It’s easy to lose the forest for the trees.
What does that mean, anyway?
Think of a big, huge forest, expanding over several thousand acres, backed by huge snow capped mountains that would make Ansel Adams blush.
But instead of noticing all the huge immense beauty, you get hung up on some small piece of bark on one single tree. Because you’re so focused on that small square inch of bar, you don’t notice the vast beauty surrounding you.
Language is the same way. There is the forest, which is the structure, and there is the content, which are the individual tree.
The content are the actual words that we use, oftentimes jumbled together without much thought or intention. A kind of impromptu “word salad” that most people spew out in hopes of getting whatever it is they want.
Structure, on the other hand, is everything else. Our intention, our body language, our facial expressions, our beliefs about ourselves, the grammatical and linguistic structure of our sentences.
Structure is the realm of persuasion. The realm of deep insight and mental penetration that will get them nodding yes before they even comprehend your message.
Structure is what persuades. Only 7% of our communication is words, or content. The bark on the tree.
The other 93% is structure. The vast forest filled with endless beauty.
Here’s another secret. When most people are persuaded, they think they’re persuaded by content, when in reality, they’re persuaded by structure.
Humans are ALWAYS persuaded by structure.
Which means if you learn some structure, and focus on THAT, the words, or content, won’t matter so much.
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