embedded commands

Interesting question. I think the answer, or perhaps an answer, is to make your self aware of such linguistic techniques. This seemed to be what The guy who wrote the book 'Influence' was trying to achieve. I think his name is Robert Cialdini.

The book is aimed at showing you how you are influenced by individuals and business and government. Most people seem to read the book as a manual of how to influence and in my opinion this is where the strength of it is. A good read and I am sure it is something you will enjoy will you not?

Ant

If someone is giving you embedded commands in their daily conversation, how can you prevent your unconscious brain from being influenced?

An 'embedded command' is simply part of everyday speech that has been picked up as a useful technique of influence. The fact is, everyone does it, all the time, anyway.

If human beings were so easily influenced that they responded to every embedded command they heard, nothing would ever get done. Imagine it - a room with 4 people in it - one says "I'm going to go down the shops" and off all 4 of them go!

Most communication is unconscious anyway, to say you want to avoid being influenced by it is like saying you only want to breathe when it suits you. It is both unnecessary and impossible.

If something in someone's communication is outside of your moral or ethical boundary, your conscious mind will automatically become aware of it, at which point you become 'suspicious' or 'wary', and will then exert conscious choice over whether you respond.

I'm sorry I wasn't able to get to the internet for some time and reply sooner.
I'm so thankful for the information you provided.

Actually, I do try paying attention to the embedded commands. Once, I heard the word 'HAVE' very often, and the items I bought when shopping increased. You can also be made to 'FORGET' something in a place. It's a pity the human mind has such a weakness.

my best
Rose

Embedded commands!
A subject which has always interested me and made me a little paranoid of advertising at the same time.

I would not be unduly concerned. As Roger says - if something is against your moral code then you will not accept it, even if you do not consciously hear it.
On a more practical level - if you have a basic awareness of hypnotic manipulation techniques - as you clearly do, then you would probably have a hunch that someone was trying to manipulate you, even if you didn't know why. My advice - always trust your hunches, even if you aren't sure why.

Anyone who uses these kind of tactics for offensive purposes is probably pretty slimey anyway - (I refer you to the Ross Jefferies of this world).

Some alternative reading :-
Influence - science and practice - Caldini (as mentioned above)
The Age of Manipulation - can't remember the author but mostly about subliminal advertising.
Ericksonian Approaches - Bandler and Grinder

Cheers,
Dave.

Anthony Jacquin wrote:Interesting question. I think the answer, or perhaps an answer, is to make your self aware of such linguistic techniques. This seemed to be what The guy who wrote the book 'Influence' was trying to achieve. I think his name is Robert Cialdini.

The book is aimed at showing you how you are influenced by individuals and business and government. Most people seem to read the book as a manual of how to influence and in my opinion this is where the strength of it is. A good read and I am sure it is something you will enjoy will you not?

Ant

Hi there, I'm a brand new registered user here at the forums and I just wanted to start off with a bang. I've been using the free lessons provided by Uncommon Knowledge to great success, thanks.

The point of this post was to show some embedded commands (!?!?!) in the post that Anthony did. So easy to miss, and I know his intention was not to influence anyone, but I figured that by pointing them out you'd be able to go back and see just how easily such embedded commands could be slid right into daily conversation - even conversation about embedded commands themselves.

What I did above was to Bold the embedded commands as I caught them the very first time I read his post. You tell me if I'm crazy, but they are there, aren't they, and they could be interpreted as such, right?



As soon as I read Anthony's posting I laughed inside because it just became so clear to me as to what he might have been trying to put across. Maybe it's just me, who knows. I didn't see any smiley for sarcasm or making a joke. That would have robbed the embedded command of it's power by bringing it to conscious attention, just as Roger described in his reply above, and making it subject to our reasoning ability to see it for what it truly is.

br0adband

Hey,

you missed my favourite - the tag question. 'Will you not?'

Sticking a tag question onto the end of your sentance seems to make it almost impossible for the other party not to accept it, does it not?

Ant

HAHAHAHAHA

I can see I'm gonna like this place. No, I didn't miss your tag on the end there, I left it out of my "diagnosis" hoping it would incite you to respond, soooo... I guess that means your embedded commands forced my conscious mind to perk up and speak out thereby causing your conscious mind to reassert itself. Or something to that effect.



Thanks,
br0adband