Hypnotists: Want an EASY way to get much better results? Start paying very close attention to the exact words that your clients use.
We all use words to describe events, feelings, problems, or desires. The words that we use tend to resonate with us, which is why we use them!
If you’re a hypnotist, you’re probably doing some form of client interview before you do any formal change work. Obviously, you want to gather information before you hypnotize someone. Otherwise, it’s like buying a plane ticket and boarding the aircraft without any idea where you want to travel.
The client interview is the most important information-gathering opportunity that you have, as a hypnotist. There are generally two types of questions you’ll be asking. One set of questions is about describing the problem, while the other set of questions is about identifying the desired outcome.
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In short, you‘ll be asking your clients some version of these questions:
- What is the problem?
- What do you want to have happen?
When you conduct the interview, your objectives should be two-fold. First, you want to build rapport. That’s because you’ll get better results for clients if they feel like you understand them. Second, you need to understand their problem and their desired outcome so you can help them.
You’ll want to write down the exact words and phrases that your clients use because it will help with both of these objectives.
First, realize that your clients’ words have specific meaning to them. If they say “I feel down and low energy”, resist the urge to interpret this and summarize it as “depressed and tired”. If they say they are “uncertain” that is not the same as “confused”. Your clients’ own words will resonate best with them. That’s why your client chose those words to describe the problem in the first place! Using their own words will help them feel understood, and you’ll get stronger rapport.
Second, you’ll be able to use their exact words to elicit further information about the problem and desired outcome. If your client tells you she feels like she’s “stuck on a merry-go-round, just going in circles and never getting anywhere”, you can replay these exact words while asking clarifying questions. You’ll get further, faster, especially if you ask questions aimed towards identifying a solution in the same vein as the original metaphor.
If a client describes a feeling of being “burnt out”, this is where you’ll elicit more information about when, specifically, that feeling pops up. Maybe it’s after coming home from a long day at work … and careful questioning will reveal a lot more important details.
Imagine if you instead said, “Oh, I hear you. You feel tired at the end of the day.” You could be hitting the nail on the head, but why take a chance of being perceived as totally wrong? Their “burnt out” feeling could be an emotional sensation and nothing at all to do with physical energy.
Don’t interpret. Ask questions and use their exact words.
Your client’s words are not only the key to understanding their problem, but they are also the key to identifying the solution. And while it’s not our intention to teach the problem solving portion in this short blog post, a good hypnotist will easily be able to use the client intake session to intuitively decide what to do when it comes to the hypnosis session.
Ask good questions. Take good notes. Use your client’s actual words. If you want to take this further, we suggest you join the Mike Mandel Hypnosis Academy. Your access includes a full course called “The Architecture of Change”, where we teach you exactly how to conduct a client interview. You’ll love it!
Sign up right here.
