By Kenrick Cleveland
Presupposition is one of the most powerful persuasion techniques I know of. At the core of it, a presupposition is assuming a position or thought that our prospects have to take for granted and believe in order for what we're telling them to make sense. This happens without us having to name what it is that we're even talking about.
Presuppositions must be accepted as true. In a way, that's a bind (and a bind is something I'll explore more fully in an upcoming article). If it is that which "must" be accepted, and must be accepted despite the fact that you didn't say it and it is assumed.
The basis of the presupposition is that we want to get to a place where we don't have to say what we want, but that our prospect or client creates in their own mind (with our gentle nudging) what we want them to think.
This is a heady concept. You are going to learn how to talk to someone in ways that you want them to think. They have to assume the core of what you want them to think just in order to make sense of what you're saying.
This gets us closer to getting people to think what it is that we want them to think without us having to say it.
Here's a popular (too popular) use of presupposition: "If we don't fight the terrorists over there, we're going to have to fight them over here."
There are actually a few presuppositions here, the first being that we have to "fight" at all. This is the main one. Who says we have to fight? Why is this a given? And yet, how often does this get questioned? Of course there's a fight. They started it. (Or did we?) The second presupposition, which is one that is more surface and only exists if we accept the first presupposition, is that if we don't go serve it up over there, they're going to come get us over here.
'The great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.' -Sir Isaac Newton
Here's another presupposition by Isaac Newton. It presupposes that there is a 'truth' that we are capable of discovering. It doesn't say whether this truth is universal or individualized which leaves us to wonder.
Here's one I get often, which has been taught in sales trainings since people started selling. "How will you be paying for this today?"
If the potential purchaser hasn't agreed to the sale yet, this presupposition puts them in the bind that something is most assuredly being bought and paid for by cash, credit card, or check. It doesn't give the option of it not being paid for (bought).
This might be a little existential, but it's a cool thing nonetheless. Nouns presuppose existence. What does that mean? Well, it means that a noun, or anything similar, presuppose a level of existence.
What are some examples of how you can you use presupposition in your business?
Kenrick Cleveland teaches techniques to earn the business of affluent clients using persuasion. He runs public and private seminars and offers home study courses and coaching programs in persuasion techniques.
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