There's a lot of things talked about using hypnotic suggestion to get other people to do what you want.
Sometimes it's also called conversational hypnosis.
But is it really possible to hypnotize people just by talking to them? The short answer to this question is "yes".
Certain patterns of words are treated by our brains as instructions or commands.
In hypnosis and it's cousin NLP these are called embedded commands.
So, do you want an example of an embedded command? If that's the case, there's one in the sentence above! Although it sounds like a question, there's actually a command in that statement as well: the words "want an example of an embedded command" are treated by your brain as if it does actually want this to happen.
If you study television adverts closely, you'll begin to spot a lot of this kind of wording.
It's hiding in plain sight but, as a consequence, actually passes under our critical radar.
Simply turning commands into questions works a lot of the time.
Another easy trick is to turn your imagination on.
Because we're used to our imagination being linked to stories, our conscious mind takes a rest when it thinks we're being told a story.
So it's really easy to imagine that hypnotic suggestions can be sent direct to our subconscious simply by telling a story.
Using your imagination is fun but beware if you're asked to use it in a serious context - just imagine what would happen if you let your mind run riot without your conscious thoughts getting in the way.
Which, of course, was another embedded command or hypnotic suggestion!