The most poisonous phrases of black rhetoric. What is black rhetoric? Basic rules, power and magic of the word. Contrast black - white states the position

Black rhetoric is a magic demagogic tool that allows you to inspire your opponent with a different point of view.

The magic power of linguistic means lies in the ability to argue and debate, accentuate, propagandize and conduct an argument so that the speaker always gains the upper hand - by hook or by crook.

Dr. Carsten Bredemeier, author of the world's best-selling Black Rhetoric, brings you the brightest manipulative black rhetoric tricks for all occasions. You need to know them in order to be able to defend against them, neutralize them or use them, immediately reacting to the words of the interlocutor.

Secret # 1

All kinds of "underwear", remarks and maneuvers that can cause displeasure of the interlocutor. They are needed in a conversation in order to demonstrate their own superiority.

How to use:

It is necessary to consider who you are talking to, what goal you are pursuing and what is the general background of this discussion.

Deliberate provocations and deliberately non-standard thought moves will definitely bring you success, but first you must learn to adequately assess your interlocutors and clearly imagine the true state of affairs.

Conversation strategy allows you to seize dominant positions yourself or neutralize the initially dominant position of your opponent / conversation partner.

Secret # 2

You will be able to profitably "sell" your words only if you learn to purposefully present your own arguments and make the interlocutor listen to you.

How to use:

Hone your rhetorical and dialectical skills.

Cleanse your speech of verbal and psychological evidence of your incompetence or failure.

Saturate your statements with facts and give the interlocutor a clear orientation.

On the eve of responsible negotiations, consistently and professionally summarize what exactly you want to convey to the consciousness of the interlocutor, say your wording aloud out loud - this will help you identify possible shortcomings.

As briefly as possible, define the position of the opposing side, come up with possible examples of statements that you have to hear.

Repeat the most important points of your message often, and come back to them again and again in various fragments of the conversation and at the next meetings.

Support deliberate provocation with irrefutable facts and winning information for you.

Secret number 3

Bluff when circumstances warrant. A successful bluff is better than a painful defeat!

Failure does not contribute to future success at all. Forget the common consolation formulas that you probably heard after another failure - all these are just empty words that have nothing to do with what is really happening. Instead, try to bluff in some way, for example, if you notice some signs of insecurity on the part of your counterpart.

How to use:

The rules of the game can be changed, adjusted for yourself and for the situation, but it is best to set them again every time. Never agree to play by someone else's rules if they do not suit you, instead put forward your own.

Everyone gets the partner they deserve, educate yourself - and, if necessary, your partner.

Don't expect your opponent to offer you to take over the game. Only you can take the initiative.

You should never underestimate the cards in your hand, however, if your chances of success seem downright weak to you, feel free to take risks and bluff.

A good card may or may not go into your hands, so you should always have a couple of trump cards in hand.

... and finally: never forget to point out to your opponent that your advantage can be good for him too. Your own benefit should become attractive to the opposing side as well.

Secret number 4

You should not always rely only on magical power words, the strategy of silence also has its advantages. Silence is an element of communication that only a few possess, and very few people know how to use it purposefully and consciously.

How to use:

In the process of active communication, silence is one of the tricks that allows you to instill in the interlocutor a strong feeling of insecurity, forcing him, literally in one or two seconds, to start saying whatever he wants, just not to be silent.

Use this opportunity, try to just keep silent somehow, and you will see that your opponent will immediately say too much or rashly agree to a compromise that is unfavorable for him.

Try not to break off ahead of time, pause until the end. Silence can successfully replace the lack of necessary arguments, provoking the interlocutor to interrupt the pause without waiting for an explanation from you - this is also one of the ways to conduct a conversation.

Secret # 5

Check the information given to you carefully and do not let your attention shift from the main to the secondary.

Manipulations succeed mainly due to the focusing of the recipient's attention on secondary things that obscure the circumstances that are really important for making a decision.

How to use:

The more persistently they impose on you a certain model for evaluating the offered information, the more reasons you have to refuse it.

If you are offered certain criteria choice or ready-made facts, carefully weigh whether they are so revealing.

Imposed perceptual patterns are an excellent foundation for manipulation.

Mobbing (group psychological terror of a colleague in the workplace) is based on the same scheme. Often there is a completely conscious blurring of another person's perception of the real state of affairs.

If you ever feel that you lose the ability to think independently or develop any topic, you cannot explain your point of view, sit down calmly and think if such techniques are not used against you too.

Every person whose activities are related to negotiation probably asked questions: how to manage the interlocutor in order to always be the winner? Can you force your opponent to change his point of view? The answers to them - in a special style of negotiations, which, with the light hand of Carsten Bredemeier, was called "black rhetoric". By owning it, you can influence the interlocutor, literally leaving him no chance of resistance. It is not for nothing that black rhetoric is sometimes called a "magic demagogic tool."

Black rhetoric: the magic of words or the art of manipulation?

Let's make a reservation right away that black rhetoric is a tough manipulative style. Rhetoric is present in it as one of the components along with dialectics - the science of verbal persuasion, eristics - the art of arguing and slavery - the ability to argue, giving the facts and arguments of the opponent an advantageous color for themselves.

Consider the technologies with which the master of black rhetoric achieves power in negotiations:

Possessing the techniques of ordinary rhetoric, built on trust and mutual understanding, he successfully breaks them at any moment, as soon as he feels the weakness of the opposite side: he becomes tough, even cynical, causing confusion in his opponent.
He knows how to shut up and hold a pause exactly when a decision is expected from him, creating additional tension and nervousness.
He always seeks to find the key to the emotions and feelings of the interlocutor, and then manipulates them, "blurring the boundaries of the dialogue." This allows you to take control of the negotiations into your own hands.
He understands what the interlocutor expects of him, and gives an unexpected reaction: where consent is expected, he resists, in controversial moments he unexpectedly leaves the conflict.
He clearly knows what he wants and repeatedly repeats the necessary thought so that the opponent eventually begins to perceive it as meeting the general interests.
Asks questions "head-on": "Can you hear yourself?", "Imagine yourself in my place. How would you react to what I heard now? " So he either sidetracks the conversation, or gains time to maneuver.
Knows how to create positive images in the imagination of the interlocutor, which help him to take even a disadvantageous side for himself.
Uses sophistry - a paradoxical denial of objective truth: "it's clear the horse, if there are horns!" Lawyers often resort to such techniques, especially when speaking at court sessions as lawyers, when any logical mistake of the opponent can become a reason for building counter argumentation.

How to avoid falling prey to black rhetoric?

Even if you internally reject black rhetoric as your own negotiating style, it is worth examining it from a security perspective. This will allow you to protect yourself from manipulation by the interlocutor, who is not so scrupulous in choosing methods of verbal influence.

Receiving black rhetoric	Opponent's goal	How to protect yourself
Cheating and incorrect remarks about the opponent	Gaining superiority in negotiations	Skip deaf ears or return the interlocutor to the main thing
Fact manipulation, sophistry	Confuse, demoralize the enemy, make him doubt his own competence	Prepare carefully for negotiations: check all the facts concerning their topic, try to anticipate the position of the opposite side in advance and prepare short convincing arguments.
Pressure on the interlocutor in the form of time limits, etc.	Accelerate the adoption of a beneficial decision for him	Take a break or openly seek a compromise: show how your offer is beneficial to your opponent
The opponent is suddenly silent	Throw you off balance and make you say too much	Silence. Pause until the end if "it's not your move."
Ignoring important information and shifting attention to secondary	The desire to impose your own point of view on you	Check the information, refuse the system of assessing what is happening insistently offered to you, analyze whether the facts that are announced to you as arguments are so significant.

Thus, black rhetoric in the right hands is a powerful means of manipulation, against which, however, there is a defense. First of all, this is a calm, balanced position and good preparation for negotiations, excluding the game on your weak competence and unprofessionalism.

And manipulation, which is based on a good reasoning, allowing the opponent to instill a favorable persuading point of view. Many people use it today.

The difference between Karsten Bredemeier's black rhetoric and classic white rhetoric is as follows. The usual rhetoric is carried out taking into account certain ethical rules, while the black ignores them.

Fundamentals of Black Rhetoric

Such a combination of persuasive techniques was described in Bredemeier's book Black Rhetoric: Power and the Magic of the Word. She uses the following speech techniques to the maximum:

Rhetoric. The science of public speaking, using techniques and with the aim of persuading the audience or an opponent to their side and inspiring them with their arguments.
Dialectics. The science of verbal persuasion and negotiation with the aim of reaching agreement between a partner through understanding each other, while achieving the desired result.
Eristic. The art of skillfully waging a dispute in order to achieve victory in it.
Rabulistics. A small section of eristics, which consists of a set of argumentation techniques, during which the arguments given by the opponent are slightly perverted and presented in a slightly different form.

The techniques described in Black Rhetoric: Power and the Magic of the Word provide an opportunity for a purposeful discussion with virtually anyone. It doesn't matter whether he is aggressive towards you or positive, you have many points of contact with him or your opinions differ completely. The power of black rhetoric will allow you to come to a consensus, understand each other and plant the thoughts you need in your opponent's head.

As already noted, a huge set of all kinds of methods of colloquial art is used. Managers or sales agents of various companies have long been using all the tools for building a dialogue available to them, both on clients and on their colleagues. They are adept at using both verbal persuasion techniques and non-verbal, that is, body language.

Applying techniques

Anyone who uses Carsten's black rhetoric is breaking the rules of ordinary rhetoric. The manipulator strongly supports the opinion of his interlocutor that the dialogue is conducted taking into account the interests of both parties, in every possible way creating the appearance of partnership, openness and friendliness. In this case, in fact, there is a consistent destruction of any probability of resistance from the opponent.

A speaker using black rhetoric is a person who is in a continuous search for new ways and methods of influence, which he will use when those that are working at the moment cease their influence.

Hidden in the sleeve of such a manipulator is a huge variety of various models of speech construction and refined techniques, with the help of which he is able to seriously blur the boundaries of dialogue. The main thing for him is to achieve the set task, and all sorts of generally accepted norms for conducting a conversation and the like do not matter.

The black speaker destroys the old boundaries of the conversation, and then builds new ones, taking into account new arguments, far-fetched problems created by him, as well as new logical structures (but without taking into account the old ones). Together with constructive suggestions, he acts with destructive denial.

All the power and magic of black rhetoric lies in the skillful management of words using all available possibilities of speech and language, as well as in the use of techniques aimed at disrupting the usual train of thought of the opponent.

Silence is gold

The aerobatics of black rhetoric is the abrupt creation of a turbulent vacuum through unexpected silence. The outcome of such a vacuum is the solution of the problem (or simply agreement) here and now.

Anyone who is able to do this, using a wide range of word control techniques, will certainly be able to get a decisive advantage both in conversation and in resolving the current situation, no matter how difficult it may seem initially.

Conversation control

In rhetoric, people who play by their own rules achieve victory also by playing on the feelings of the opponent. The winner of such a verbal battle will be the one who will be able to pick up the key to the opponent's emotions.

Nobody, of course, will reveal their real plans, tactics and motives during the negotiations. Often, for the losing side, they remain under a veil of secrecy even after a verbal battle.

The black speaker will do his best to avoid open clash of opinions. Instead, he will try to confuse the opponent, swing him and lead the conversation completely in the wrong place, where the opponent needs.

At the moment when the general confusion from what is happening reaches its critical point, the course of the discussion turns sharply in the other direction, beneficial for the clever manipulator who planned it in advance. When a problem was already artificially created, from which everyone was completely confused, and the course of the conversation changed, the black speaker provides everyone with the supposedly necessary solution to the situation.

In this situation, the manipulator leaves the interlocutors out of the conversation and receives consent to his proposal, as well as general recognition.

Users of black rhetoric are skillful conversational manipulators who control the conversation and turn it in the direction they need, while cunningly convincing the other participants of their own disinterest.

Dexterous speaker tactics

One of the main tactics of orators using black rhetoric is playing on the contrasts of communication, the incessant creation of emotional contradictions, in the manifestation of which, as a rule, a certain illogicality is observed, in contrast to ordinary rhetoric, which has an unconditional connection with logic.

Thus, when in the situation, it would seem, there should be resistance, the manipulator will be meek, but he will certainly begin to resist just when his rival will count on the manifestation of meekness and reaching a compromise.

Repetition is the mother of learning

One of the techniques of the dark in order to effectively and imperceptibly put the desired idea in the head of the interlocutor is to repeat the same thought as many times as possible. Naturally, you should not repeat the same sentence over and over like a robot, otherwise the interlocutor will decide that something is wrong or perceive it as disrespect for himself.

The necessary thought must be expressed in a variety of forms, and the more of these forms, the better and more imperceptible. Use synonyms, support an opinion that is authoritative for the interlocutor, which is similar to yours. In general, use whatever comes to hand and present the main idea many times and in different forms.

Direct questions

If you notice that they are blatantly lying to your face, it will be effective to ask the question as directly as possible, something like this: "Did you hear yourself? Tell me, if you were in my place, would you believe your own words?"

If you feel that your opponent is pushing their idea hard, it can be effective to distract and sidetrack him with questions. This is effective if the opponent is using the previous tactic. And the more often he is distracted, the more difficult it is for him to keep track of the progress of the dialogue, the less likely the success of the suggestion on his part, the easier it will be for you to push your idea.

A good option would be to sharpen your and his attention on some insignificant detail and procrastinate it from all sides until the opponent finally loses his original thought.

Even if this option does not succeed and the opponent can still stand his ground, you can still ask him questions that go astray, and while he answers them, think carefully about your moves.

Create an image

In the event that you and the interlocutor do not have a serious confrontation of opinions, but you still need to lead him to something, try to create a certain image in the head of your interlocutor, which he himself will want to follow.

Thus, you do not have to directly convince a person using serious argumentation, as soon as you are able to create a positive image of your idea in his mind, he will convince himself.

Traversing reality

The method by which one can bypass objective reality by applying flexible pseudological constructions is called sophistry. Using this method, it is quite possible to convince the interlocutor, for example, that white is actually black.

For example, in the following saying one can observe the obvious use of sophistry: "What you have not lost, you have. You have not lost your horns, so you have horns." It seems that you can trace the logic, but it seems complete nonsense.

Sophisms may seem logical, because the patterns of one are applied completely to the other, or there is a pull out of context.

The basis of such logical errors, which a skillful speaker can easily apply in practice, is that one of the judgments turns out to be unverified, thus the further construction of a logical chain is in danger of completely losing its truth.

Practices of black rhetoric

People who use the persuasion techniques described by Carsten Bredemeier in Black Rhetoric: Power and the Magic of the Word can be found in almost every professional field. The most frequent users are: psychologists, personal trainers, all kinds of consultants and lawyers.

In lawyer's or prosecutorial practice, there are certain guidelines according to which a lawyer must build his speech in order to achieve the greatest efficiency. First, the argumentation must be beneficial, while it must contain facts, albeit not so significant for the case as a whole.

All speech should be built on one idea as a pivot, and other facts should, as it were, revolve around this idea. Arguments should be structured in such a way that the opposite side does not have the opportunity to refute.

It is not necessary to stock up on a whole bunch of arguments, the main thing is that they have real weight in the eyes of those present.

Ecology of life. Live and accurate use linguistic means are the key to communicative success. At the same time, the power of speech ...

Black rhetoric - this is the manipulation of all the necessary rhetorical, dialectical, eristic and rabulistic techniques in order to direct the conversation in the desired direction and lead the opponent or the public to the conclusion and result we want.

Drawing on the work of Cicero and British MP William Gerard Hamilton, who analyzed thousands of speeches in the House of Commons from 1754 to 1796, Wolf Schneider developed in his book a few rules of dodgy black rhetoricwhich Bredemeier declared general:

1. The way of expression should be simple and accurate - “look into the mouth of the people” (Luther).

Lively and accurate use of language tools is the key to communicative success. At the same time, the power of speech lies not only in the clarity of simple thought courses, but also in the sophistication of subtle inferences, the purpose of which is ultimately the same: to be extremely convincing.

2. The speaker should clearly highlight the main points in his speech.

As an example, Schneider cites a leaflet of 1789, that is, during the French Revolution, in which its author, Abbot Sieyes, speaks of the role of the proletariat, the broad masses of the people (the third estate):

“What is the third estate? All!
What does it mean today? Nothing!
What does he need today? All!"

The main points should be stated within a few seconds or one minute, the main point should be clear and convincing. Therefore, in the modern interpretation, this leaflet should have ended with an unambiguous call to action:

"Help us change the status quo through revolution!"

3. A compelling main message, a clear mission-statement, focuses the entire message.

A social sound background accompanies speech, slogans accentuate the idea. These clenched arguments are by no means ideas on the way to a phrase, but commands to change something, comparable to the headlines of posters that, in the words of Norman Mailer, present "events of world history in the form of a pill." Shaw wasn’t the only one who knew that a good battlecry earned half the victory.

4. The focus of the message is followed by constant repetition of the main idea.

Cato's classic phrase "I believe Carthage must be destroyed" has long reminded us that repetition main idea reliably fixes it in the mind of the interlocutor, making it all the more attractive and convincing.

5. The contrast of black and white states the position.

Even if speech or argumentation provides the interlocutor with a whole kaleidoscope of opportunities for reaction, in the oppositions "yes or no", "either-or", "black or white", a certain orientation, conviction of the speaker appears. The need for choice makes it difficult to access the main idea, and it is no coincidence that the word presentation means "presentation" (of your position).

6. Blurring the boundaries between truth and lies, information and its intentional concealment gives an advantage.

Anyone who, point by point, disputes certain arguments, or in general everything that he hears, confuses the interlocutors. But only the one who plunges the knife into the most vulnerable spot achieves success. An overly complex and detailed explanation dilutes the solidity of the argument. An example of simplicity and clarity is shown to us by one of the well-known dogmas of the church: “I believe, then there is God” - even if you think that this is not so.

7. Only targeted statements bring success.

Anyone who is engaged only in refuting the opponent's argumentation leaves him a lot of opportunities to escape defeat. To force the opponent to speak, to embarrass him - this is what you need to achieve by opposing him. And then success is guaranteed.

One of the most sought-after communicators and media trainers in the world.

Dr. Bredemeier's seminar "Provocative Rhetoric" was recognized as the best in the nomination "Rhetoric, Focus on Dialogue".

Dr. Bredemeier is a shareholder and partner in various companies including Inforoad / Clever-Tanken GmbH and Provimedia GmbH.

Carsten Bredemeier conducts intensive training courses, including for communication with the media and television appearances. He also advises large and medium-sized companies on personnel development, organizational development and communication problems.

His books on communication art have been published over 135 times and have been translated into 10 languages.

Black rhetoric is a magic demagogic tool that allows you to inspire your opponent with a different point of view.

The magic power of linguistic means lies in the ability to argue and debate, accentuate, propagandize and conduct an argument so that the speaker always gains the upper hand - by hook or by crook.

Secret number 1

All kinds of "underwear", remarks and maneuvers that can cause displeasure of the interlocutor. They are needed in a conversation in order to demonstrate their own superiority.

How to use:

It is necessary to consider who you are talking to, what goal you are pursuing and what is the general background of this discussion.
Deliberate provocations and deliberately non-standard thought moves will definitely bring you success, but first you must learn to adequately assess your interlocutors and clearly imagine the true state of affairs.
Conversation strategy allows you to seize dominant positions yourself or neutralize the initially dominant position of your opponent / conversation partner.

Secret # 2

You will be able to profitably "sell" your words only if you learn to purposefully present your own arguments and make the interlocutor listen to you.

How to use:

Hone your rhetorical and dialectical skills.
Cleanse your speech of verbal and psychological evidence of your incompetence or failure.
Saturate your statements with facts and give the interlocutor a clear orientation.
On the eve of responsible negotiations, consistently and professionally summarize what exactly you want to convey to the consciousness of the interlocutor, say your wording aloud out loud - this will help you identify possible shortcomings.
As briefly as possible, define the position of the opposing side, come up with possible examples of statements that you have to hear.
Repeat the most important points of your message often, and come back to them again and again in various fragments of the conversation and at the next meetings.
Support deliberate provocation with irrefutable facts and winning information for you.

Secret number 3

Bluff when circumstances warrant. A successful bluff is better than a painful defeat!

How to use:

The rules of the game can be changed, adjusted for yourself and for the situation, but it is best to set them again every time. Never agree to play by someone else's rules if they do not suit you, instead put forward your own.
Everyone gets the partner they deserve, educate yourself - and, if necessary, your partner.
Don't expect your opponent to offer you to take over the game. Only you can take the initiative.
You should never underestimate the cards in your hand, however, if your chances of success seem downright weak to you, feel free to take risks and bluff.
A good card may or may not go into your hands, so you should always have a couple of trump cards in hand.
... and lastly: never forget to point out to your opponent that your advantage can benefit him too. Your own benefit should become attractive to the opposing side as well.

Secret # 4

You should not always rely only on the magic power of the word; the strategy of silence also has its advantages. Silence is an element of communication that only a few possess, and very few people know how to use it purposefully and consciously.

How to use:

In the process of active communication, silence is one of the tricks that allows you to instill in the interlocutor a strong feeling of insecurity, forcing him, literally in one or two seconds, to start saying whatever he wants, just not to be silent.
Use this opportunity, try to just keep silent somehow, and you will see that your opponent will immediately say too much or rashly agree to a compromise that is unfavorable for him.
Try not to break off ahead of time, pause until the end. Silence can successfully replace the lack of necessary arguments, provoking the interlocutor to interrupt the pause without waiting for an explanation from you - this is also one of the ways to conduct a conversation.

Secret # 5

Check the information given to you carefully and do not let your attention shift from the main to the secondary.

Manipulations succeed mainly due to the focusing of the recipient's attention on secondary things that obscure the circumstances that are really important for making a decision.

How to use:

The more persistently they impose on you a certain model for evaluating the offered information, the more reasons you have to refuse it.
If you are offered certain selection criteria or ready-made facts, carefully weigh whether they are so revealing.
Imposed perceptual patterns are an excellent foundation for manipulation.
Mobbing (group psychological terror of a colleague in the workplace) is based on the same scheme. Often there is a completely conscious blurring of another person's perception of the real state of affairs.

If you ever feel that you lose the ability to think independently or develop any topic, you cannot explain your point of view, sit quietly and think if such techniques are not used against you too.