Chapter 16: Hypnotising Your Audience 257
everyone you meet. You can notice that most people have mastered the ability
to communicate at a general level. In other words, most people have mastered
the art of vagueness, which allows you to go inside so easily, does it not?Vagueness is everywhere! Just consider these statements:✓ ‘We can work it out.’
✓ ‘Things can only get better.’
✓ ‘It doesn’t have to be like this.’
✓ ‘Someday, we’ll all be free.’
✓ ‘We all have our problems.’
Phrases like these are equally at home on the lips of politicians and pop
stars, clairvoyants, and copywriters. You hear them on the radio every
morning and they pop out from the newspaper in your daily horoscope as
well as the advertisements on your computer screen for the latest must-have
products. They send you into a relaxed state. You can’t help but agree with
such highly generalised statements.The power of using vague language lies in the fact that you get people into
a different state. Such language distracts people from the outside world, so
connecting with everybody in a group or getting rapport with someone you
don’t know well becomes easier. When you’re vague, the following happen:✓ Your listeners find their own answers, which are more powerful and
long lasting for them.
✓ You don’t instil your own ideas or put inappropriate suggestions in
the way.
✓ Your clients feel more in control, because they’re free to explore
different possibilities that you may never have thought of.
In addition, being vague also opens up your own map. Remember that the
language you adopt affects you too – not just other people. So often people
impose their own limits by the way in which they talk about themselves –
those naughty thought viruses like ‘I’m not good enough’ or ‘I’ll never be able
to do that’ jump out and block their route to success. The Milton Model can
combat such thoughts and help you do the following:✓ Arouse your natural curiosity
✓ Discover more empowering ways of acting
✓ Find times when you were at your best and return you to that
resourceful state
✓ Think more clearly