Practical Persuasion: Ways We Learn
Kenrick Cleveland
One of my newer students asked me on a recent call, "Kenrick, how are you able to keep track of all of the different language patterns and persuasion techniques that you know and use? I mean, each time we're on one of these coaching calls, it seems like you're not only using new techniques, but combining two or three or more techniques at once. Sometimes I can't even remember the first step. How can I remember to remember?'
My question to the student was, "When you learn a new language, are you able to have an involved conversation with a native speaker within a week?"
And I asked him, "And have you ever learned to play a musical instrument?" He said, "In fact, I have. I play the piano." I asked, "Well, were you playing Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos after a few lessons?"
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.
The absolute best way I know to become proficient and masterful in persuasion is to drill on the basics. In order to master the basics, you have to practice. Practice. Practice. Practice. There's no trick to it.
There have been traditionally five different methods of learning: imprinting, habituation, associative learning, observational learning and play.
Imprinting happens as a phase--usually we see this with young babies and animals learning from their parents. For our purposes in learning persuasion, we have no use for this method. . .we're way past imprinting. However, the brain state that we achieve with the use of the light and sound machines closely resembles the brain state babies are in.
Habitual learning is when an animal responds to a stimulus. If the stimulus is not rewarding or harmful then their response to the stimulus diminishes over time. This is mainly an other than conscious/sub conscious learning.
The two types of learning that we most utilize in our quest for persuasion mastery are observational learning and play. The first, we're all quite familiar with: observing and repeating. 'Unconscious hello'? Observe. Repeat. We need to pay attention and then emulate.
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.
I responded to my frustrated student by saying that, "Learning persuasion is about observing, creating a habit, repeating, emulating, committing, having intention and patience and persistence, being playful and above all else, practicing."
Kenrick Cleveland teaches techniques to earn the business of affluent clients 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 techniques.
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