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I Presuppose So
At the core of presupposition is the idea that we can assume a mental position or thought which our prospects or clients must take for granted in order for everything else that we say to make sense without us actually having to name the core concept.
At the core of presupposition is the idea that we can assume a mental position or thought which our prospects or clients must take for granted in order for everything else that we say to make sense without us actually having to name the core concept.
Presupposition is that which must be accepted as true in order to make sense of the sentence. Think about that definition for a moment. If it is that which must be accepted as true, it has to be accepted because you didn’t say it. In other words, it’s assumed, or presupposed.
The basis of the presupposition is that we want to get to a place where we don’t have to say what we want, but that our prospect or client creates in their own mind (with our gentle nudging) what we want them to think.
With presuppositions, you are going to learn to talk in ways that force your prospect to assume and presuppose what you want them to think. And by assuming the core, it allows them to make sense of what you’re saying.
This gets us closer to getting people to think what it is that we want them to think without us having to say it.
’We need to fight the terrorists over there so we don’t have to fight them over here.’
What’s the presupposition there? First, it binds us into thinking we have to “fight them” at all. The second presupposition, even if the first one is accepted, is that if it doesn’t happen there, the fight will happen here.
’The great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.’ -Sir Isaac Newton
What’s the presupposition here? Well, that there’s a ‘truth’ that we are capable of knowing and discovering.
“How will you be paying for this today?”
This presupposes that the potential buyer is a definite buyer when the answer to the question has to be how it’s being paid for, not if it’s being paid for.
This might be a little existential, but it’s a cool thing nonetheless. Nouns presuppose existence. What does that mean? Well, it means that a noun, or anything similar, presuppose a level of existence.
What are some examples of how you can you use presupposition in your business?