Contents

CopyrightIntroductionAboutThisVersionoftheOSPCourseHowtoReadThisBookTheOriginalOneSentencePersuasionCourseMore"OneSentencePersuasion"GetMoreCrookedWisdomAbouttheAuthor

ABookofCrookedWisdom

TheOneSentencePersuasionCourse

27WordstoMaketheWorldDoYourBiddingRevisedandExpanded

BlairWarren

Ebook1stEditionNovember2012Copyright©2012BlairWarren

AllRightsReserved

Note:Theauthorandpublishermadeeveryeffortandthensometomakesuretheinformationinthisbookwascorrectatthetimeofpublication.Theauthorandpublisherdonotassumeandherebydisclaimanyliabilitytoanyparty,partier,orperson,foranyloss,damage,disruptionordentaldiscomfortcausedbyanyerrorsoromissions,whetherthey’retheresultofnegligence,accident,impropertirepressure,oranyothercause.

Introduction

Theworldhaschanged,andnotnecessarilyforthebetter.Surroundedbychaos,confusion,andfear,mostofusarewonderinghowwe’regoingtosurvive,notonlyasindividuals,butalsoasaworld.IwishIhadananswer,butIdon’t.Idon’tevenknowifthereisananswer.ButIdoknowthis:thosewhoaremostlikelytosurviveintoday’sworldofmasscorruption,deceitanddelusion,arethosewholearntosee,trulysee,forthemselves,acknowledgetherealityofwhattheysee,andstrivetoliveasifthethingstheyknowtobetruearetrue.Easiersaidthandone.Evenifonedoesmanageto“wakeup,”theallureofourculturaltrances,coupledwithanever-endingdelugeofdistractions,virtuallyguaranteeswewillnotstayawakeforlong.

So,whatevercanbedonemustbedoneinthosebriefmomentsinwhichwefindourselvesawake.Andforme,thatmeanstakingwhateverwisdommakesitselfknowntomeandcapturingit,tothebestofmyability,sothatImightreturntoitduringdarkertimesanduseittopullmyselfup,dustmyselfoff,andnotonlysurvive,butperhaps,evensucceed.

IcallthiswisdomCrookedWisdom,notbecauseitisunethical,butbecauseitisuncommon.Anditisuncommonbecauseitoftengoesagainsteverythingwehavebeentaught,everythingwehavebeenledtobelieve.IdonotclaimtheideasyouwillfindinmyBooksofCrookedWisdomarealluniversallytrue.ButIdoclaimtheyhavebeeninvaluabletomeandIbelievesomeofthemmightproveinvaluabletoyou.

“Onecannotnotinfluence.Itis,therefore,absurdtoaskhowinfluenceandmanipulationcanbeavoided,andweareleftwiththeinescapableresponsibilityofdecidingforourselveshowthisbasiclawofhumancommunicationmaybeobeyedinthemosthumane,ethical,andeffectivemanner.”

Dr.PaulWatzlawick.~TheLanguageofChange

AboutThisVersionoftheOSPCourse

IreleasedtheoriginalversionofTheOneSentencePersuasionCourseasafreedownloadbackin2005.DespitethefactthatIbarelypromotedit,theoriginalversionwasdownloadthousandsoftimes.Andtodate,itis,byfar,themostpopularmaterialI’veevercreated.Andthis,quitefrankly,shockedme.

WhenIsatbackandreadthereportmyselfforthefirsttime,Iwascertainitwasdestinedforobscurity.WhenIsawmyideasinprint,theyseemedfartoosimplistictobeofmuchuseorinteresttoanyoneelse.Boy,wasIwrong.

Iheardfromonemaninhis70swhoaskedpermissiontoteachtheseideastotheentirecongregationofhischurch.Iheardfromotherswhosaidithadansweredlifelongquestionsaboutwhywedothethingswedo.Otherstoldmeithadcompletelychangedthewaytheythoughtaboutpersuasionandinfluence.Ievenheardfromoneyoungladywhosaiditwasthesexiestthingshe’deverread.I’mnotsureexactlywhatthatmeant,butI’lltakeitasacompliment.

Inthemidstofallthis,somepeoplewantedmore.Theywantedmoreexamples,morestrategies...moreOneSentencePersuasion.Still,foryearsIresistedtheideaofexpandingtheoriginalbecauseIfeltI’dalreadymademypoint.

ButwithinthelastfewyearsI’vegainedsomeadditionalinsightsandhavemadesomenewdistinctionsthatIthinkaddtotheoriginalmaterial.So,inthespiritofprogress-andCapitalism-I’veputtogetherthisupdatedandexpandedversionoftheOneSentencePersuasionCourse.Whileitisn’tfreeliketheoriginal,hopefullyit’llbeworthfarmorethanthefewbucksit’llcostyoutodownloadit.

HowtoReadThisBook

Inamoment,I’mgoingtopresenttheoriginalOneSentencePersuasionCourseinitsentirety.WhileI’vemadeafewupdatestotheoriginaltext,itisprettymuchasitwaswhenIfirstreleasedit.And,thisisonpurpose.

Yousee,inaveryrealwayIhavealwaysthoughtofthismaterialasaperformance,somethingthatshouldn’tbealteredtoomuchlestitloseitsoriginalpower.Soagain,thecoursematerialwillbepresentedinmuchthewayitwasoriginally.Afterwards,Iwillexpandonthematerial,answerafewcommonquestionsI’vereceivedaboutit,andthenI’llsharewithyouatwo-wordpersuasionstrategythatjustmightblowyourmind.

Butfirst,here’stheoriginalOneSentencePersuasionCourse.

TheOriginalOneSentencePersuasionCourse

Warning:Donotskipaheadtodiscoverwhattheonesentenceis.Doingsowillonlydiminishitsimpact.Thesentencewillberevealedsoonenough,sotakeyourtimeandreadallthewaythrough.Itwillbeworththewait.Ipromise.

OneSentencePersuasion?

Isitpossibletocaptureandcommunicateanythingofvalueaboutpersuasioninasinglesentence?Itis.AndI’mabouttoproveit.Butfirst,letmetellyouwhyI’vegonetothisextreme.

Studyingpersuasionandinfluenceisoneofmydeepestpassionsandhasconsumedanembarrassinglylargeaboutofmytimeandenergyforoveradecade.Ihavefamilyandfriendswhosaymypursuitbordersonobsession.Theyarewrong.Itcrossedthelinelongago.

Iknowofnosubjectmorefascinating,moreempowering,moreprofitableand,unfortunately,moreconfusing.Thisconfusionismorethanunfortunate.Itisalsolargelyunnecessary.

Giventhepaceoftoday’sworld,ithasneverbeeneasiertobepowerfullypersuasive.Never.Itdoesn’trequiregoodlooks,asilvertongue,orinfalliblelogic.Itdoesn’trequireconfidence,charisma,oramagneticpersonality.Itisasimplematterwhenonecutsthroughallthesmoke.It’scuttingthoughthesmokethat’sthehardpart.

Infact,ifyouhaveyettodevelopyourpersuasivepowerstothelevelyouwant,itlikelyhasnothingtodowithyou.Giventheshellgameofstrategiesandmisinformationavailableitisawonderweareabletostillunderstandeachother,muchlesspersuadeeachother.

Ifthisbarrageoftechno-jargonhasleftyoumoreconfusedthanempowered,

Ifthisbarrageoftechno-jargonhasleftyoumoreconfusedthanempowered,takeadeepbreathandrelax.We’reabouttotakeaimatthisconfusion,blowawaythesmoke,andmakethingsassimpleaspossible.Infact,we’llnailitdowntoasinglesentence.Just27words.Andwiththesewords,wecanworkmiracles.

Butfirst,wemustclearawaysomesmoke.

Setup

Beforeweventureintoourmaterialonpersuasion,let’stakeaquickpeekatthefieldofmagic,forthetwoshareacommoncore.

Trythissometime:

Visitamagicshopinyourcityandspendahalfanhourorsowatchingtheownerdemonstratesometricks.Picktheonethatbafflesyouthemost,andbuyit.Thengoouttoyourcarandopenuptheinstructions(ifyou’relikeme,youwon’tbeabletowaituntilyougethome)anddiscoverhowthetrickworks.Ifyouwilldothis,Icanpredictwith99.9%accuracywhatwillhappen.

Youwillbedisappointed.

The“secrets”behindmanymagictricks,evensomeofthosethatseemlikemiracles,areoftensomundane,thatonecannothelpbutfeeldisappointedupontheirdiscovery.Now,foranotherprediction,yournextthoughtwillbethis:

“Thisisridiculous.Thiswouldn’tfoolanyone.”

Atthispoint,ifyou’relikemostpeople,you’llputthetrickawayandconsideryour$20investmentabust.But,ifyou’rehonestwithyourself-andfewpeopleare-youwillhaveanotherthoughtthatcantransformthewayyoulookatlife.Nojoke.Thatthoughtgoessomethinglikethis:

“Waitaminute.Itmustnotbethatridiculousifitfooledme.”

Andwiththisonethought,youwillhaverisentoalevelofintellectualhonestyandunderstandingthatfewpeopleeverexperience.Youwillhavediscoveredthatthemostmagicalthingsinlife,onandoffthestage,areoftentheresultof

thecorrectapplicationofthemostbasicprinciplesimaginable.

Thisisperhapsnowheremoretruethaninthefieldofpersuasion.Irealizethisisheresyformetosay,aspersuasionisclearlyacomplicatedfield.Andjudgingfromtheamountofnewmaterialcomingouteveryday,itisonlygoingtogetmoreso.Withoutadoubt,ithasneverbeeneasierforustogetlostdowntherabbithole,onlytobespitbackoutmoreconfusedandbrokethanwhenwestarted.

Don’tgetmewrong.I’vestudiedthesematerialsformanyyearsandI’llbethefirsttotellyou,thereisalotofgreatstuffoutthere.Manysubtletiesareavailablethatcanhaveapowerfulimpactonourabilitytopersuadeothers.Unfortunately,foreveryoneofthese,thereareadozenthatonlyservetocomplicateandconfuse.

Thegoodnewsisonedoesnothavetospendyearsstudyingthistypeofmaterialtobecomeanalmostfrighteninglypowerfulpersuader.Ifyoufindthishardtobelieve,considerthatcharismaticleadersandhypnoticseducershavebeenaroundaslongastherehavebeenmentoleadandwomentoseduce.Iftheydidn’tneedtoday’s“cuttingedge”techniques,whydoyou?

Whatisnecessaryisafundamentalunderstandingofhumannature.Forpersuasion,eventhemostextremeexamplesofpersuasion,suchassuicidecultsandmassmovements,isoftenbasedonthemostbasicofhumandesires.Justasmagicianscanperformmiraclesusingmundaneprinciples,powerfulpersuadersshapetheworldinmuchthesameway.

Soweareleftwiththebasics.Thequestionnowbecomes,whichbasics?I’msureifyouaskthisquestionofahundreddifferentpersuasionexperts,you’dgetahundreddifferentanswers.ButIamalsocertaintherewouldbemuchcommonground.IamcertainofthisbecauseIhaveseenithidingbehindtheveryterminologiesandphilosophiesintheirmaterials.Whenonestripsawaythejargonandintricaciesofthematerialavailable,oneisleftwithsomeverybasic,verypowerfulunderstandings.Andwhileeachofusmightrepresenttheseindifferentways,theimportantthingistogetahandleonthemsothattheyareavailabletousatamoment’snotice.

Ihavefoundthebestwaytodothisistoencapsulatetheminasinglesentence.Notasentencethatonedelivers,butasentencethatoneremembers.Asentence

thatcanhelpguideyoureffortsfrombeginningtoendandinvirtuallyeverysituationimaginable.

Thissentencecouldeasilybecondensedorexpanded,andafterreadingthisreport,Iencourageyoutotrytodothisforyourself.Infact,thebestwaytomaketheseideasyourownistomodifythemtosuityourownunderstandingandexperiences.Butwe’regettingaheadofourselveshere.Let’slookatthissentence-thisonesentencepersuasioncourse-andseewhatmakesittick.Hereitis:

Peoplewilldoanythingforthosewhoencouragetheirdreams,justifytheirfailures,allaytheirfears,confirmtheirsuspicions,andhelpthemthrowrocksattheirenemies.

Readthatagain.

Peoplewilldoanythingforthosewhoencouragetheirdreams,justifytheirfailures,allaytheirfears,confirmtheirsuspicions,andhelpthemthrowrocksattheirenemies.

That,inasinglesentence,containsfiveofthemostimportantinsightsIhavelearnedinallmyyearsofstudyingandapplyingtheprinciplesofpersuasion:

encouragetheirdreamsjustifytheirfailuresallaytheirfearsconfirmtheirsuspicionshelpthemthrowrocksattheirenemies

Now,thesearenotthemostimportantbecausetheyarecomprehensive.They’renot.Theyarenotthemostimportantbecausethey’vebeenscientificallyproven.Theyhaven’t.Andthey’renotthemostimportantbecausethey’rebasedonthelatestpersuasiontechnology.They’renot.Theyarethemostimportantbecausetheyaresimple,theyareimmediatelyusefulandtheycanbefrighteninglypowerful.

Hitlerusedthemandnearlytookovertheworld.CultleadersJimJones,DavidKoresh,aMarshallApplewhiteusedthemandcommandedsuchloyaltythatmanyoftheirfollowerswillingly-eveneagerly-diedforthem.

Andyet,thesefiveinsightsarenotonlytoolsformadmen,butformarketers,salesmen,seducers,evangelists,entertainers,etc.Inshort,theyarethetoolsforanyonewhomustconnectwithothersand,moreimportantly,maketheseconnectionspayoff.

Explanation

Ifyoudon’tbelieveme,trytofindatrulysuccessfuladcampaignthatdoesnotuse1ormoreofthese5insights.Really.Trytofindone.Then,whenyougiveuponthat,trytofindadeepsatisfyingrelationshipthatisn’tbuiltupononeormoreoftheseideas.Justtrytofindpeoplewhohavearemarkablechemistry,yetfailtoencourageeachother’sdreams.Orwhodemandthattheotheristoblame.Orfailtoaddresseachother’sconcerns.Ortreateachotherasparanoid.Orleaveeachothertofighttheirownbattles.

WhileI’mcertainyoucouldfindanexampleifyousearchedhardenough,Iamalsocertainthatforeveryoneyoufind,Icanfindahundredtocounterit.Thebottomlineis,wheneverandwhereverpeopleformpowerfulbonds,theseinsightsaremoreoftenthannot,lurkingintheshadows.

Now,thereisnothingparticularlydifficulttounderstandaboutthesestrategies.Theyareself-explanatory.Somemayevensaythey’reobvious.Buttodismissthemuponthesegroundsisanenormousmistake.Infact,dismissingthemisonereasontheyareevenmorepowerfulforthosewhodonot.

Thinkbacktoourtriptothemagicshopandhowquicklyweweretodismissthesecretbehindourlittletrick.Andyet,magiciansaren’tsoquicktodismiss.Instead,theytakethesesimplesecretsthat“wouldn’tfoolanybody”andbuilduponthemtocreateillusionsthatbaffleeventhemostbrilliantamongus.

Itismuchthesamewithpowerfulpersuasion.Itseffectscanbesosudden,sodramatic,solifealtering,thatweremainconvincedtherehastobesomethingdeeper,somethingmorecomplexgoingon.Moreoftenthannot,thereisn’t.Thereissimplythecorrectapplicationofverybasicprinciplesbypeoplewhoappreciatetheirpower.Andsincetherestofusdismisstheseprinciplesasbeingtoobasicandtooobvious,weflounderincomplexityandminutiathatsoundgreatonpaperbutfallflatinpractice.

Butbyoverlookingthepowerofthesebasicprinciples,wedomorethanguaranteeourselvesfailureandfrustration.Weleavethosewithwhomwewishtoconnectvulnerabletootherswhomayfilltheseneedswesocasuallydismiss.

Consider:

Onencouragingtheirdreams...

Parentsoftendiscouragetheirchildren’sdreamsfor“theirowngood”andattempttosteerthemtowardmore“reasonable”goals.Andchildrenoftenacceptthisasnormal,untilotherscomealongwhobelieveinthemandencouragetheirdreams.Whenthishappens,whodoyouthinkhasmorepower?Parents?Orstrangers?

Onjustifyingtheirfailures...

WhilemillionscheerDr.Philashetellspeopletoacceptresponsibilityfortheirmistakes,millionsmorearelookingforsomeonetotaketheresponsibilityofftheirshoulders,totellthemthattheyarenotresponsiblefortheirlotinlife.Andwhileacceptingresponsibilityisessentialforgainingcontrolofonesownlife,assuringotherstheyarenotresponsibleisessentialforgaininginfluenceovertheirs.Oneneedlooknofurtherthanpoliticstoseethispowerfulgameplayedatitsbest.

Onallayingtheirfears...

Whenweareafraid,itisalmostimpossibletoconcentrateonanythingelse.Andwhileeveryone“knows”this,whatdowedowhensomeoneelseisafraidandweneedtogethisorherattention?That’sright.We“tell”themnottobeafraidandexpectthattodothetrick.Doesitwork?Hardly.Andyet,wedon’tseemtonotice.Wegoonasifwe’dsolvedtheproblemandthepersonbeforeusfadesfurther,andfurther,away.Buttherearethosewhodorealizethisandpayspecialattentiontoourfears.Theydonottellusnottobeafraid.Instead,theyworkwithusuntilourfearsubsides.Theypresentevidence,theyoffersupport,theytellusstories,buttheydonottellushowtofeelandexpectustofeelthatway.Whenyouareafraid,whichtypeofpersondoyouprefertobewith?

Onconfirmingtheirsuspicions...

Oneofourfavoritethingstosayis,“Iknewit.”There’sjustnothingquitelikehavingoursuspicionsconfirmed.Whenanotherpersonconfirmssomethingthatwesuspect,wenotonlyfeelasurgeofsuperiority,wefeelattractedtotheonewhohelpedusmakethatsurgecomeabout.Hitler“confirmed”thesuspicionsofmanyGermansaboutthecauseoftheirtroublesanddrewthemfurtherintohispowerbydoingso.Cultsoften“confirm”thesuspicionsofperspectivemembersbytellingthemthattheirfamiliesareouttosabotagethem.Itisasimplethingtoconfirmthesuspicionsofthosewhoaredesperatetobelievethem.

Andfinally,onhelpingthemthrowrocksattheirenemies...

Nothingbondslikehavingacommonenemy.Irealizehowuglythissoundsandyet,itistruejustthesame.Thosewhounderstandthiscanutilizethis.Thosewhodon’tunderstandit,orworse,understandbutrefusetoaddressit,arethrowingawayoneofthemosteffectivewaysofconnectingwithothers.Nomatterwhatyoumaythinkofthis,restassuredthatpeoplehaveenemies.Allpeople.Ithasbeensaidthateveryoneyoumeetisengagedinagreatstruggle.Thethingtheyarestrugglingwithistheirenemy.Whetheritisanotherindividual,agroup,anillness,asetback,arivalphilosophyorreligion,orwhathaveyou,whenoneisengagedinastruggle,oneislookingforotherstojoinhim.Thosewhodobecomemorethanfriends;theybecomepartners.

Thefactis,whiletheseinsightsseemlikecommonsense,theyareanythingbutcommonpractice.Exceptamongmasterpersuaders.

What’sMissing?

Now,thereissomethingelseworthnotingaboutthissentence.Itismissingsomethingmostpeoplethinkisveryimportantinthepersuasionprocess.Readthesentenceagainandseeifyoucantellwhatitismissing:

Peoplewilldoanythingforthosewhoencouragetheirdreams,justifytheirfailures,allaytheirfears,confirmtheirsuspicions,andhelpthemthrowrocksattheirenemies.

Anyideas?Ifso,you’reonestepaheadofthegame.Here’swhat’smissing:YOU

Thereisn’tawordaboutyourwants,yourneeds,yourhopes,oryourconcerns.Thereisn’tawordaboutyourofferorproposal.Thereisn’tawordaboutwhatyouthink.Itisallabouttheotherperson.

Again,thisisheresy.Peoplewritebooksabouthowtoframeyourideas,howtopresentyourself,howtoputyourbestfootforward.Andyet,allthatpeoplereallycareaboutisthemselves.Canyouimaginehowmuchenergyyouwillfreeupifyoustopfocusingonyourselfandputyourattentiononotherpeople?Canyouevenimaginehowmuchmorecharismaticyouwillbecomewhenyoucometobeseenasonewhocanfulfillsomeofthesemostbasicemotionalneeds?

Thinkofitlikethis:

Imagineyouaresittingdownwithsomeoneyouhopetoinfluence.Yourproposalmakessense.Yourargumentsaresolid.Theconversationisevenpleasant.Buttheentiretime,youarelookingofftothesideofthepersonandfocusingonthewallbehindthem.Now,howmuchofaconnectiondoyouthinkyou’regoingtomakewiththatperson?Remember.Everythingisperfect,withtheexceptionofyourfocus.Yourmessageshines.Yourconfidenceissolid.Yourproposalisano-brainer.Andyet,noneofthismakestheslightestbitofdifferencewhenyouarelookingpasttheotherperson.

Thisisexactlywhathappensinaconversationwhenyourfocusisonyourowngoals.Youarelookingpasttheperson,lookingpasteverythingthatismostimportanttothem.Andyouhavelittlehopeofeverbeingabletoestablishadeepconnectionwiththem.

Stillnotconvinced?Thennoticewhatelseoursentencedoesn’tsay.Itdoesnotsaypeoplewilldoanythingforthosewhoeducatethem,dowhat’sbestforthem,oreventreatthemfairly.Itdoesnotsaypeoplewilldoanythingforthosewhoareeloquent,welldressed,andpleasant.Northosewhomakethebestcasefortheirproposals,whoarereasonableandwhocomeacrossasintelligent.

Whenwefocusonthesebasicprinciplesofhumannature,thesethingsbecomenegligible.Whenwefocusonthesebasicprinciplesofhumannature,wecreaterelationshipsinwhichpeoplenaturallywanttodothingsforus.Thisistherealsecrettogettingwhatwewant.

Really.Itisthatsimple.Or,Ishouldsay,itcanbethatsimple.

Haveyouevernoticedthattheharderyoupush,themoreresistanceyouget?Whenyoufocusonwhatyouwant,peoplewillresist.That’swhatpeopledo.Politicianslie.Thesunrisesintheeast,andpeopleresistpressure.Butonethingpeoplerarelyresistissomeonetryingtomeettheirneeds.Andwhenonesneedshavebeenmet,abondisoftenforgedandanaturaldesiretoreciprocatehasbeencreated.

Andjusthowpowerfulisthisdesire?Towhatextremeswillpeoplegotorepaythefavor?Thisisthefrighteningpart.Butdon’ttakemywordforit.Lookaroundandseeforyourself.

Peoplewillinglyleavetheirfamiliesforcultsthatfulfilltheseneedsforthem.Peoplepickuparmsandkillothersforthosewhomeettheirdeepestneeds.Peopleleavelong-termmarriagesandrelationshipsforpeopletheyjustmetandtheirspousesareoftenleftstunned.Theywouldn’tbeiftheyunderstoodthepoweroftheseneeds.Likeitornot,thedurationofourrelationshipsisnothingcomparedtothedepthofourrelationships.Anddepthisbasedonthefulfillmentofourdeepestneeds,notonthedurationofdialog.

Notice,Ihaven’tsaidyoushouldignoreyourwants.Isimplysaidyoushouldfocusontheotherperson,notforgetyourself.Ortobemorespecific,whenyouarewithanotherpersonyouwanttoinfluence,yourprimaryfocusshouldbeonthatperson.Donotlookpasthimorherbyfocusingonyourintentions.

Thetimetofocusonyourownhopes,dreams,anddesiresiswhenyouarealone.Thisiswhenyoushouldgetclearonwhatyouhopetoaccomplish,onwhatyouwouldliketooccur,inanygivenencounter.Butonceyougettothisstateofclarityandfindyourselfface-to-facewithanother,placeyourattentionwhereitcanhavethegreatestimpact.Placeitontheperson.Don’tbeafraidthatyourwisheswillgounnoticed.Onthecontrary,theywillfindawaytoexpressthemselvesinyourencounters,whethertheyarisespontaneouslyortheotherpersonsolicitsthem,theywillarise.Naturally.Andwhentheyarisenaturally,theyareoftenfulfilledeffortlessly.

Examples

AsIsaidearlier,thereisnothingparticularlydifficulttounderstandaboutthesestrategies.Especiallywhenitcomestoone-on-oneencounters.But,howmighttheybeusedinothersituations?And,wouldtheybeaspowerfulinothersituations?Let’stakealook.

Example1:TheSecret

Iftherewaseveraprojectthatembracedandembodiedtheideaswe’rediscussing,it’sTheSecret.ThoughIamnofanofthefilm,northewaytheideasinitarerepresented,thereisnodenyingthemarketingandpersuasiongeniusthatwasatworkinpromotinganddistributingthisfilm.

Whetherornotyoubelieveinthe“LawofAttraction”-whichis“thesecret”referencedinthefilm-youcan’tgowrongbysettingasideyourpersonalbeliefsandstudyingboththefilmandthemarketingmaterialsbehindit.Entirebookscouldbe-andIsuspectwillbe-writtenaboutthepersuasionandmarketingstrategiesemployedbythosebehindthisfilm.Butforthepurposeofthisbookwewilljustlookatthosethatspeaktotheconceptswe’recoveringinOneSentencePersuasion.

ThoughIwilltouchoneachofourfiveconceptsseparately,wewillsoonseethatthereisgreatoverlapinhowtheseconceptsareapplied.Butevenwhentheideascannotbeclearlydelineated,itiseasytoseethemworkingbehindthescenes.

So,howdoesTheSecretencourageourdreams?Howdoesn’tit?Virtuallyeverymessagewithinandbehindthisfilm,addressesthisneed.

Accordingtothefilm’swebsite,“ThisisTheSecrettoeverything-thesecrettounlimitedjoy,health,money,relationships,love,youth:everythingyouhaveeverwanted.”

Wow.Andifyourdreamsgobeyondmaterialgoods,noproblem.Inthefilm,MichaelBeckwithtellsushehasseen“kidneysregenerated”and“cancerdissolved.”

Weevenhearfromonewomaninthemoviewhosaysshecuredherselfofbreastcancerinjust3monthsbywatchingfunnymoviesonTVandby

visualizingherselfasbeinghealthy.Shealsoinformsusthatshedidthiswithoutradiationorchemotherapy.

Soifyouhaveadream,anydream,accordingtoTheSecret,youcandoit.Forthosewhobuythemessage,itdoesn’tgetanymoreencouragingthanthat.

Inadditiontoencouragingourdreams,TheSecretgoestogreatlengthstohelpusjustifyourfailuresandconfirmoursuspicions.

Accordingtotheoriginaltrailerforthefilm,“Asecrethasbeenpassedthroughouttheages,knownonlytoafortunatefew.Thosewhoknewit,harnesseditspower.Theybecamethegreatestpeopleinhistory.”

Thenwe’retoldofamanwhodiscoveredandmastered“thesecret”in1909.Businessmen“flockedtohim”andtheypaidgreatamountsofmoneyfor“thesecret.”Andguesswhat?That’sright.Everyoneofthemwentontoachieve“phenomenalsuccess.”

Butthen-forsomeunspecifiedreason-theydecidedtokeep“thesecret”fromthepublicforever,whiletheycontinuedtoreapitsbenefits.Eventually,thechurchevendiscovered“thesecret”anditwasbanned.Butnow,forthefirsttimeever,“thesecret”isabouttobereleased.Wow.

Trueornot,thatissomestory.Andnotonlyisittremendouslyentertaining,itsecretly-nopunintended-letsusoffthehookforourpastfailures.Afterall,howcananyoneexpectustosucceediftheverysecrettosuccesshasbeenkeptfromus?

Andthissameideatendstoconfirmwhatmanypeoplesuspectaboutgettingaheadintoday’sworld:insomeway,somehow,thingsareriggedagainstthecommonman.

Thereis,however,onepartofTheSecretthatdoesseemtospeakagainstwhatIhavejustsaid.Andthat’sthisquotefromthefilm:

“Youaretheonlyonewhocreatesyourreality.Fornooneelsecanthinkforyou.Nooneelsecandoit.Itisonlyyou.Everybitofit.You.”

ThatseemstodirectlycontradictmyclaimthatTheSecretjustifiesourfailures.

ItappearsTheSecretisdoingjusttheopposite.Butisit?

IfyoulistentotheteachersinTheSecret,youwilldiscoverthatevenifyouaren’tawareofcreatingyourreality,thereissome“unconscious”partofyouthatisdoingit.Sowhileyouareresponsible,youreallyaren’t.Somehiddenpartofyouis.Andifthepartthatisresponsibleishiddenfromyourawareness,howcanyoubeheldresponsibleforit?

Now,howdoesTheSecretallayourfears?Andwhatfears?

Inthecontextofthisfilm,thefearsthatwouldneedtobeaddressedareprimarilyfearsofonebeingincapableofapplying“thesecret.”Inotherwords,“Sure,thisstuffmayworkforotherpeople,butnotlittleoldme.”Well,havenofear.

Accordingtothefilm,ifyouputallofyourintentiononthethingsyouwant,the“LawofAttraction”isgoingtogivethemtoyou.Everytime.And,incaseyou’reafraidtheremightbetoomuchworkinvolved,again,havenofear.

Asthefilmtellsus,“sometimes”youwillhavetotakeaction.Justsometimes.Eventhen,ifyoutakeactionthewaytheUniversewantsyouto,you’llfeelsofantastic,you’llneverwanttostop.Soifyou’reafraidofwork,don’tbe,becauseitwon’tfeellikeworkanyway.

Andfinally,howdoesTheSecrethelpusthrowrocksatourenemies?

Well,accordingtothefilm,an“enemy”-myterm,nottheirs-isanyoneoranythingthatstandsinthewayofourgettingwhatwewant.

So,howarewetodealwiththeseenemies?Wearetoshunthem.

AccordingtoTheSecret,whenyouencounterthingsyoudon’twantinyourlife,“...donottalkaboutthem.Don’twriteaboutthem.Don’tjoingroupsthatworryaboutthem.Don’tpushagainstthem.Doyourbesttoignorethem.”Notice,itdoesnotencourageyoutomakepeacewiththem,toembracethem,oreventotoleratethem.Youaretoshunthem,ignorethem,which,intheend,mayhurtmorethanactuallythrowingrocksatthem.

Again,bookscouldbewrittenaboutthepersuasivetechniquesinthemakingof

andmarketingofthisfilm.Butonethingisclear,whiletherearemanypersuasivetechniquesbeingused,evenaprojectofthisscaledidn’tstrayfromthesebasicprinciples.

Example2:Depression,WeightLossandLandscapingOneofthemostcommonofourfiveinsightsisjustifyingthefailuresofothers.InmyForbiddenKeystoPersuasionmaterial,Irefertothisasscapegoating.Whiletheterminologyisdifferent,theunderlyingprincipleisthesame.

Hereisanexcerptthatillustratesthepowerofthisinsight:BeginExcerpt

AcoupleoftelevisioncommercialsthatarecurrentlyairingintheUnitedStatesillustratethispoint.Bothofthembrilliantlyandethicallyemploytheconceptofscapegoatingandtheydosoattheverybeginningoftheirscripts.

Thefirstcommercial,foranantidepressantmedication,startsoutwithsomethinglike,“Feelingdepressedlately?Itmaybetheresultofachemicalimbalanceinyourbrain.”

Thesecondcommercial,oneforaweightlossproduct,startsoutlikethis,“Ifyou’vetriedtolosethatextraweightandhavefailed,itmaynotbeyourfault.Itmaybeyourmetabolism.”

Canyouseetheiruseofthescapegoatprinciple?Ifyou’redepressed,itmaynotbeyourfault.Itmightsimplybeabiologicalfactorbeyondyourcontrol.Andifyou’reoverweightandhavefailedtoslimdown,itmightnotbeyourfault,butsimplyaproblemwithyourmetabolism!Whatmakestheuseofscapegoatinginthesesituationsethicalisthattheyareabsolutelytruestatements.Depressioncanbecausedbyachemicalimbalanceinthebrain.Andobesitycanbecausedbymetabolism.Whatmakestheuseofscapegoatingbrilliantinthesecasesisthatitisusedimmediatelyintheirpitchesandinstantlyofferstheviewersomethingofvalue-ascapegoatfortheirproblems.Fromhere,theviewerismuchmoreopentotherestoftheirmessage.

Afriendofminewhoisalandscaperoncetoldmethatwhenhefirstmeetspotentialclientstheyareoftenembarrassedbytheconditionoftheirproperty.Whenhesensesthis,heimmediatelypointsouthowmanyoftheproblemswiththeirpropertyareduetosuchthingsasdroughtconditions,badsoilconditionsandthelike.Inotherwords,theconditionoftheirpropertydoesn’tsayanythingnegativeaboutthepotentialclient.Itisn’ttheirfault!Howimportantisthis

subtlechangeinstrategy?Hetoldmethatthenumberofpeoplehesecuredasclientsincreasedsignificantlyonceherealizedthatpeopleoftennotonlywanttheirpropertytolooknicer,butdon’twanttoacceptresponsibilityforitlookingpoorinthefirstplace.

EndExcerpt

Example3:ThisBook

IfI’veheldyourattentionuptothispoint,there’sagoodreasonforit.IhaveusedtheOneSentencestrategyinthisverybook.Ifyoureaditagain,youwillfindplaceswhereI’veusedourfiveinsightssprinkledthroughout.

However,thebestexampleistowardsthebeginning.Atonepoint,Ilistedeachofourfiveinsightstonotonlydemonstratetheeffectivenessoftheseideas,butalsotogiveyouasenseofhowpowerfulandtransparenttheycanbe.

Here’showIworkedeachoftheseinsightsintothatsection,withoutraisinganeyebrow.

Thefirstparagraphread:

“Giventhepaceoftoday’sworld,ithasneverbeeneasiertobepowerfullypersuasive.Never.Itdoesn’trequiregoodlooks,asilvertongue,orinfalliblelogic.Itdoesn’trequireconfidence,charisma,oramagneticpersonality.Itisasimplematterwhenonecutsthroughallthesmoke.It’scuttingthoughthesmokethat’sthehardpart."

Now,inthatparagraph,Iamencouragingthereader’sdreamsofbecomingmorepersuasive.And,forthosewhohavedoubtsabouttheirownpotential,forexample,notenoughconfidenceorcharisma,Itakeextrastepstoassurethemtheycandoitaswell.

Thenextparagraphread:

“Infact,ifyouhaveyettodevelopyourpersuasivepowerstothelevelyouwant,itlikelyhasnothingtodowithyou.Giventheshellgameofstrategiesandmisinformationavailableitisawonderweareabletostillunderstandeachother,muchlesspersuadeeachother."

InthatparagraphIaddresstwoofourinsights.First,Ijustifythefailureof

InthatparagraphIaddresstwoofourinsights.First,Ijustifythefailureofreadersfornotalreadybeingpersuasiveenough.Second,Iconfirmtheirsuspicionsthatmuchofthematerialoutthereistoocomplexandconfusingforanyonetounderstand.

Andthefinalparagraphread:

“Ifthisbarrageoftechno-jargonhasleftyoumoreconfusedthanempowered,takeadeepbreathandrelax.We’reabouttotakeaimatthisconfusion,blowawaythesmoke,andmakethingsassimpleaspossible.Infact,we’llnailitdowntoasinglesentence.Just27words.Andwiththesewords,wecanworkmiracles.Butfirst,wemustclearawaysomesmoke."

Here,Ihelpallaytheirfearswiththephrase,"Takeadeepbreathandrelax."Then,Ihelpthemthrowrocksattheirenemieswiththephrase,"We’reabouttotakeaim."Also,noticemyuseoftheterm"we."Isaid,"We’reabouttotakeaim."Not,"I’mabouttotakeaim."Ithensaid,"Wemustclearawaysomesmoke."Not,"Imustclearawaysomesmoke."ThesesubtlechangesinlanguagehelpassurepeoplethatIamontheirside,andnooneelse’s.

Therearetwoimportantlessonstotakeawayfromthisexample.First,asIsaidbefore,theseinsightswereseamlesslyintegratedintothismaterial.Theydonotstandoutasbeingtooobviousortoosimplebecausetheyaren’t.Infact,sincetheydon’tstandout,theyareallthemorepowerful.Andsecond,myuseoftheseinsightsisauthentic.Ididn’thavetofabricatethesestatementstomakethemfitthisstrategy.Yes,IphrasedthemasIdidwithourinsightsinmind,buttheyremaingroundedintruth,whichisessentialifwearetoavoidgettingourwaybuthatingourselvesinthemorning.

Thethreeexamplesaboveillustratehowwidespreadandapplicabletheseinsightsreallyare.Whilemostpeopleliketothinkthey’retoowisetofallforsuchtactics,thisverythinkingmakespeoplejustthatmuchmoresusceptible.

Oneneedonlyconsiderhowsuccessfulthesetypesofapproachesaretoconfirmthis.

NowWhat?

Well,Nietzschereportedlysaidthatthemessageofmostbookscouldbereducedtoasingleparagraphwithoutlosinganythingofvalue.InthismaterialIhaveattemptedtogoonebetter:Ihaveattemptedtocreateanentire“persuasioncourse”inasinglesentence.

IwillbethefirsttoadmitthatbydoingthisIhave,infact,leftoutmanythingsthatcouldbeofvaluetothewould-bepersuader.But,asIsaidattheoutset,ifthereisonethingIknowtobetrue,itisthatthemostmagicalthingsinlife-onandoffthestage-areoftentheresultofthecorrectapplicationofthemostbasicprinciplesimaginable.AndIhavefoundfewprinciplesthataremorebasicandmorepowerfulthanthoseofferedinthisonesentence:

Peoplewilldoanythingforthosewhoencouragetheirdreams,justifytheirfailures,allaytheirfears,confirmtheirsuspicionsandhelpthemthrowrocksattheirenemies.

Somygoalinthis“course”wasn’ttogiveyouacomprehensiveplantofollow.Itwastosimplifyaprocessthatisoftenneedlesslycomplex.Itwastoclearawaycumbersometechniquesandstrategiesthatoftenservetoseparatemorethantopersuade.Andultimately,itwastoprovidesomecoreconceptsyoucanusetobuildrelationshipsthatarenotonlypowerful,butalsoprofitable.

Whetheryoufindthisnotiondistastefulornot,thereisonethingyoucancounton:yourfamily,friends,customers,clientsandeveneveryoneyouhaveyettomeetwillhavetheseneedsmetbysomeone.Theonlyquestionis,willitbebyyou?

More"OneSentencePersuasion"

Well,that’sit.TheOneSentencePersuasionCourse.Anduntilnow,thatisallI’vesaidonthesubject.ButasIsaidearlier,I’vediscoveredafewmoretricksandafewmoredistinctionssinceIwrotetheoriginalmaterial.Andnow,I’mabouttosharethemwithyou.

AcommonquestionI’maskedis,wheredidIcomeupwiththefivepointsthatmakeupmyonesentence?Goodquestion.Ican’tsayIcameupwiththemanywherespecifically,otherthanfromthewholeofmylifeexperience.

Emersonsaid,“Tobelieveyourownthought,tobelievethatwhatistrueforyouinyourprivateheart,istrueforallmen,thatisgenius.”Now,Ican’tvouchforthegeniuspart,butIcansaythatIhavefoundthefivepointsintheonesentencetobetrueinmylife.Themostimportantpeopleinmylife,thepeoplewhohavethegreatestpersuasivepoweroverme,arethosewhomeetsomeoralloftheseneedsforme.

Andifthefivepointsalsostrikehomewithyou,astheyhavewiththousandsofothers,perhapsEmersonwasright.Whichisgoodnewsforthoseofuswhowanttogooutintotheworldandputourmarkonit.

Anothercommonquestionis,exactlyhowdoweapplythesefivethingsinourlives?Well,thebadnewsis,thereisnoexactwaytoapplythem.Thegoodnewsis,thereisnoexactwaytoapplythem.

Persuasionmaybeascience,butpersuasioncomeswrappedinhumancommunication,whichisnotascience.Nor,anart.Butmorelikeagame,whichwemakeupaswegoalong.And,thefivepointsofonesentencepersuasioncanserveasstrategicguidestohelpusdecidewhichwaytoplayourhandatanygiventime.

Anotherimportantthingtopointoutisthatthefivepointsareindependentof

eachother.Thatis,itisn’tnecessarytoaddressallfivepoints,inorder,orevenatanyonetime,toexertgreatinfluenceoveranotherperson.

HenryWardBeechersaid,“Allmenaretempted.Thereisnomanthatlivesthatcan’tbebrokendown,provideditistherighttemptationputintherightspot.”Andwhilethat’strue,itisalsotruethattherightspotisamovingtarget,andsometimes,ittravelsalone.Thatis,apersoncanbeobsessedwithhissuspicionsoneday,andbeoutforrevengethenext.Thepersuaderwhodoesnotrecognizethisshiftwillsoonbelookingforanothertargetbecausethefirstonewillhaveleftthebuilding.

EarlierImentionedatwo-wordpersuasionstrategy,onethatcouldverywellblowyourmind.Iknow,becauseitsramificationshaveblownmine.

IfIhadtoboildownthestrategybehindOneSentencePersuasionevenmorethanIalreadyhave,itwouldbethis:

Validateandfascinate.

WhileneitherofthesetwowordsappearanywhereintheoriginalOneSentencePersuasionCourse,Ibelievetheyunderlietheveryessenceofthismaterial.Ourneedforvalidationissostrong,yetsooftenoverlooked,itisfrightening.Inmybook,TheForbiddenKeystoPersuasion,Iputitthisway:

BeginExcerpt

Wouldyouwalkintosomeoneelse’splaceofworship,changeeverythingaroundandtellthemhowyouthinktheyshouldworshipandexpectthemtothankyouforit?Ofcoursenot.Allofusrecognizetheimportanceaperson’sreligiousbeliefsandpracticesplayinhisorherlifeandknowbetterthantoridiculeorcriticizethemifweexpecttoretaintheperson’sfavor.

However,whenitcomestointerpersonalrelationships,weoftenactinjustsuchdestructivewayswheneverwemakesomeoneelsewrong.Whydoesthishavesuchadestructiveeffectonourrelationships?Becauseoneofthemostimportantabilitiespeoplemusthave,andmustknowtheyhave,istheabilitytoeffectivelydiscernreality.Likesomeofourotheraddictions,thisissuegoesbacktooursurvivalinstinct.Howcanweexpecttosurviveinourworldifwecan’teffectivelyunderstandit?

Sobeingtoldthatwearewrongaboutanissueoftenbecomesfarmore

importantthanthesituationactuallycallsforbecauseonceagainoursenseofstabilityisthreatened.

EndExcerpt

Thepointis,ourneedforvalidationisnojoke.Anditisnotsomethingwe’regoingtooutgrow.Itissomethingwemustacceptandadjustfor.Or,payanawfulpricefornotdoingso.

Thisneedtoberightoftenovertakesourdesiretobewellthoughtof,andevenourdesiretobetreatedwell.Thismayhelpexplainwhysomepeopleareseeminglyinexplicablydrawntopeoplewhotreatthemlikecrap.Ifwesecretlyfeelunworthy,wewillunconsciouslybedrawntothosewhowillconfirmthis“fact”forus,eventhoughwewilloutwardlycomplainaboutit.Wewilldismisspeoplewhotrytopraiseuswhilefawningoverthosewhodenigrateus.

Again,itisn’tthatweenjoyfeelinglikecrap.It’sthatweenjoyfeelingasifwehavetheworldfiguredout.

Inhisbook,ResilientIdentities,Dr.WilliamSwann,Jr.says,“...ourselfviewslieatthecenterofourpsychologicaluniverse,providingthecontextforallourknowledge.Shouldourself-viewsflounder,wewouldnolongerhaveasecurebasisforunderstandingandrespondingtotheworld.”

Nowonderweprotectourselfviewsasifourlivesdependedonthem.Becauseinaveryrealway,theydo.

Okay.Wenowunderstandourneedforvalidation,butwhataboutourneedforfascination?Betterstill,howcanwebecomemorefascinatingtoothers?InTheForbiddenKeystoPersuasionIrefertothisneedforfascinationasAttentionCaptureorMentalEngagement.AndIdescribetheimportanceofitlikethis:

BeginExcerpt

Everymomentofeveryday,wewanttobeengagedinsomething.Itoftendoesn’tmatterwhatitisaslongasitcangainandmaintainourattention.Weseekentertainment,conversation,confrontation.Wedocrosswordpuzzles,workinthegarden,listentomusic.Wecook,weclean,werearrange.Evenwhenwe’reexhaustedandwanttorelax,wesimplyengageinsomethingelse.Weswim,wegotoamusementparksandwemeditate.Allthisinanefforttoalleviatetheonethingfewpeoplecanendure:boredom.

Theneedformentalengagementissofundamentalthatfewgiveitmuch

Theneedformentalengagementissofundamentalthatfewgiveitmuchthought.Butit’salwaysthere,lurkingjustbehindourawareness,lookingforsomethingto“lockonto.”Thisiswhymanyofusaresoeasilydistracted.Unlessourcurrentthoughtsoractivitiesaresufficientlyengaging,thenextbestthingthatcomesalongwillpullusaway.Andsinceit’sthroughengagementthatweexperienceandthroughexperiencethatwearechanged,thosewhoengageusholdthekeystoourheartsandminds,andfromthere,ouractions.Wedonotseethesepeopleasmanipulators.Weseethemassaviors.

“Whatholdsattentiondeterminesaction.”~WilliamJamesWhilesomeviewcapturingattentionasthefirststageofpersuasion,manyofthoseIstudiedseemedtoviewitastheonlystageofpersuasion.Thefactis,thereisn’tasingleprincipleofpersuasionyoucan’tviolateandstillsucceedifyousufficientlyengageanother’smind.Nomatterhowunskilledorunpolishedyoumaybe,ifyoucancaptureandholdanotherperson’sattentionlongenough,theywilleventuallyfoldtoyourcommand.Why?Becausewhenourattentioniscaptured,ourconsciousjudgmentandself-awarenessrecedesandsuggestibilitytakestheirplace.

EndExcerpt

Nowthatweunderstandtheimportanceoffascinationinthepersuasionprocess,howdowedoit?Simple.AndI’mabouttoproveit.ButfirstIwanttointroduceyoutoanothertwo-wordpersuasionstrategy.Thisisonethatmostpeopleareusingandthey’reusingitunconsciously.Andit’sdestroyingtheirabilitytoinfluenceothers.

Aspowerfulasthetwo-wordstrategy“validateandfascinate”is,thenextstrategyisevenmorepowerful.Butinanegativeway.Thistwo-wordstrategyis:

Correctandconvince.

Thisstrategyissocommon,soentrenched,andsowidespread,thatwedon’teventendtorecognizeit.Yet,itisallaroundus,allthetime.Andworse.Itisoftencomingoutofusallthetimeaswell.

Ifweinsistoncorrectingpeoplebeforeweconvincethem,wemightaswellacceptthefactthatwe’reneverlikelytoconvincethemofanything.Infact,theattempttocorrectotherpeopleoftenmakestheircurrentwaysofthinkingevenmoreentrenched.

Soifthecorrect-and-convincestrategyissouseless,whyisitsowidespread?Onereasonmaybethatmostpeopledon’tthinktheycouldapplysomethinglikethevalidate-and-fascinatestrategy.Afterall,whileitisonethingtobeabletovalidateothers,theabilitytofascinatethemissomethingelseentirely.Right?Wrong.

Despitewhatwe’vebeentaught,fascinatingothersisoneoftheeasiestthingsintheworld,ifyoudoitwithinacontextofvalidation.Thus,thestrategy“validateandfascinate.”Inthatorder.

Nowcomparethiswiththecorrect-and-convincestrategy.Withinacontextofcorrection,nothingwesaywillbeveryconvincing.

So,whichstrategydoyouusemostoften?Andwhichstrategydoyouthinkyou’llusemoreoftenafterreadingthisbook?

Ithoughtso.Andofcourse,Ithinkyou’reentirelyjustifiedindoingso.Fascinating,huh?

Iwanttoclosebytouchingonaveryimportantpoint.Iwanttoacknowledgethattherewillbetimesthatwecan’tingoodconsciencevalidatetheseneedsforothers.

Sometimes,wemaynotbeabletobringourselvestoencourageanother’sdreams.Especiallyifwefeelthedreamsareparticularlyharmfultothem.Or,areveryunlikelytohappenforthem.

Sometimeswemayneedtoencourageotherstoacceptfullresponsibilityfortheiractions.Todootherwisemightpromoteirresponsiblebehavior.

Sometimeswecannotallayanother’sfearsbecausethatpersonmightbe,infact,justifiablyafraid.

Sometimeswemaynotbeabletoconfirmanother’ssuspicionsbecausetheirsuspicionsarejustplainwrong.

Andfinally,wemaynotbeabletohelpthemthrowrocksattheirenemiesbecausetheyhavemisidentifiedtheenemy.

Wewilloccasionallyfindourselvesinsituationslikethese.Andwe’dbewisetopreparefortheminadvance.

So,whatdowedowhenwefindourselvesinsuchsituations?Easy.

Insteadofvalidatingthespecificneedsthey’retryingtofulfill,wecanaddressandvalidatethemoreuniversalneedsandmotivesunderlyingthem.Forexample,ifwecan’tencourageaspecificdreamapersonmayhave,wecancertainlyacknowledgetheimportanceofhavingsuchdreams,andthenattempttomovetheminamorepositivedirection.

Ifwecan’tjustifytheirfailures,wecanatleastacknowledgethattherearemanycontributingfactorstoanysituationandthensuggestthat,rightorwrong,sometimesthemosteffectivewaytogetoutofasituationistoactasifoneiscompletelyresponsibleforit.

Ifwecan’tallaytheirfears,wecanatleastassurethemthatitisokaytobeafraid.Totellsomeonewhoisalreadyafraidthattheyshouldn’tbeafraidonlycompoundstheproblem.

Ifwecan’tconfirmtheirsuspicions,wecanatleastacknowledgethepossibilityoftheirsuspicionsbeingcorrectandletthemknowthatweunderstandhowtheycouldhavecometosuchaconclusion.Evenifwedon’tsharethatconclusionourselves.

Ifwecan’thelpthemthrowrocksattheirenemies,wecanatleastacknowledgetheuniversaldesiretoseekrevengebeforewetrytotalkthemoutofit.

Inshort,justbecausewemaynotagreewithothers,itdoesn’tfollowthatwecan’tvalidatethem.Butifthistypeofsituationstillbothersyou,considerthis:

Perhapsthegreatestironyofallwhenitcomestovalidatingtheseneedsisthatwhenweareallowedtohavetheseneedsandevenindulgethem,weoftendon’t.Theveryfactthatitisokayforustofeelacertainwayencouragesustostopfightingtomaintainandjustifyourfeelingthatway.Whenwe’retolditisokaytodream,wetendtobemoreflexiblewithourdreams.Whenwe’retoldwe’renotresponsibleforsomething,weoftenfindthatwe’remoreopentoacceptingresponsibilityforit.Whenwe’retoldthatit’sokaytobeafraid,weoftenfeel

lessafraid.Whenwe’retoldthatwe’reprobablyjustifiedinbeingsuspicious,wetendtobecomelessso.Andwhenwe’reallowedtothrowrocksatourenemies,weoftentireofitvery,veryquickly.

NowIcan’tguaranteethatvalidatingotherswillalwaysallowustogetwhatwewantfromothers,butIcanguaranteeyouthis-youroddsarefar,farbetterthanifyousetoutto,oreveninadvertently,belittlethem.

Well,thereyouhaveit.TheupdatedandexpandedversionofTheOneSentencePersuasionCourse.Andanall-newtwowordpersuasionstrategy.

Howwillyouusethisinformation?Whatdreamsofyourownwillyouachieveandwhatinfluencewillyounowexertoverothers?

Howeveryouchoosetoanswerthosequestions,Isincerelyhopethisinformationgivesyoutheedgeyouneedtomakeithappen.ThisinformationhastransformedmylifeandI’mconvincedthat,ifyouletit,itcantransformyours.

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Adownloadablemp3versionofTheOneSentencePersuasionCourseisavailableat:http://OneSentencePersuasion.com

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AbouttheAuthor

BlairWarrenisatelevisionproducer,writer,marketingconsultantandvoraciousstudentofhumannature.HeistheauthorofTheForbiddenKeystoPersuasionandTheNo-NonsenseGuidetoEnlightenment(anexpandedversionofTheNo-NonsenseGuidetoEnlightenmentwillsoonbeavailableasanebook).Formoreinformation,visit:http://BlairWarren.com.