Persuasion Artist

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A couple weeks ago I got an email from a reader who asked me “if covert hypnosis is as powerful a persuasion tool as you claim why don’t I see politicians running for office using it?”

Well, first of all if they were any good you wouldn’t see it, what why it’s called covert hypnosis.

But that’s still a fair question. I did a little research on the speeches of some of the 08’ presidential hopefuls to see if I could spot any covert hypnotic language patterns. After a few days of digging through Youtube and Google I found very interesting things in the way Hillary Clinton selects her language.

I observed the Senator using a covert hypnosis strategy called embedded commands.

In this post I am going to explain briefly how embedded commands work, I am going to give a few examples of embedded commands I have found in the blogosphere, then I will reveal how Senator Hillary Clinton used embedded commands in a speech and book. I will also reveal the mistakes she made in using embedded commands.

Obviously I am making a strong claim here. I hear people saying “Politicians using covert hypnotic language? No way! I am sure they just are being themselves and speaking from their heart.”

Yeah right!

Contest my claim in the comment box if you like, but whether you agree with me that she is using covert hypnosis in her speech or not, if you are interested in learning persuasion this post is still a powerful case study of covert hypnosis as well as a detailed lesson about embedded commands.

The video of her using this language pattern is in this post as well so you can see for yourself in a moment. Naturally, you will want to read this entire article first to catch it in the video and so you can understand how and why she is using this language pattern.

By the time you are done reading this article you, like me, will also become aware that covert hypnosis is used my politicians.

photo credit: Hillary Clinton Barack Obama

What is an Embedded Command?

Embedded commands, also called embedded suggestion, are hidden suggestions and commands woven into a sentence or paragraph. It works kinda like subliminal messages. Here is an example taken from my article How to Create Your Own Covert Hypnotic Language Patterns:

“…underneath all of (those powerful emotions) you are just having fun, and this causes you to begin feeling really good. With me it’s a little different, I really have to get to know a person first and then feel really and comfortable around them.”

FEEL REALY GOOD WITH ME is the embedded command.

Embedded commands work very powerfully in persuasion because you are persuading you are not communicating only with the conscious mind of a person, in fact you are mostly communicating with the unconscious mind. Hypnotic languages such as embedded commands lead the unconscious mind.

Just like the little pieces of bread lead Hansel and Gretel to the candy house, embedded commands lead a person to the action you want to persuade someone to do or emotion you want someone to feel.

The embedded command I caught hidden in Hillary Clinton’s language was YOU LIKE ME.

The YOU LIKE ME command is another way to use embedded commands that I have not shared on this blog yet, so lets take a look at a few examples of the way it is used properly before we look at how Hillary used it because she made a couple errors. Here is an exert from a seminar book my Richard Bandler the creator of NLP using this pattern in a sentence.

“Now this is my basic sales program: Induce good feeling; attach it to product. Or very importantly, you can also induce it and attach it to yourself, because you are a part of this, especially if it is a service, because you, like me, want the best for yourself. You like me want the best for yourself. Now this is a language pattern and we are going to get into those. They’re fun.” (Bandler and La Valle, 1996, p 39-40)

What Bandler did in the above example was frame the language by putting the YOU, before the LIKE ME in a way that makes sense conversationally. He did this by saying a sentence with “you, like me” in it and then explains how you are alike so the conscious mind is satisfied, but the unconscious hears the embedded command YOU LIKE ME

YOU LIKE ME as an embedded commands works because is has two possible meanings, it can be used meaning you like me as a person, or you have an attribute that is like me so you are like me. Psychologically this suggestion works because the unconscious cannot distinguish which LIKE it is and processes both.

Here is one of the ways I use this persuasion strategy is my sales:

“I really enjoy a product that has XYZ feature. I also know that YOU, LIKE ME, and so many of my other customers also appreciate this type of feature in a product.”

Here is another example I came by on a UK blog called Call Centre Helper that trains customer service associates to use NLP in customer service:

“One of our team leaders took over a call from a customer who was particularly angry. They took the time to listen carefully to the caller in full before answering: “We, like you, want to get this matter resolved for you as soon as possible”. They also said: “You, like me, probably get frustrated when things are not delivered on time.

The team leader quickly calmed the caller down. What the caller was not necessarily aware of consciously was that they liked the team leader and that the team leader liked them, simply because they had been told as much.” – From article Making NLP Work in your Call Centre

Here’s another example I stumbled across a really great blog called Your daily un-interrupt-ed pattern of Hypnosis where the author sifnit shares another example of this type of embedded command:

…here’s an example that could be used for seduction, its one that I’ve been thinking about using and I just haven’t gotten around to testing.. Say your meeting a girl (or guy for that matter) and you’ve got decent rapport, for example your either just meeting them or one of you is leaving.. Where a handshake might have been appropriate here’s what you could do…

Reach out your hand, before your hands connect pull your hand back and gently hold on to their hand with your other hand, look into their eyes and say “I bet YOU LIKE ME think its a bit awkward shaking hands like this, come here and give me a hug”, open up both hands, inviting them to come forward and hug you, do this with warmth and empathy and its highly unlikely they won’t come forward… exerted from the article The Psychology of Hypnotic Pattern Interrupts

photo credit: Hillary Clinton 1

Obviously there are many ways to use the YOU LIKE ME embedded command. Here are the ways I have noticed Senator Hillary Clinton using this language pattern one of her speeches and in her book:

“There’s an old saying I love: You can’t roll up your sleeves and get to work if you’re still wringing your hands. So if you, like me, are worrying about our kids; if you, like me, have wondered how we can match our actions to our words, I’d like to share with you some of the convictions I’ve developed over a lifetime”-It Takes Village by Hillary Clinton

And finally here is the way that Hillary Clinton opened one of her speeches; “I know that many of you, like me… were disappointed by recent remarks that he made.”

If you are thinking, oh I am sure that is juts her natural way of speaking and writing. Maybe, but I doubt it. The words a politician’s use can make or break them in moments,

Because of this millions of dollars is invested into consultants to make sure they are wearing the right color, have the right haircut, and to strategically selected the right words of their speeches. It is all carefully prepared and planned.

So it is possible that Hillary did not know she was using covert hypnosis in her speech, and she just delivered it the way she was instructed by her speech writer speech consultant?

Possibly, but if that’s the case Hillary’s consultants should pay extra close attention here, because here are the mistakes I think Hillary made in her use of the YOU LIKE ME commands.

Covert Hypnosis Mistake #1: She had no rapport with the audience.

I personally think it is a waste of breath using hypnotic language in a speech or in any persuasion arena in the first few sentences. You need to gain rapport in those first few moments, and if you can’t get rapport try a persuasion strategy other than embedded commands and language patterns.

Hillary used the YOU LIKE ME language pattern with in her first couple words. Like most persuasion skills, if you have no rapport it will not work and the people will reject you much in the way the audience obviously rejected her.

One of the strangest things in persuasion I have noticed is if you don’t have rapport and you use language pattern you will sound manipulative, but if you have good rapport you can use them blatantly and obviously and they will still be effective.

Covert Hypnosis Mistake #2: She used the pattern only once.

We call a hypnotic language pattern a pattern because they only work when used multiple times. Hillary used the pattern only once in the Video. In all fairness to her, perhaps she would have made it a pattern if she was allowed to finish her statement before the audience stopped her. And she did use the pattern twice in the same paragraph in her book, but I aim for the same commands at least three times in my persuasion.

Covert Hypnosis Mistake #3: She Isn’t Congruent.

In order for persuasion to be effective, your words must match your overall energy. I wrote all about it in my article, The Hypnotic Power of Congruence. People are smart and they pick up on this lack of authenticity easily.

In sales you should never sound like a salesman, you should sound like someone who cares about helping a person who needs your product solution. If you are a man persuading a woman, you should never sound like a guy trying to pick up chicks. Naturally if you are a politician, you should never sound like a politician. When Hillary speaks I feel like I am watching a politician.

Congruence always sounds like authenticity, passion, compassion, and conviction behind your words. I didn’t feel that from Hillary in this speech or any speech of hers. When she said you, like me I sure as hell feel didn’t feel like her because there was no emotion of likeness behind her words.

In my humble opinion this is where Barack Obama really had an edge over her. People say Obama is charismatic or speaks with such passion, what they are talking about is his congruence. Powerful congruence can me more hypnotic than any clever language pattern.

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