What if there were a formula used for persuasion? Something that works from selling MLM candles to creating a cult?
There is one. It’s 27 words long and its 5 principles are used by every single successful advertisement, mass movement, cult, MLM, internet “fake guru”, and more (including people of the like of Jim Jones).
In comes The One Sentence Persuasion Course.
One cannot not influence. It is, therefore, absurd to ask how influence and manipulation can be avoided, and we are left with the inescapable responsibility of deciding for ourselves how this basic law of human communication may be obeyed in the most humane, ethical, and effective manner.” - Dr. Paul Watzlawick ~ The Language of Change
The one sentence persuasion course also allows you, the reader, to reflect on your past or present and realize where you’re being persuaded by these techniques. They are very powerful techniques that work extremely well. To me, it’s like an open exploit in the human psyche, and should probably be regulated in a similar manner as gambling. But that would be government overreach, so we don’t want that.
The fix to the exploit? Make people aware of it. If we all know the tell tale signs that a powerful technique is being used on us, we can make more informed decisions and “patch” it.
I can’t share too much because then there’s no point in reading the book. But the good news is there is a free version written in 2005, and a more modern edition.