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Don't Read
This Article!
© 2004 By
Joe Vitale
I'm sick of it. All the so-called
communication experts keep declaring that your mind cannot
process
a negative command. They say "Don't spill the milk" means
you'll spill the milk. They say your mind doesn't
respond to "don't" and in fact skips over it. As a result,
you end up seeing the rest of the statement as a command.
You then spill the milk.
Bull. The very first words most people hear growing up
is "NO" and "Don't". We learn right away not to poop in our
pants, or eat the dirt, or swing the cat by the tail, or
spill our milk. The only reason we might still spill our
milk is sheer awkwardness or clumsiness, not because of a
communication issue
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This is one of the things wrong with NLP and other
communication modalities that claim to know how our brains
work. They make wild claims and act as if they are universal
truths. After all, no one really knows how the brain works.
We're still learning. To say we don't process negative
commands is an arrogant statement. It assumes god-like
powers. And it's wrong.
Look at the title of this article. I inserted the word
"don't." Why? Because the word actually helps make the title
more interesting. It increases persuasion. Had I said, "Read
This Article," you might not read it simply because it
seemed un-interesting. But add the word "Don't" and suddenly
you're curious. 'Why doesn't Joe want me to read this?," you
wonder. The word 'Don't' is seen and registered by your
mind. You didn't miss it, did you?
Again, communication is more than
assumptions about how our minds process information. You
learned what many negative words meant at three years old.
Your unconscious mind is well aware of what they mean today.
Don't tell others about this article. Don't pass this
article to friends and family. Don't go buy all my books and
tapes. Don't send me money.
You see the word 'don't' and you'll do what you please.
If you want to pass this article to friends, you will. If
you don't, you won't. My trying to trick you with a negative
command is ridiculous. You're smarter than that. Aren't you?
Kevin Hogan, author of "The Psychology of Persuasion,"
says, "Negative command words in
general indicate the person will remember or code in deeper
whatever was discussed. This doesn't mean they will act one
way or the other. It simply makes the command/idea/request
more likely to be remembered."
Exactly. My adding "Don't" to the title of this article
simply made it more memorable. It didn't *make* you read
this article at all.
The only time the 'don't trick' works is to get someone
to *think* something. In order words, if I say, "Don't think
of Sophia Loren," you can't help but think of the famous
actress. But thinking is different than action.
Yes, thinking can lead to action. But what we're
focusing on here is communication. If I say, "Don't think of
buying my books," you *will* think of buying them, at least
for a second. But if I say, "Don't buy my books," it does
not mean you will run out and buy them. You are not a robot.
Let's wake up. Let's realize that we are smarter than
generalized rules of language. Let's stop pretending we are
all trained monkeys.
Don't you agree?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dr. Joe Vitale is holding an intensive training
in his copywriting methods September 11-12 in
Austin, Texas. Only 10 can attend. You will
learn Dr. Vitale's hypnotic writing formulas and
become certified as a Hypnotic Copywriter. Cost
is $5,000. To register, write
copy@mrfire.com
Get a crash course in hypnotic copywriting by
grabbing many of Joe Vitale's works at --
http://www.HypnoticLibrary.com/g.o/10386
And get his famous writing software from --
http://www.HypnoticWritingWizard.com |
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