Reality Reconstruction

Aren’t You Aware Of The Power Of These Patterns?

Here we are with another article on the amazing linguistic presuppositions, those incredibly powerful language patterns that you can use to covertly and conversationally persuade others for fun and profit.

Today’s pattern is the “Negative Question,” and is very similar to simple questions. For simple questions, remember, when you phrase the question so simply by answering “yes,” or “no,” your listener or reader will have to accept the underlying idea.

When you make a negative question, it works basically the same way. A negative question is simply phrasing the question with a negative contraction at the beginning.

Don’t you want to go to the beach?
Aren’t you hungry?
Haven’t you had dinner yet?
Don’t you want to see that movie one more time?

When used incorrectly, these can sound a bit confrontational, as it is obvious the speaker is “forcing” the listener to acquiesce.

If you’re boss walks up to you at the end of the day and says (with a disapproving look):

Don’t you want to work overtime tonight?

You know you’re in trouble.

It sounds a lot less confrontational if she said,

Do you want to work over time tonight?

When using these conversationally for persuasion, make sure you aren’t “forcing” your listener or reader to feel any sort of pressure. That never works well in the long run.

Idea = exercise is the best way to lose weight

Aren’t you aware that in order to lose weight, all you really need to do is exercise, and that you don’t need to spend any money on diet pills or mail order diet plans?

Keep in mind that if you say this before your listener has expressed an interest in losing weight, or if you aren’t already talking about ways to lose weight, it will sound terribly rude.

Don’t you realize that all you need to do is simple exercise, only five minutes day, in order to lose weight?

Make sure when you say this, to genuinely believe that you are helping your listener to achieve his or her goals, and not tricking them into losing weight for your sake.

Idea = dollar cost averaging is the best way to make money in the stock market

Aren’t you aware of all the people that have generated huge nest eggs through simple dollar cost averaging?

Aren’t you ready to start an investment plan based on dollar cost averaging that will surely grow your nest egg and provide you with an easy and relaxing retirement?

Aren’t you aware of the power of presuppositions to help you to easily persuade others, and to help you protect yourself against manipulation?

Haven’t you discovered yet just how you can use these patterns in your daily conversations to covertly convince others of their great potential?

Aren’t you aware that the great persuaders and orators of all time have been using these very patterns for centuries?

Isn’t it time you started to really practice them yourself so that you can powerfully enrich the lives of all those around you?