Can you imagine what it’s like to be watching a really, really good TV show, one that’s building to a certain climax and then leaves you hanging at the end? It’s frustrating, but on the other hand, it can be incredibly entertaining. Watching shows like that is really enjoyable, and they really grab and hold your attention. How would you like to create that effect on your listeners or readers?
Believe it or not, there is a specific technique you can use in speaking and writing that will create the exact same effect on your listeners and readers. Whether it’s a conversation at a party, an important speech, an article on EzineArticles, or a sales letter on your own website, you can easily create that intense desire in your listeners or readers that will have them begging for more.
This particular method hails from none other than Milton Erickson, the father of convert hypnosis. He devised a whole set of language patterns that are used today in a much broader scope than he intended. This particular pattern is called “Building Excitement and Expectation” and is based on a psychological principle of something called “open loops”.
An open loop is when you hear or read something, but then there is a break in the flow of information, so you don’t hear the conclusion. Your brain needs to find closure, so it will stay interested in that particular topic until you do.
A great way to do this conversationally is to simply start telling a story and just before you climax, switch to another story. This is easily done with phrases like “As at the time” or “Something like when”. Then just go tell the other story.
When writing articles or sales letters, it’s helpful to develop your point by using lots of loaded adjectives, like impressive, amazing, fantastic, incredible, innovative, etc.
The trick is to start describing the benefits of whatever idea or product you’re promoting, in great detail, without going into too much detail about the product itself. Then, when you’ve built up enough desire, instead of talking about the product or idea you’re promoting, tell a story about how you came up with the idea.
If you have ever received sales letters, this is usually your basic structure. They start with a strong “hook”, which is an open loop, since it doesn’t give all the information. Then switch to something else, whether it’s a story about how the product was developed or some customer recommendations. Only at the end of the letter do you finally find out what it is about. Usually you won’t even find the whole truth then. You’ll need to click the link at the bottom to find out what it’s all about.
The basic structure, then, is to create interest through a good story or by building on the benefits of your idea, then switch to a different topic and leave your listeners or readers hanging. This is a great way to grab and hold people’s attention whenever you’re talking to someone at a party or other type of social gathering. It will absolutely increase your magnetism, so it is well worth the few minutes it takes to learn this technique.