========
Newsgroups: alt.psychology.nlp
Subject: Pacing & Leading In Persuasion & Influence
From: Steve Gold <goldie@earthlink.net>
Date: Fri, 14 Jun 1996 09:12:58 -0700

                                 VERBAL PACING & LEADING


     Is there a way to organize your language to make what you say far more
credible?   In fact, can we go so far as to ask if it's possible to
organize our language to make what you say automatically accepted.

     In this posting we will be dealing with the use of verbal pacing and
leading as well as the covert "yes set" for use in conversational
persuasion.

 One of the main reasons to use verbal pacing and leading is that it
automatically sets up a unconscious yes set.

What is a unconscious yes set?  Lets define our terms before we go any
further (note: these definitions are not necessarily complete. They do
provide a useful way of understanding this information.)

Conscious - What you are aware of, that is, what you are paying attention
to right now.

Unconscious - What you are not aware of or paying attention to right now.
An example of this might be the feelings of your clothes on your body, the
speed of your breathing or the amount of light that is available for you to
read this by.  The second definition happens automatically.  An example of
this, is as you are driving down the street and a child runs out in front
of you, how long do you have to consider stopping?  Not long probably.  So,
the concise definition of the unconscious is, that which you are not aware
of and that which happens automatically.

Yes set - A yes set traditionally is a set of questions designed to elicit
a "yes" response from your prospect.  The theory is that if you say enough
yeses during the presentation, when you ask for the prospect for the order
they will say "yes".

Let's stay with the yes set for a bit.

Here's an example of the traditional conscious yes set.

Salesman to prospect: Mr. Smith
Prospect: Yes
Salesman: Mr. John Smith
Prospect: Yes
Salesman: Thank you.  Mr. Smith, my records indicate that you are the vice-
president of purchasing.  Is that right?
Prospect: Yes
Salesman: Great. May I ask you a question?
Prospect: Yes
Salesman: If I can show you a way to save costs on your inventory, you
would be interested in taking a look, wouldn't you?

                                                                   YUCH!

Do you see the pattern?  What else happens for you as you read this.  If
you are a like a lot of intelligent consumers, you are also alerted to the
upcoming assault, right?!!  So, what is the answer?  How can you get people
saying yes without using out moded tactics such as that?  The answer is in
verbal pacing and leading.

What is verbal pacing and leading?   It is a sophisticated verified as true
or things that are true with things that you'd like people to believe are
true.  Let's again define our terms.

Pacing - is talking about things that can be immediately verified as true
or things that are commonly accepted as true.

Leading- is talking about things you want the other person to believe that
as yet have not been proven.

Here are some examples of things that qualify for pacing:

1. You are reading this.
2. You can feel the temperature around you.
3. On the news last night..
4. The last time the phone rang..

What are some of your own. 
5.
6.
7.
The reason that those qualified are that they are true and verifiable or
qualify as truisms (things that are accepted as true.)

Leads are anything that you want people to believe.  So here are some examples
of things that could be considered leads:

1. You are excited about this information.
2. You are becoming committed to learning more about this.
3. Verbal pacing and leading makes persuasion easier.

What are some of you own?
4.
5.
6.

Can you begin to see the difference between pacing and leading?  Pacing
statements are statements that are true.  You can't take exception to them!
That's what makes them so powerful for our purposes.  Leading statements
are what you want your prospect to believe.  They are not proven
necessarily but they are what you want your prospect to believe.

There is a format to follow that will assist you in using this technique. The
formate is as follows:

PACE, PACE, PACE - LEAD
PACE, PACE, - LEAD
PACE - LEAD
LEAD- LEAD.....

As you review what you've read so far, allowing the seconds to pass while
you think about this in your own way, you can begin to understand the value
of using this technique to get more of what you want when you want it.  And
as you begin to understand the value of this, thinking back to a time when
this might of made the difference, you can begin to anticipate the benefits
that will be yours as you begin to use it.  While that anticipation builds
you might take just a second to tell yourself how thrilled you are to have
found this at a time when you can really use it.  NOW, as the realization
begins to sink in perhaps even outside your awareness that the real key to
persuasion is having skills like this that you can use, have you already
started to wonder who will first share this new skill of yours with?

Now let's go back over this paragraph and analyze it.  First, before we do
that, read it one more time. Can you understand how the pacing and leading
creates a powerful influence that literally compels your experience?  Here
are the paces and leads.

Pace - Review what you've read.
Pace - allowing the seconds to pass.
Pace - While you think about this in your own way.
Lead - Understand the value of using this.

Pace - Understand the value of using this.
Pace - thinking back to a time... could of made a difference.
Lead - anticipate the benefits... use it.

Pace - anticipation builds.
Lead - tell yourself how thrilled you are to have found this.

Lead - realization begins to sink in.
Lead - the real key to persuasion is having skills like this.
Lead - wonder who you will share this new skill with first.

Try this. Read just the leads above.  Preferably read them aloud.  If those
had been all that was written, they wouldn't have had near the power as
when you have the pacing statements with them.

Each time you read a pace, your unconscious goes "yes". Only this is so
subtle (albeit powerful) that nobody thinks of it as an assault.  Instead,
you have created an environment that is comfortable, one that supports the
other person in moving with you.

            Here's another example for you.

As you sit there, reading this information, letting your eyes follow each
word, you can begin to discover how this information will allow you to
increase your persuasion power.  And as you think about how that might
happen, and listen to what those ideas are inside your own thoughts, you
may find yourself getting excited at how much easier this makes the process
of convening someone to do what you want.  In fact, feeling that excitement
beginning to build, now, causes, you to want to begin to practice, to
perfect this technique.  The technique is strong enough to get people to go
along with what ever you say, so much so that utilizing it will
dramatically increase your sales.  It also establishes your credibility and
furthers the rapport you are building.

Now, let's see if you can list the paces and leads in this paragraph.

Pace-
Pace-
Pace-
Lead-

Pace-
Pace-
Lead-

Pace-
Lead-

Lead-
Lead-
Lead-
Advanced readers will also note that the paragraph begins with an external
orientation and moves the reader to an internal orientation, thus further
facilitating the persuasion process.



Let me suggest a few methods of practicing this to get it down.  On a sheet
of paper draw a line vertically down the middle. On the left side list 10
or 15 paces and on the right side list 10 or 15 leads.  Practice saying 2
or 3 paces and then a lead.  Doing this will enable you to learn this
rapidly.


If you want a free demonstration tape on influence and Persuasion Patterns,
E-mail: goldie@earthlink.net with your name, address and phone number and
I'll send a tape out to you right away.