So Much Persuasion: Ways To Learn
One of my newer students asked me on a recent call, “Kenrick, how are you able to keep track of all of the different language patterns and persuasion techniques that you know and use? I mean, each time we’re on one of these coaching calls, it seems like you’re not only using new techniques, but combining two or three or more techniques at once. Sometimes I can’t even remember the first step. How can I remember to remember?’
My question to the student was, “When you learn a new language, are you able to have an involved conversation with a native speaker within a week?”
And I asked him, “When you learn a new instrument, are you able to play with a symphony orchestra after just a few lessons?”
Persuasion is just as rich a subject as either of these and more because once you’ve learned a language, you know the language. But persuasion is an ever expanding field of study with extraordinary breakthroughs happening all the time.
And when I think of what it is that makes a good student, a good learner, my most worthwhile advice is this: Practice. In order to do something well, in order to do something thoroughly, you have to master the basics and practice the hell out of it.
There have been traditionally five different methods of learning: imprinting, habituation, associative learning, observational learning and play.
Imprinting happens as a phase–usually we see this with young babies and animals learning from their parents. For our purposes in learning persuasion, we’ve no use for this method. . .we’re way past imprinting. However, the brain state that we achieve with the use of the light and sound machines closely resembles the brain state babies are in.
Habitual learning is when an animal responds to a stimulus. If the stimulus isn’t rewarding or harmful then their response to the stimulus diminishes over time. This is mainly an other than conscious/sub conscious learning.
There are two types of learning that we most use in persuasion: observational learning and play. Obviously, observation requires that we observe and then repeat. It’s easy. Sometimes repetition is required. Observational learning is us paying attention to our environment or our teachers or whatever, and then emulating that behavior or reissuing that information.
Lastly, play. I call the homework at the end of each call ‘home play’ because I love the concept of play and playfulness as a way to care about our learning and enhance our experience of not only persuasion, but of life in general.
Back to my frustrated student’s question. Persuasion is play. Persuasion is observation. Persuasion is habitual. Persuasion is repetition and emulation and commitment and intention. And it all comes in time with persistence.
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