Where To Start
When I first started looking at NLP, covert and conversational hypnosis, metaphor and other techniques of persuasion, it was all very overwhelming. It was literally like learning a new foreign language. I watched certain masters persuade others in the direction they wanted as if by magic. It didn’t matter which setting they were in, whether it was business or in a club, they pulled people’s strings as if they were puppets. Truly amazing! Although many online courses promise instant mastery, it doesn’t work that way. It takes a lot of time and practice just like any other skill. Don’t get me wrong, you can start using a lot of it in your daily life from day 1, but it takes a lot conscious effort on your part before it begins to flow unconsciously. That’s the level of performance you want to achieve, known formally in NLP as unconscious competence, when you just let things flow automatically. Think about when you first started driving. You had to concentrate and remember so many details at once. After some time you begin to relax, and think about your destination.
At the moment I spend about 15 minutes every morning and every night just writing language patterns. I pick a current theme in my life and spend about a month applying every conceivable covert hypnosis, metaphor, and sleight of mouth pattern to it. I also pick a certain pattern in the morning, write it down on an index card, and try to slip it into every conversation that day. When I first started doing this, I felt a bit uncomfortable, but soon the practice began to become a part of me. And even if I felt I was being overtly obvious about what I was doing, I haven’t had anyone give the slightest indication they were on to my unusual language structures or tonality. Sometimes I exaggerate things just to test their current level of awareness. Nothing. It’s mind bloggling how deep in trance people will go right in front of you during a conversation.
Some of the best advice I ever got was to just feed people back what they are saying, and say very little about yourself. For example you might ask someone what they did the night before, “So, what did you do last night?” Simple. “Oh, I went out to dinner, but I had to go home first to let the dogs out a bit.” And you feed it back to them and ask another question, “I see, you went home to let the dogs out, and then went to get a bite to eat. What restaurant?” And so on. You don’t have to repeat what they say word for word. Be creative. When this begins to feel natural, you can start leading. Pace and lead. Very powerful.
As you sit there and read this, perhaps you’re curious about how you can learn more about Pacing and Leading from Igor Ledochowski’s Conversational Hypnosis.
For a more brief introduction check out David Barron’s Power Persuasion: Using Hypnotic Influence to Win In Life, Love And Business
If you REALLY want to get into this stuff check out Kevin Hogan’s
Science of Influence CD Set Vol. 1-12
admin :: Jun.05.2007 :: covert hypnosis :: No Comments »