persuasion 2 In another study, one group of individuals was asked if they thought the United States should allow public speeches against democracy, while another group was asked if they thought the United States should forbid public speeches against democracy. Although they bear similar implications, notice the word choice makes them contrary to each other. Still, one might think the answers would be similar, since they drive at the same point. Because of the word forbid, which caused them to want to hear the speeches, there was a much higher response to the second question. Have you ever noticed those pharmaceutical commercials currently on the air? They portray all these wonderful benefits and use a soothing, sophisticated voice to highlight these benefits. Then, at the end of the commercial, when they have to run through all the negative side effects: vomiting, headache, diarrhea, etc., they read through these negatives quickly using the same pleasant voice! The effect is that negatives are deemphasized, and we, as viewers, are still left with an overall positive impression. DoubleSpeak: Tame the Sting The term doublespeak means replacing an offensive word with a less offensive word to create less sting. Here are some examples of how doublespeak has made its way into our society. Expensive Cheaper Service charge Top of the line More economical Processing fee Offensive Repackaged Downsizing Fired Let go Rightsizing Used car Sex change surgery Kentucky Fried Chicken Garbage man Housewife Interrogate Cancer Fail Buried Fatty (beef) Final exam Preowned vehicle Gender reassignment KFC (the word "fried" is taken out) Sanitation engineer Domestic engineer Interview Growth Not passing Interred Marbled (beef) Celebration of knowledge Package Your Numbers Often salespeople, or people in any sort of persuasive situation for that matter, need to either play up or play down the greatness or smallness of certain numbers. When playing up a number, persuaders use this type of language: More than three quarters.. . Almost eight out of every ten . . . Better than two out of three . . . When playing down a number, they use this type of language: Less than half. . . Fewer than two out of three . . . Under three quarters. .. Positive Word Choice You can use positive words to help prospects feel more confident, safe, or happy. You can also use negative words to trigger depression, anxiety, or sadness. When you use positive words, you capture and keep the attention of your listeners on the points you want them to concentrate on. The words you choose to use can mentally keep them on track. For instance, if you want to plant seeds of doubt, you would use negative forms of speech. When we are in a positive mindset, we don't ask as many questions. Positivity puts our mind in a comfortable, more persuadable area. When the negative is triggered, it requires more mental effort and our mind begins to search for incongruities or weaknesses in the argument. persuasion