Powerful Covert Persuasion With Presuppositions – Quantifiers
It’s Not Only About Persuasion, It’s About Powerful Communication
This is another article on linguistic presuppositions, those powerful yet covert language patterns that you can use anywhere, anytime and persuade and influence others through simple, relaxed conversation.
Today’s pattern is “Quantifiers.” These are simply words like “only, even, except, just.” They can be used to create additional support for your idea, and make it much easier to make your subtle suggestion believed as fact by your listener.
These are commonly used (subconsciously) in a negative form. I remember once long ago, I sold insurance. I was in a sales meeting in a woman’s home, and I asked her occupation. She replied “housewife,” and I repsponded back (as I was hopefully filling out an order form) “Oh, just a housewife?” My attempted implication was that she seemed smart and professional, so I assumed she had some kind of a career. I didn’t consider that saying “just a housewife” also implied that being housewife was not a noble vocation in and of itself. As if there was something more to life than being a housewife.
This, of course, offended her, and I didn’t make the sale. Whenever people use the word “just” or “only,” we frequently are covertly passing judgement on that which is on the othe side of “only.”
Oh, so you are “only” dating?
Oh, so you “only” want a non-alcoholic drink?
Oh, so you “just” have a two year degree?
Oh, so you “just” want coffee, no cake for dessert?
The key to using these in a positive and persuasive way is to “minimize” things that are limiting. Limit the limitations, so to speak. Instead of using these words to “miniminze” other peoples decision and accomplishments, use them to “minimize” the limitations on the benefits of your suggestions. This requires the use of a negative, e.g. “not only,” “not just,” “not, merely,” etc.
Examples:
Exercise is not only about losing weight, it can also give you better posture, help you sleep at night, and drastically improve your self esteem.
Dollar cost averaging is not only a means to increase your wealth over time in the stock market, it is a way to put your investments on auto pilot, so you have more time to enjoy the things you really like.
Presuppositions are not only helpful in selling and persuading, understanding can help you to understand the real intentions beneath the words use by others, which can dramatically improve the communication in your relationships.
Or you can use these to minimize the efforts they need to put in to get the favorable results based on your suggestion.
Except for a few minutes in the morning, you won’t have to do anything to reap the benefits of exercise, as your bodies metabolism will start to do the work for you.
Except for a few minutes a week, dollar cost averaging is a virtual automatic investment strategy that will make you money on autopilot, even while you sleep.
Except for the time it takes to read this blog once every couple days, you are likely already using presuppositons several times a day, and all it really takes is awareness of people talking around you to spot how powerful they are.
And presuppostions are not just for giving you powerfully persuasive language skills, they are about opening up true communication with the people you truly care about, allowing you to communicate on a level more intimate that you may have thought possible.
