I posted a status update on Facebook yesterday (as an experiment) and asked a question. While I’m not the greatest fan of Spiders, I wasn’t in fact the one to run first. Did you notice though, how those that responded to my status update, naturally assumed that I did?
That is their subconscious at work.
The Subconscious Mind of Elephants
There’s often an example of elephants cited to demonstrate the power of the subconscious mind, and it goes something like this:
If you tie a baby elephant’s leg to a pole or a tree with a rope or chain, the elephant will struggle for a while, but will eventually resign itself to the fact that it can’t be done.
Take the same elephant in adulthood and tie its leg to a pole, and even though it has the strength to break free, it won’t even attempt it due to its learned experience.
[Incidentally, this is a real practice that takes place in circuses around the world. Sorry to break that news to you. I know, its harsh.]
How does this relate to humans? This example is relevant, because while we can often know things consciously, it’s the subconscious mind that actually holds our beliefs, and thus drives our behavior and emotions.
You’ve probably heard about affirmations, and possibly even affirmations: Daily exercises designed to help you consciously re-program your subconscious to free yourself of limiting beliefs and behaviors.
For many it’s a proven way of actively programming yourself for a positive outcome.
An interesting point of note, however, is that when you consciously ask your subconscious mind a question (or indeed are asked one), it does in fact provide you with an answer.
When You Know Your Audience, You Can Leverage their Subconscious
When you ask your audience the right question, you can leverage the power of their subconscious mind to communicate the desired message back to them (though you have to have tried the exercise above to know this actually works).
You can try this trick on yourself.
Ask yourself: “Why is courage so natural for me?”Then, just close your eyes, and let your subconscious give you the answer. It might take a few seconds, but believe me, the answers are there.
Did you notice a difference in how you suddenly felt? Did a calm come over you? Now you have a more affirmed reason for having more courage, just by asking yourself a simple question.
This is how the subconscious works; it gives you a strong reason when asked the right question. Of course, this isn’t some Jedi mind trick from Star Wars, it’s just a way of getting the right answers to your audience without spelling it out, with a more lasting result.
Isn’t that clever? Some examples that you probably already know are:
Microsoft: “Where do you want to go today?”
Cadbury’s Creme Egg: “How do you eat yours?”
Sometimes this technique is used to save you time in terms of copywriting, but often it’s a way of getting your prospects thinking about your product/service or brand.
