Learning Persuasion
Kenrick Cleveland
I had a student ask me recently, "Kenrick, how do you keep track of all of these persuasion strategies? Every time we have a conference call or seminar, you pull out another technique adding to the dozens and dozens of techniques we've already learned. I can't even remember to use the 'unconscious hello'."
I responded to my student by saying, 'When you learn a new language, are you fluent in a week?'
When you learn a new instrument, are you playing concerts within a week?
Persuasion is just as rich a subject as either of these and more because once you've learned a language, you know the language. But persuasion is an ever expanding field of study with amazing breakthroughs happening all the time.
World class persuasion requires you to master the basics. And how do you master the basics when you are trying to learn something? Simple. Practice. Practice. And more practice.
'Learning' has been traditionally broken down into five different categories: imprinting, habituation, associative learning, observational learning and play.
The first learning phase is called imprinting and is closely associated with young animals and children. It is the process by which babies learn from their parents. For persuasion purposes, imprinting doesn't have a lot that we can utilize, but the brain state resembles very closely the brain state we achieve through the use of our light and sound machines.
An example of habitual learning is when an animal first responds to a stimulus, but if it is neither rewarding nor harmful then eventually, the response diminishes. This kind of learning rests mainly in the other-than-conscious.
In persuasion the two types of learning that we most often utilize are observational learning and play. With observational learning, we observe and repeat. Observe and repeat. It's that simple. So when my student asks about the 'unconscious hello', I say, observe and repeat.
Lastly, play. I call the homework at the end of each call 'home play' because I love the concept of play and playfulness as a way to enjoy our learning and enhance our experience of not only persuasion, but of life in general.
We're all successful in our fields. Many of us have high pressure work environments. And yet, I can't help thinking that part of what we do when we meet for our quarterly meetings is quite playful. Role playing, camaraderie, even the occasional game. Some play is unrestrained and has no outcome, but our play has a clearly defined goal, as does our work.
To my frustrated student, I say, persuasion is playful. It is observation. It is habitual. It is repetition. It is emulation. It is commitment. It is intention. Be persistent. Persuasion comes in time.
Kenrick Cleveland teaches strategies to earn the business of wealthy prospects using http://www.maxpersuasion.com/ persuasion. He runs public and private seminars and offers home study courses and coaching programs in http://www.maxpersuasion.com/ persuasion strategies. You are welcome to reprint this article - but get your own http://www.uberarticles.com/?id=27246&b=79 unique content version here.
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