How to Coach Yourself and Others How to Influence, Persuade and Motivate | Page 316

[14]George Kelling and Catherine Coles, Fixing Broken Windows (New York:
Touchstone, 1996).
[15]Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point (New York: Little Brown, 2000), p.
142.
[16]Maxwell and Dornan, Becoming a Person of Influence, pp. 71–72.
[17]P. Zimbardo, C. Banks, and C. Haney, "Interpersonal Dynamics in a
Simulated Prison," International Journal of Criminology and Penology (1973):
73.

Pacing and Leading
Another application of the Rule of Expectations is the concept of pacing
and leading. This is part of NLP, or "neurolinguistic programming."
Pacing involves establishing rapport and making persuasive
communication easier; leading involves steering your prospect toward
your point of view. Pacing and leading will enable you to direct a person's
thoughts so they tend to move in your direction.
When you pace, you validate your prospects either verbally or
nonverbally; that is, you are in agreement or rapport with your prospects.
As a result, they feel comfortable and congruent with you. Pacing entails
using statements everyone accepts as true. By doing so, you eliminate
disagreement and get others to agree with what you are saying. The topic
either can be proven true or is commonly accepted as true.
An example of a pacing question (obviously true):
Most people would love to be financially free and end their money
worries forever.
Once you have established rapport and harmony with your prospect, you
can create expectation of agreement. You must have general agreement
before you can lead your prospect to your point of view. You then begin
to use statements that you want your prospect to agree with, even though
they haven't consciously and/or publicly acknowledged that they do.
An example of a leading question (you want your prospect to accept):
The answer to your financial problem is providing the right training at the
right time by the right person.
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