There are no magic words that you can embed in your everyday encounters to make people do what you want them to do.
All the nonsense hides the very real advantages that a study of hypnotic communication bring to a public speaker.
Using a keynote I recently delivered as an example, I'd like to tempt you to learn more about hypnosis so that you can deliver more engaging presentations.
Once you become aware of hypnosis and the ways it supports a state of relaxed focus, you will also notice that you are already using hypnotic patterns whenever you have the full attention of an audience (whether it's an audience of one or of one thousand).
Training in hypnosis does not add to your repertoire so much as it builds your skills.
Here are three of the basics that I used to great effect in my keynote:
- Framing
- Positive suggestions
- Repetition
One thing leads to another and the point is to end up somewhere different than where you started.
This seems inevitable, but there is another way to think about the way people will understand and remember your talk.
What changes if you think about your presentation as a container instead of a journey? I like to think of mine as a set of nesting dolls: I take them out one by one so that each can be admired.
The tiniest doll is the heart of the presentation; like people's hearts, it is so important that it is wrapped in different layers.
The presentation ends as it began, with all the dolls stored neatly in the largest shell.
Positive Suggestions It has often been observed that people are drawn to notice disasters.
Traffic slows not because it is blocked by an accident but because everyone driving by needs to slow down and look.
For whatever reasons, we pay attention to problems.
Hypnosis suggests that influence means slipping suggestions about what is desirable into the general chaos of train wrecks, messy desks and overwhelm.
Always tell people what to do (not what to avoid) in simple, direct language that is tangible to the senses.
You'll be amazed that when you tell people exactly what you want, they often just provide it.
Repetition One of the oldest pieces of advice for public speakers is to say everything at least three times: tell them what you're going to say, say it, tell them what you said.
Not only does repetition help people remember what you are saying, it also creates a rhythm that helps them relax into focus.
Weaving a phrase or idea throughout your presentation has the same effect as a chorus in music: often it becomes not only the most memorable but the best loved part of piece.
If it's worth saying once, it's worth saying again.
There are many other ways to wrap an audience in your voice so that their minds become quiet, attentive and open to the right suggestions.
Some people will suggest that you can bore an audience into trance with rambling stories and long, meaningless words.
Perhaps that is true, but it won't get you invited back.
Instead, assume that you can enchant an audience by paying attention to them, offering them a presentation as if it were a beautifully wrapped present, and unfolding the layers of your talk while offering positive suggestions.
Hypnosis isn't just for hypnotists.
It's a study that helps everyone developed relaxed focus and high quality connections.
Want to know more? Find a hypnotist who does elegant work and learn how to use your attention, your voice and your words to make every presentation entrancing.