Have you heard about the presuppositions? If you heard about it, it’s great, if not, it’s good as well.
What is a presupposition?
Presupposition is a preliminary assumption which has to be recognized as a truth so that the whole sentence makes sense.
Let’s analyse this sentence: Mike threw up his job in a consulting company.
What are the presuppositions in this sentence? Which information sounds true so that this sentence make sense?
1. There exist such a man as Mike and we probably know him.
2. There exist a consulting company.
3. Marian has worked in this consulting company for some time.
4. Marian was surely not satisfied with this job as he quit.
Isn’t it very simple?
I remember that when I started learning these linguistic models, they seemed to me so simple and wonderful.
Will the construction of the sentence in a proper way and the usage of a smart model be sufficient to sow an idea in somebody’s mind which will then turn into an action?
In principle, yes it’s true.
But...
The reason why I describe the presuppositions at this stage is that they are not the essence of persuasion (in contrast to what many beginners think and to what we can sometimes hear during some training).
The presupposition is only an addition, it’s the enhancing element.
Many people overuse presuppositions and different types of ‘hypnotic’ techniques and smart models and that’s why sometimes we meet with such a strange sentences as: Before you buy my product think which version suits you most and consider if you prefer to pay in cash or to use your credit card...
And so on...
Remember – the essence of the persuasion is to put an emphasis on needs, values and criteria of other people. Various kinds of linguistic standards are used only to draw your attention and to make the whole process more effective.
These models are powerful still they have to be used skilfully and in moderation.