Gilan Gork - Persuasion Games: Will you persuade or be persuaded? Learn the mind games of influence and how to win them

Will you persuade or be persuaded?

Learn the mind games of influence and how to win them

GILAN GORK

I dedicate this book to my parents, Avrille and Monty, who have always been the most incredible influences in my life.

Persuasion Games

by Gilan Gork

Copyright Gilan Gork 2015, Johannesburg, South Africa.

All rights reserved. This publication may not be copied or reproduced in whole or in part by any means or in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of the author.

ISBN 978-0-620-65862-1

Kindle Edition

Gilan Gorks website is: www.gilangork.com.

Gilan Gork is an internationally acclaimed mentalist who regularly features on prime-time TV shows as well as in media interviews and press articles.

With more than eighteen years professional experience, Gilan has been dubbed the Master of Influence.

Gilans live mentalism shows look impressively psychic in nature! However, he never claims any supernatural powerseverything he does is achieved through a shrewd combination of psychology, sleight of mind and other skills he has spent a lifetime developing.

Gilan is in great demand as a corporate speaker and trainer. He shows businesspeople that being able to read and influence people is the key to success in leadership, sales, negotiation and other business contexts.

More information about Gilan and this book at www.gilangork.com

www.facebook.com/ImTheMentalist

www.twitter.com/ImTheMentalist

www.youtube.com/GilanGorkTV

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Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy

Isaac Newton

Would you like to see something amazing? Look at the photo below.

Take a good look at the photo for about five seconds, and then continue reading. Its okay, Ill wait for you.

Heres my question: what did you see in the photo? If you like, you can take another quick look before reading on.

You probably think you saw a photo of me holding a piece of paper on which Id written the word NITE. This is a perfectly good conclusion to come to. Its the conclusion everyone comes to. However, I can give you a solid, gold-plated guarantee that you did not see what you think you saw. Later on in this book, Ill explain what I mean. I think youll find the truth rather amazing.

Its not just amazingit has a lot to do with persuasion, which is the endlessly fascinating realm of this book.

You are in the persuasion business whether you realise it or not. So am I, and so is everyone else. If this is not immediately obvious, let me mention a few examples of what I mean.

Have you ever tried to get someone to go out on a date with you, or to ask you out on a date? Have you ever attended an interview to get a job, a better job or a raise? Have you ever haggled over the price of something or tried to get a better bargain? Have you ever tried to get your partner or a group of friends to see the movie you want to see or go to the restaurant you happen to prefer? Have you ever tried to get a teenager to tidy his or her room? (In my teenage years, my parents gave me a porcelain sign for my door: My room was clean yesterday. So sorry you missed it.)

Theres no getting around it: we are all persuading, and being persuaded, every day of our lives. Sometimes were aware of it, sometimes not. Sometimes persuasion works very well, and on other occasions it fails miserably.

Its a fascinating subject, and one that has obvious links to countless different fields: from advertising to business negotiations, from the art of management to the even more delicate art of making sure that a first date isnt also a last one.

Persuasion games have been my pursuit and my passion for a very long time. In my case, its more than just a detached, academic interest. In my professional work, which Ill tell you about a little later, I have to be able to persuade people to do as I wish or else I dont eatand I dont like to go hungry!

Im intrigued by the persuasion techniques that work, why they work, and how to make them work better. Im also interested in some of the techniques that dont workand why people still believe in them.

In my opinion, its fair to say that influence and persuasion are fundamental forces of human society. To understand these forces is to understand a great deal about how people tick and how we are all living our lives in a criss-crossing maze of persuasions and evasions all the time.

In this book, Ill be your personal tour guide through the fascinating realm of persuasion and influence, myth and reality. Among other things, Ill share some inside information that will help you to be a more successful persuader. Ill also be talking about a very special group of people who could claim to be the unsung heroes of the persuasion business: professional psychics! More about them later.

And at some stage, Ill explain why you really, truly, honestly did not see what you thought you saw in that NITE photo!

So, if youre ready let the persuasion games begin!

My name is Gilan Gork. If youre from outside my native South Africa, that name probably looks a bit unusual. Even if you are from South Africa, its still a little unusual! Ive spent hours of my life pointing out that my name is not cork. I sometimes think I could have saved a lot of time just by going with cork and having done with it.

I do four things.

I entertain people by reading minds, shaping thoughts and predicting decisions. I dont know if that sounds like fun, but it is. As far as Im concerned, the human mind is the most amazing thing in the world. We understand a lot about how it works, but theres still plenty of wonder and mystery to be found in the realm of the mind, which is what my shows are all about. By the way, if you want to know the secrets behind all my mind-reading demonstrations, they are all fully explained in the section starting on page 210.

My fascination with the art, science and mythology of persuasion led me to branch out into the world of corporate talks and training. These days, I spend a lot of my time teaching top business executives how to apply some of my skills to many typical business situationsin sales, management and leadership.

When Im not entertaining people or coaching executives, I travel the world to meet other people who share my fascination with the workings of the mind, particularly in the areas of influence and persuasion. I am always learning, expanding my own knowledge and seeking out the best teachers on the planet to help me to refine my skills.

Finally, I do what I can to help people discover the power of their mind, and how to overcome problems like doubt, fear and uncertainty. Im not a therapist, healer or guru, and I never try to be. Nonetheless, every once in a while I get the chance to show people they can find a way past their doubts and fears, and live life with a relaxed, happy and confident attitude. I might not do this every day or in every meeting, but when I do it feels like a good thing to do.