> A thought for the day: Francois, Duc de La
> Rochefoucauld, said,
> "We rarely find that people have good
> sense unless they agree
> with us."

Hi Richard,

Thanks for the thought.... All I can say is "how true".... (and I'm not just saying that).

I guess that links in with what is known among sales people as "pacing and leading"....

Build rapport first... then go where you want to go....

Be agreeable first.... then state what you want to say....

It makes for better harmony and communication.... Many of us do this automatically without even thinking about it, especially if we want someone to like us....

By the way, I also read a story about this -- though this is a story about a professional hypnotist.

At a party, two people started yelling at each other, and were almost ready to get into a fist fight.

There was a hypnotist there. The hypnotist leaped into action, and went towards the two people. But instead of speaking calmly, the hypnotist started yelling too.

"YEAH, THAT'S TERRIBLE! THAT GUY IS TERRIBLE!" the hypnotist shouted, then started to gradually make his voice softer.... "But you should calm down, and take things a bit more slowly...."

It worked. The hypnotist was agreeable first -- in this case, by shouting too. First by building rapport with the man who was shouting, by SHOUTING too.... then, took the man to a calmer state, after some rapport was built.

I read this story in a book written by British hypnotist Paul McKenna

Thanks Richard for the stimulating post! :)

I love all that you've shared... :)

Dien Rice