All change, self development, persuasion and sales is about getting an idea to take hold.

When you buy something, the idea of making at product yours becomes a reality.

When you help someone else change their life, or set yourself on a new path, what actually happens is the idea of a new attitude, perspective, habit or behavior becomes actualized.

Shock and surprise is a powerful way to get an idea to take hold.

Advertisers use this all the time, as do hypnotists;

Techniques like the handshake induction and many of the stage and street style instant inductions use shock and surprise to move beyond conscious resistance, and access the imaginative subconscious mind.

Repetition is the classic when it comes to all forms of persuasive communication.

From the classroom to the clinic, the repeated suggestion of one idea gradually makes it more compelling and unforgettable.

The trouble with old fashioned surprise is that it’s hard to use without being abrasive or off-putting.

As anyone who has suffered through high school math will know, the trouble with repetition is that it’s hard to use without being dreadfully, insufferably boring.

Combining these two extremes, we create a way of communicating that is both captivating and unforgettable.

If you think about it, the combination of repetition with surprise is the essence of powerful communication.

When an idea that we know suddenly gets shown to use in a radically different way, that same idea becomes a lot more appealing, and can take hold in a whole new way.

The idea can be a simple one, such as to relax or to buy a particular product, or it could be a whole new way of thinking about and relating to the world, a new perspective or attitude.

The key is simple, rather than using repetition in the same old way, repeat in a way that is not at all “repetitive.”

This helps explain one of the reasons why stories are such an effective tool for creating change and transformation.

Through the characters and places stories take you too, the same idea or “point” can be presented in hundreds of new ways.

A metaphor is simply a way of presenting one idea in the form of a story, and using imagery to make it even more powerful.

From now on when you use repetition, use the golden rule, and don’t make it repetitive!

Repetition is powerful, and repetitive is boring. Repeat your ideas in new and original ways so that it doesn’t seem like you are repeating them at all.

Remember the power of shock and surprise – a master of persuasion and influence is one who can make the same idea seem new and exciting. This is the essence of good communication, and it’s also the essence of hypnosis.

Cheers,
Nathan Thomas

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