Using Confusion to Your Advantage

There is an old adage, if you can’t convince them, confuse them. Sounds silly and slightly fun. However, this can be used as a good persuasion technique. Try to remember the last time you were really confused. It could have been trying to follow someone’s street directions or an exam questions. Try to remember how you felt. Chances are it wasn’t pleasant. In fact confusion is something that most humans do not like. It is an uncomfortable, unnatural and even stressful state that we try to escape from quickly.

People will try really hard to get out of their confused state as fast as they can. This is where persuasion works and confusion can be your friend.

There is a persuasion technique known and the bind and double bind theory. This actually helps to promote a state of confusion. The trick is to offer two choices that are essentially the same thing. For example, “would you like to make an appointment now or set up a time when we can have a chat?” The person thinks they are being offered a choice when actually they are being offered the same thing.

Another example is you could create a more productive work environment or lead the workers by example. Again, the person is being offered a single choice but thinks they are being given 2.

The confusion comes in with the use of the word "or". "Or" generally tells us that the opposite of what was previously said is going to come next. "Or" can also tell us that something different will be next. When you use "or" in a bind combination it can create confusion. The person is expecting something different and doesn’t get it. The confusion ensued and they will want to escape. This means they will are more likely to perform the action that you suggested.

This may sound a bit mean but the truth is, binding is constantly used. The sales industry and surveys uses binds to convince you to buy as well as alter results. As with all things the power of this technique alone does not make it unethical, what it is being used for determines whether it is ethical. If you truly have teh best interests of the other person in mind, you should do all you can to persuade them to take action.

If you want to get a certain result for someone, try confusing them with a bind combination. You may end up getting what you want quite easily.