Trial lawyers should investigate the concepts of NLP. NLP stands for ‘Neuro Linguistic Programming’ and has been around since 1970’s when its co-founders, Richard Bandler and John Grinder first modelled the therapists Milton Erickson, Gregory Bateson, Fritz Perls and Virginia Satir. Neuro Linguistic Programming enables us to better understand the way our brain (neuro) processes the words we use (linguistic) and how that can impact on our past, present and future (programming). It gives us strategies for dealing with human behavior and motivating communication.

NLP has many facets and applications. They include the idea of building rapport with someone through “mirroring” which involves mimicking the body language and verbal output of the other person. It also outlines the concept of “anchoring.” Anchoring” in psychology means associating a specific external stimulus, like a sound, smell, or touch, with a particular internal emotional state, so that experiencing the stimulus later automatically triggers that same emotion, effectively acting as a mental “anchor” to recall a feeling.

In addition, NLP explains the important application of “power words and phrases” which are specific words or phrases that evoke strong emotional responses and can significantly influence a person’s behavior. They act as a powerful tool to persuade or motivate. They are used in communication and marketing strategies to achieve desired outcomes by tapping into the listener’s subconscious mind. These words and phrases are intended to trigger positive emotions, create a sense of urgency, or establish trust and influence the listener’s actions and decisions. NLP embedded commands involve the use of subtle language patterns that aim to bypass the conscious mind of the listener and directly influence their subconscious. This is done through presuppositions, which are assumptions implied within verbal structures. There are dozens of power words and phrases you can use. However, one of the most powerful is this:

Imagine
The word “imagine” is a trance phrase all on its own. As soon as you ask someone to imagine something you are altering their state of consciousness. This is because they have to go inside and imagine whatever it is that you’ve asked them to imagine. There are several other words that have a similar effect, but the most powerful is “imagine”. Using this word is very simple all you have to do is use it as a command with people. Using this technique in your communications can have significant impact on the listeners subconscious mind and response. Some examples of this idea include these:

Imagine yourself confidently giving a presentation in front of a large audience.”

“Picture yourself waking up feeling refreshed and energized every morning.”

“Can you visualize achieving your goal and how it would feel?” 

The application of the technique with power words and phrases includes these examples:

1. If I were to ask what is important to you about_______(like) (most satisfying)
2. I’m wondering if you can remember a time when_____
3. What would it be like (if you could)_____
4. How would it feel (sound) (look) if_______
5. What’s it like when you_____
6. What happens when you_____

These are only some of the ideas that you might find helpful in your personal life as well as your professional activities as well. I recommend you look into these concepts for yourself.