As stated by Kurt W.
Mortensen, author of Maximum Influence,
“The Law of Verbal Packaging states that the more skillful you are in the use
of language and vocal techniques, the more persuasive you will be” (Mortensen
106). I feel that the Law of Verbal Packaging means that if you are able to
deliver your message skillfully through the use of language, the more
persuasive you will be. Even more so than the Law of Connectivity, I use the Law
of Verbal Packaging the most in my everyday life. This is because the way I say
things to people is one of the determining factors in whether or not I am
persuasive. It is important that I don’t phrase my message in a way that is too
negative or too positive because it can damage my chance at success. Words
shape our thoughts, feelings, and attitudes; even one word can be the
difference between rejection and acceptance (Mortensen 107). You can have the
best product or idea in the world, but if you don’t know how to properly
deliver your message you will not be persuasive. My goals in using this
persuasive principle vary from getting my professor to help me with an
assignment, asking my parents for money, or even getting someone to like me.
This law is an intrinsic part of my everyday life and I need to understand how
to speak to people in order to make it anywhere in life. As I have grown as a
human being I have been able to use this law effectively by understanding other
people’s points of view and how to talk to certain people because every single
person on this planet is different. As life goes on I want to continue to learn
how to improve my ability to phrase and deliver my messages because my skills
can always be improved. Furthermore, I would like to explore how this law can
be applied in non-vocal situations, such as word choice in the descriptions on
products and in written advertisements.
My first example of the Law of Verbal Packaging can be
found in the descriptions on the packaging of everyday products. The other day
I was in the bathroom looking for my face wash and noticed that my sister had
just put her product away. While my product simply said “Oil-Free Acne Wash
Cream Cleanser,” hers had the description of “ultra-calming foaming cleanser
gently cleanses irritated, sensitive skin without over-drying.” The word choice
and depth of description on her product was more appealing than my plain face
wash. Its description made me stop and wonder how her face wash could ultra-calm
my face and it sounded incredibly soothing as a foaming cleanser. I felt the
urge to grab her face wash and use it but I didn’t because the bad things she
would inflict upon me weren’t worth the risk. Nevertheless, if I was in a store
and had to choose between these two products (without knowledge of how
effective they were) I would undoubtedly buy the face wash my sister has because
it is far more persuasive with its word choice and overall appeal.
My next example of the Law of Verbal Packaging is when I
had to get my wisdom teeth pulled. Last summer I went to the dentist to get a
regular cleaning done when he recommended that I get an x-ray to see how my
wisdom teeth were coming along. I didn’t want to get any of my teeth pulled because
I knew that such a process would cause a good deal of pain. Without hesitating
he told me that it was absolutely a possibility, giving me a boost of
confidence that I would be able to keep my teeth. He framed his message in such
a positive manner that he had persuaded me to keep all of my teeth. But when he
showed me the x-ray he was astounded because I had five wisdom teeth. He had
never seen someone with five wisdom teeth before and he was fascinated by the
fact that I had an extra tooth. This fifth tooth made it clear that I had to
get my three bottom (normally two) wisdom teeth pulled. I asked him if I could
keep the top two and he hesitantly said that it was a possibility. The way he
framed his message was neither good or bad and I was persuaded neither way; I
was confused with what I should do. Next I went to an oral surgeon and asked
him if I could keep my top two wisdom teeth, and he was flabbergasted when I
mentioned the possibility. He asked me why I would want to do such a thing and
told me all of the negatives that could come from not removing all of them. The
surgeon even went on to explain that the very small amount of people who do
that need to come back and get them removed later. Although he did mention the
positives of keeping the top two teeth, the negatives outweighed the positives
in a landslide. He framed his message in such a way that he persuaded me to get
all of my wisdom teeth removed, so I did.
My final example of the Law of Verbal Packaging is a
situation in which my friend and I were tricked into doing yard work for his
father. Last summer my friend and I were walking outside to my car planning to
head to a movie that had just come out. My friend’s father was outside doing
yard work and when he saw us he strolled over to us and engaged us in
conversation. As we were chatting he told us to follow him in a very nice way,
so we figured why not go along with him to his destination. He had led us over
to a bush he was trying to pull out and explained to us that he couldn’t do it
by himself. His dad explained that he needed two “strong and muscular” young
men to do the job for him. Although we were in a hurry to get to the movie he
had flattered us with his comments and we decided to help him with his
endeavor. The best thing about his comments, to us, was that he seemed genuine
and said it so kindly with a smile across his face. His word choice and the way
he skillfully delivered his message persuaded us to take the time to pull the
bush out for him.
Since my last blog entry I have attempted to use the Law
of Esteem with a persuasive intention in mind. Kurt W. Mortensen states, “The
Law of Esteem identifies that all humans need and want praise, recognition, and
acceptance” (Mortensen 70). Lately I have been using this law on my sister in
order to get her to help me with small tasks. One day I was sitting on the
couch and my water was on the table across the room where my sister was. I saw
that my sister was wearing her favorite shoes, so I complimented her shoes and
she thanked me. I then asked her if she could pass me my water to which she
kindly complied. This may seem like a small meaningless task, but it was a big
achievement for me because my sister usually never passes me my water bottle;
she makes me get up and retrieve it myself. Another day I noticed that our cats
had no food and needed to be fed, so I tried to persuade my sister to feed them.
She had just gotten a new case for her music player and I told her how great I
thought it was. My sister graciously thanked me and a couple minutes later I
asked her if she could feed the cats. To my surprise my attempt to persuade her
worked because she fed the cats without complaining. If I can persuade my
sister to do even the smallest task it gives me the confidence that I can persuade
anyone. Perhaps in the future I will try this on other people or even persuade
my sister to do larger tasks.
