NLP Copywriting in about an Hour

69 Pages·2014·0.69 MB·English

“The Forbidden Knowledge Archive”

by Matt Bacak and Brother Mesmer

NLP Copywriting in about an Hour
Just the Stuff that Works in Print
- On a Silver Platter!
Table of Contents

PART ONE: THE TRUTH ABOUT NLP! 4

What Is "NLP"?! 5

The Deep Roots of NLP! 6

The NLP Defense: The Meta Model and the Way to Clarity! 8

Jargon Alert: Meta Model Ahead!! 8

The Meta Model in Action: Personal Experiences in the Field! 12

A Brief Meta Model Glossary! 13

The NLP Offense: The Milton Model! 14

Covert Persuasion and the Ethical Issue! 15

The Milton Model and the Way of Confusion! 16

Walking on a Dark Path: Overview of the Milton Model! 16

How to Be a Successful "Two-Trick Pony" Like Frank Kern! 17

The Secret Art of Being a Successful "Word Magician"! 18

PART TWO: THE BIG PROBLEM WITH WRITTEN NLP! 19

VAK: The Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic Brain! 20

Language Matching for a Specialized Niche! 24

VAK Revisited: How to Reach Almost Everybody! 25

Our First Challenge: Grab the Reader's Attention!! 28

Our Second Challenge: Get the Reader to Identify with Our Message! 29

Our Third Challenge: Communicate the Essence of Our Message! 31

We Are All the "First Person" in a Story! 32

"More Than a Feeling": Buying Decisions and Kinesthetic Conquest! 34

PART THREE: NLP COPY PERSUASION "COOKBOOK"! 35

The Art of "Listening" Like a Customer! 36

Example of an Expert "Loaded" Paragraph! 36

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NLP Analysis of a Persuasive Blog Post! 38

A Typical Milton Model Style Hypnotic Induction Script! 39

Easy NLP! 40

The Universal Quantifier Pattern! 42

The Best Bet Is the "Yes" Set! 43

Storytelling Milton Style! 44

The Most Important Question! 46

Mind Reading for Fun and Profit! 47

It's Not Stupid For You to Be Invested in Nested Loops Today! 48

Attack of the Return of the Nested Loops! 50

Get Your FREE NLP Sales Letter Templates While They're Hot! 51

A Master Level NLP Phone Script from Jay Abraham! 54

The Dazzling Light of a Bright New Beginning S-h-i-n-e-s Now! 56

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PART ONE: THE TRUTH ABOUT NLP

To understand NLP, or neuro-linguistic programming, we need to go back to its
roots. In The Structure of Magic, one of their early NLP books (1975), Richard
Bandler and John Grinder, the two founders of NLP, compared NLP to magic.
The label has dogged the fledging psychological discipline ever since. (1)

The Structure of Magic by Bandler and Grinder (1975) (2) (3)

Of the two, Richard Bandler has maintained a more public profile. Known for
his unusual sense of humor, it can be difficult to tell if the highly entertaining
Bandler is joking or is being serious. Here he talks about the double meaning
of "magic."

Some years ago, I was on my way to teach a sales training course in Dallas, Texas. Flying
from San Francisco, I sat down, and when I sat down on the plane, I was going to sit back
and relax, but as I put my chair back and looked over, there it was... the cover of The
Structure of Magic staring back at me, and I peeked over, and I looked at this guy, and this
guy had this look on his face like he could eat shoe leather in a cold second. His ability to

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stick his foot in his mouth would be unmatched. So I asked the guy. I looked over at him
and I said, "Are you a magician?"

And the guy looked at me and said, "Of course not." Like I could tell. He is reading a book
called The Structure of Magic, and that is where you find The Structure of Magic, by the
way... in the occult section. Because every time I go into a bookstore, that is where it is...
right there in the occult section, where it belongs. So I said to this guy, I said, "If it is not
about magic, what is about?" And he said, "It is about language." (4)

NLP is "word magic." It grew out of studying expert communicators who used
the spoken word in therapeutic settings to achieve remarkable positive
changes in their clients. These expert communicators were the original "word
magicians."

Bandler and Grinder studied them, learned from them, and became master
word magicians themselves. If we want to, we too can become word
magicians. NLP makes that possible.

We were not able to find photographs of Bandler and Grinder with suitable
permissions. However, they have given video interviews, including some very
recent ones. Links to these short videos are in the Notes. (5) (6)

What Is "NLP"?

The gist of what NLP is can be found in the words that make up the acronym.
NLP equals "Neuro" (the brain) plus "Linguistic" (language) plus
"Programming" (behavior patterns). (7)

NEURO: The use of your senses to interpret the world around you. Neurological processes
affect your thoughts and emotions, your physiology, and subsequent behavior.

LINGUISTIC: How you use language to communicate with others and to influence your
experience.

PROGRAMMING: Internal thoughts and patterns of behavior that help you evaluate
situations, solve problems, and make decisions. (8)

NLP is a discipline that is meant to be experienced. To the extent that one
knows how to apply a piece of NLP and get consistent positive results with it,
one can be said to be an expert of that piece. Mere knowledge of NLP
terminology and concepts does not make one an NLP expert.

NLP is largely a collection of practical recipes for persuasion. To benefit from
NLP, we do not have to "master" NLP. We can pick up a few smart NLP "tricks"
and start putting them into our sales letter, email, or blog copy right away. It is
better to become good at applying a few favorite patterns than to read a ton of
NLP books and never applying the knowledge.

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The Deep Roots of NLP

Richard Bandler and John Grinder met in California in the early 1970s. It was a
time of experimentation in consciousness. Bandler and Grinder found
themselves in the right place at the right time with the right people.

John Grinder at this time was in the linguistics department at UC Santa Cruz. Bandler
invited Grinder to observe his gestalt group in order to see whether it would be possible to
develop a syntax of behavior analogous to what some linguists had earlier done for cultural
anthropology. What Grinder noticed was that Bandler in his group was applying certain
principles of linguistics...

Bandler and Grinder then decided to observe groups run by Fritz Perls and Virginia Satir,
and they confirmed that Perls and Satir were using the same linguistic patterns... In the
intellectually adventurous atmosphere at UC Santa Cruz, John Grinder was able to offer a
psychology course where he and Bandler taught their approaches to therapy. Among
students, this was reportedly known as "Dr. Grinder's mind-f**k course."

... Bandler and Grinder continued to offer training seminars for therapists and were joined
by several young therapists and graduate students in clinical psychology, including David
Gordon, Judith deLozier, Robert Dilts, and Steve Gilligan. Some time in these early days,
Bandler came up with the name Neuro-Linguistic Programming. (9)

Like other innovators in other fields, Bandler and Grinder stood on the
shoulders of giants who had come before them. Notable among these
formative influences were Alfred Korzybski, Noam Chomsky, and Gregory
Bateson. (10) (11) (12)

As a computer programmer, Richard knew that to program the simplest "mind" in the world
(a computer with off-and-on switches), you break down the behavior into component
pieces and provide clear and unambiguous signals to the system. To this basic metaphor,
John added his extensive knowledge of transformational grammar. From transformational
grammar, we borrow the concepts of deep and surface structure statements that transform
meaning/knowledge in the human brain. From this, they began to put together their model
of how humans get "programmed," so to speak. (13)

Bandler and Grinder began studying two brilliant and highly respected
psychotherapists, Fritz Perls and Virginia Satir. They wanted to know if they
could "model" these expert communicators and then actually duplicate their
exceptional results in a therapeutic setting.

Bandler discovered that he had a "natural" gift for modeling and hearing patterns. He
discovered that he could detect and replicate patterns in Gestalt Therapy from minimum
exposure. He became an editor for several of Fritz Perls' books in Gestalt Therapy. Being
familiar with Perls' work, Bandler began to study Perls' techniques. As he discovered that
he could model Perls' therapeutic procedures, he began experimenting with clients using
the techniques.

After enjoying immediate and powerful results from that modeling, Richard discovered that
he could model others. With the encouragement of Grinder, Bandler got the opportunity to
model the world's foremost family therapist, Virginia Satir. Richard quickly identified the
"seven patterns" that Virginia used. As he and John began to apply those patterns, they
discovered that they could replicate her therapies and obtain similar results. (14)

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The pinnacle of this early modeling phase came when Bandler and Grinder
studied Milton Erickson. Unlike Perls and Satir, who asked their patients direct
questions in the context of the normal waking state, Erickson was a master at
clinical hypnosis.

Milton H. Erickson, MD, PhD, 1901 - 1980
(from an interview on helping alcoholics) (15) (16) (17)

Instead of firing off pointed enquiries to confront the fuzzy thinking of his
clients, Erickson took advantage of their confusion. He cleverly manipulated
them into a favorable therapeutic solution by covertly putting them into trance
with brilliant language patterns that were virtually undetectable. (18)

Thereafter, world-renowned anthropologist Gregory Bateson introduced Bandler and
Grinder to Milton Erickson, MD. Erickson developed the model of communication that we
know as "Ericksonian hypnosis." Since 1958, the American Medical Association has
recognized hypnosis as a useful healing tool during surgery. As Bandler and Grinder
modeled Erickson, they discovered that they could obtain similar results. Today, many of
the NLP techniques result from modeling Ericksonian processes. (19)

Since those early days, NLP has fragmented as well as evolved. As a result of
various legal battles, the field is wide open for anyone to say that he/she is an
expert at NLP. The books and courses referenced in the Notes are reliable
resources. (20)

We will do well also to keep in mind Richard Bandler's sage advice. Oft
repeated, it has stood the test of time: "NLP is an attitude and a methodology
that leaves behind a trail of techniques." (21)

We will be studying techniques, and the temptation is to think that the
techniques, especially the really good ones, are the answer. The techniques are
just tools.

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The originality and spontaneous resourcefulness that gave birth to them is the
real secret, the fountain that keeps on flowing and giving. Each of us has this
universal gift within. Milton Erickson called it "the unconscious."

Hypnosis is the ceasing to use your conscious awareness; in hypnosis, you begin to use
your unconscious awareness. Because unconsciously, you know as much and a lot more
than you do consciously. (22)

This is probably a good time to mention that good writing puts the reader into
a light trance. For example, when we are engrossed in a good book, song, TV
show, or movie, where is the rest of the world for us?

The NLP Defense: The Meta Model and the Way to Clarity

The Meta Model was developed by observing two brilliant psychotherapists,
Fritz Perls and Virginia Satir, work with their clients. It's important to
understand that the Meta Model is not a theoretical system. (23)

Bandler's gift was modeling, not theorizing. He was an exceptionally skilled
observer. He studied what they did and was able to extract word patterns from
their verbal communication.

The reason Bandler and Grinder studied Perls and Satir, besides the fact that
they were willing to cooperate, is that, unlike most therapists, they
consistently got results. They changed lives, and they did it routinely.

On the surface, they seemed to be doing what other "talk therapists" did with
their clients, which is just talk. Clearly, since they were getting different
results, they had to be doing something different. That difference is what
expert modeler Richard Bandler set out to uncover.

The questions that make up the Meta Model are the questions that these two
therapists were using in their sessions. The labels for these questions and what
they deal with were added later.

Perls and Satir did not have the ability to teach others what they did. They
literally did not know how they did it. They just knew that they could do it.

Jargon Alert: Meta Model Ahead!

People suffer from "fuzzy" or "stinking" thinking. Their thoughts are flawed,
confused, ill-formed, and self-limiting. The Meta Model systematically
challenges these thoughts and makes it possible for people to be free of them.

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There's no way to avoid the technical jargon of NLP. We will just have to take
the plunge. Here is a good definition of the Meta Model.

A model, developed by John Grinder and Richard Bandler, based on the (but not a direct
copy of) ideas originated by linguist Noam Chomsky. The basic idea behind the meta model
and its use is that we usually say (surface structure) only a relatively small part of what we
are thinking (deep structure). Sometimes, the surface structure version is all that we need
to understand what someone means, but sometimes, we need some additional deep
structure information, and that is when we use the appropriate meta model questions to
open up clearer, more effective communication.

Grouped under three basic headings - Deletions, Distortions, and Generalisations - the
meta model covers a variety of misleading language patterns such as: Unspecified nouns,
unspecified verbs, unqualified comparisons, unqualified absolutes and unquestioned rules,
missing referential indices, etc., etc. (24)

There are 14 Meta Model questions (some sources claim more while other
sources claim less). There are six types of deletion errors, five types of
distortion errors, and three types of generalization errors.

There is a Meta Model question to go with each error in thinking. In essence,
the person is mistaking the constructed "map" in his/her mind for the actual
"territory" or reality outside of him/her. When the appropriate Meta Model
question is used, it challenges the fuzzy dimness of the poorly formed thought
process and escorts it into the sunshine of clarity. (25) (26)

Let's look at deletion first. There are six Meta Model deletion questions.

Deletion is a process by which we selectively pay attention to certain dimensions of our
experience and exclude others. Take, for example, the ability that people have to filter out
or exclude all other sound in a room full of people talking in order to listen to one particular
person's voice. Using the same process, people are able to block themselves from hearing
messages of caring from other people who are important to them.

For example, a man who was convinced that he was not worth caring about complained to
us that his wife never gave him messages of caring. When we visited this man's home, we
became aware that the man's wife did, indeed, express messages of caring to him.

However, as these messages conflicted with the generalization that the man had made
about his own self-worth, he literally did not hear his wife. This was verified when we called
the man's attention to some of these messages, and the man stated that he had not even
heard his wife when she had said those things. Deletion reduces the world to proportions
which we feel capable of handling. The reduction may be useful in some contexts and yet
be the source of pain for us in others. (27)

Here are the six Meta Model deletion questions. Unlike most trainers, we are
presenting the questions first. One reason we are doing this is that the
questions themselves are actually quite simple. (28) (29)

Another reason is that the whole point is to use the questions in real life. Why
swamp the reader with jazzed up jargon? We don't have a $3,000 to $15,000
NLP training program to sell, so we can cut to the chase. (30) (31) (32)

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We use these questions ourselves, and we know that they are easy to use. A
few Meta Model questions go a long way. The best way to understand them is
to get started using them with yourself, your family, and your friends. Just a
few questions at a time, though. Some people may feel like they're being put
on the spot.

THE SIX META MODEL DELETION QUESTIONS

The linguistic labels for what we are seeking to tease out and clarify are (a)
Unspecified nouns, (b) Unspecified verbs, (c) Nominalization (the static
"decision" vs. the dynamic action of deciding), (d) Lack of referential index, (e)
Simple deletion, and (f) Comparative deletion.

These labels are in the same order as the Meta Model questions below. For
example, the unique purpose of asking "What specifically?" is to discover the
unspecified noun that the communicator has unknowingly deleted.

(1) What specifically?

(2) How specifically?

(3) Who, how, what is ...ing?

(4) Who specifically?

(5) About whom? About what?

(6) Compared to whom? Compared to what?

Example (Unspecified verb)

"I feel bad."

"How specifically do you feel bad?"

Let's look at distortion next. There are five Meta Model distortion questions.

Distortion is the process which allows us to make shifts in our experience of sensory data.
Fantasy, for example, allows us to prepare for experiences which we may have before they
occur... Similarly, all the great novels, all the revolutionary discoveries of the sciences,
involve the ability to distort and misrepresent present reality. Using the same technique,
people can limit the richness of their experience.

For example, when our friend mentioned earlier (who had made the generalization that he
was not worth caring for) had the caring messages from his wife pointed out to him, he
immediately distorted them. Specifically, each time that he heard a caring message that he
had previously been deleting, he turned to us, smiling, and said, "She just says that
because she wants something."

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