tradition of selling inauthentic services and products.

But these people aren’t great persuaders. They are great manipulators. They exhibit the willingness to gain at the expense of others. Persuaders, on the other hand, are always looking for a WIN-WIN scenario. They, too, are trying to make a sale and they too are trying to influence the mind of the receiver, but for a mutually beneficial outcome.

Now let’s look at those who pulled off the greatest acts of persuasion in the history of humankind. With the Germans within sniffing distance of Great Britain, Winston Churchill (an otherwise unpleasant person) persuaded his countrymen that they had more than a fighting chance against the technologically superior armed forces of Germany. More recently, an African-American gentleman in his early forties convinced US citizens to elect him the 44^th President. Barack Obama’s message of hope and his dignified 8 years in the White House show us what persuasion can achieve. Both Obama and the nation benefited from his stance. Persuasive language using NLP is used many times, it is just that at times people are not aware that it is called NLP.

 

Who amongst us wouldn’t want to have such incredible power at our fingertips? Wouldn’t we like to get people to see  the merit of our ideas and become a part of our bandwagon?

As it turns out, persuasion is not rocket science. It is about understanding the human psyche, tapping into the language of our brain and transforming this language to alter our behaviour. Neuro Linguistic Programming or NLP is an incredible tool designed keeping in mind these very elements: our brain, its language and our resultant behaviour.

NLP is well suited for the art of persuasion because it makes the practitioner pay attention to the subtleties of spoken and body language. Quite often, it is not the WHAT of the language, but the HOW of it, that convinces the other person to accept an idea. That’s why NLP practitioners (most of the times experts in Persuasive language using NLP) have successfully used the tool to create value in domains as diverse as politics, corporate leadership, sales and marketing, classroom management, family dynamics and writing.

Before we learn a few simple techniques of persuasion, let us understand the preconditions to persuasion.

 

Preconditions of persuasion

Since persuasion is about creating WIN-WIN scenarios, it is important to fully immerse oneself in the other’s point of view and to see the problem from their vantage point. Persuasive language using NLP is getting popularity these days in corporate world, and there are many reasons to learn it. To get better at language of persuasion, you will have to:

 

• Listen

Perhaps the most underrated skill of all. Listening is about offering a rare moment of human connection to the other person. Our ears assimilate the words and the tone. Our eyes assimilate subtle clues from body language to help us understand whether the other person is anxious, happy, angry or neutral. A good listener will ask secondary questions that will lead to a deeper understanding of what’s happening with the other person.

• Empathize

No matter how logical we think we are, a great number of decisions are driven by our emotions. Great persuaders know that it is important to appeal to not just the other person’s brain, but also their heart. In order to do so, one must first understand how the other person is feeling. To try and visualize how you might feel if you were in the other person’s shoes. This is easier said than done. It takes a lot of practice. But the gateway to empathy is listening. And the willingness to not judge the other person.

With these preconditions in place, let us explore a few simple techniques of persuasion language using NLP.

Simple persuasion techniques

We have already established that persuasion is about the HOW, not the WHAT. Which means we are dealing with the phrasing of the message, emphasizing certain words and understating others. Here are a few examples:

 

The YES set

Legend has it that this method can be traced all the way back to Socrates who used questions to make the other person think more deeply about a problem statement. Sometimes, Socrates used this technique to make people arrive at a desired conclusion, progressively and organically.

This technique is used by salespeople and politicians alike. Here, one uses a series of questions whose answers can only be YES. As the other person gradually eliminates other possibilities and reaches a fork, you will then ask a question whose answer is uncertain. But with a series of YES responses, momentum persuades the other person to offer another YES to this question.

Consider this exchange between the salesperson and the customer.

Salesperson: Am I correct in understanding that this water purifier system is important to you because of your newborn baby?

Customer: Yes

Salesperson: And every day you postpone the decision of buying one is another day that your baby is at risk?

Customer: Yes

Salesperson: You are worried about the price, but you are more worried about your child’s safety. Is that correct?

Customer: Yes

Salesperson: Sounds like you want to buy the best water purifier in the market and your research has shown that it is this one?

Customer: Yes, it is.

Salesperson: How about buying it today at a special discount?

Customer: Well… alright.

 

Subtle commands

People are more open to suggestions than questions. And making it an inclusive suggestion makes all the difference. For instance, instead of saying, “Would you like to go shopping for groceries?”, try saying, “Let’s shop for groceries.” The latter provokes a positive response more often than the former.

Choice restriction

Eliminating the choice of saying NO makes it easier to persuade the other person. In the above example of the salesperson, asking the customer, “Would you like to buy extra warranty?” would almost certainly result in a NO, since the customer is already sensitive about price. A much more effective question would be, “Would you like a warranty extension of 1 year or two years?” Again, it is important that this be in the best interest of the customer. And for a water purifier that offers durability, buying extra warranty will serve the customer better in the long run.

Taken for granted

The taken for granted technique is another way to eliminate unproductive choices. Imagine a mother struggling to get the child to finish her homework and is constantly having to remind her to switch off the TV. Here, the mother can ask, “What program would you like to watch after you have finished your homework?” which implies that finishing the homework is non-negotiable and also the path to deserved recreation.

Keep it simple

Simplicity is memorable, convolution is not. Whether you are making a sales pitch, giving a job interview or asking your child to drink milk, it is important to have clarity in language. It helps if one does not use too many attributes or benefits – stating one clear attribute or benefit persuades people more easily. In the example of the sale of the water purifier, the salesperson doesn’t also bring into focus its easy maintenance, 2 litre reservoir and sleek design. He focuses only on the safety of the child.

Visualize

A picture is worth a thousand words, and showing people the benefit of being persuaded is a lot better than telling them. Novelists use this technique to set their scene, filmmakers use it to establish the universe of the story.

Great persuaders use visual imagery in their speech to convince their listeners. Again, in the above example, the salesperson could say, “I see the water purifier as a silent angel in the kitchen, protecting the angel sleeping peacefully in the crib.”

In conclusion

We have only just begun unearthing the possibilities offered by language to the art of persuasion. Effective phrasing of the message becomes an everyday possibility as one delves deeper into the practice of NLP. If your appetite has been whetted, then it’s time to seek more information about NLP and its link with persuasion.

If your appetite has been whetted, then it’s time to seek more information about NLP Practitioner program and the content that gets covered with respect to persuasion language using NLP.