Mr. Achievement – Stanley F. Bronstein – Personal Development BlogPersonal Development Blog of the Founder of the Achievement IQ Movement and Creator of the Laws of Positioning

Law #28

Position Yourself To Be Emphatic

Over emphatic negatives always suggest that what is being denied may be what is really being asserted. (Jonathan Raban)

Some Definitions

Over – In excess of; more than. Above in degree, quantity, etc.. Reaching higher than, so as to submerge.

Emphatic – Using emphasis in speech or action. Forceful; insistent. Very impressive or significant; strongly marked; striking. Clearly or boldly outlined.

Negative(s) – Lacking in constructiveness, helpfulness, optimism, cooperativeness, or the like. Being without rewards, results, or effectiveness.

Always – Every time; on every occasion; without exception. All the time; continuously; uninterruptedly.

Suggest – To mention or introduce (an idea, proposition, plan, etc.) for consideration or possible action. To call (something) up in the mind through association or natural connection of ideas.

Denial – An assertion that something said, believed, alleged, etc., is false. Disbelief in the existence or reality of a thing. Refusal to recognize or acknowledge; a disowning or disavowal.

Really – Genuinely or truly.

Being – That which has actuality either materially or in idea.

Asserted – To state or express positively; affirm. Resting on a statement or claim unsupported by evidence or proof; alleged.

Source: Dictionary.com

What Does This Quote Suggest?

It emphasizes that if you are emphatic enough, you can say something that is totally untrue, and people will believe it.

For example, the quote says that if you state the exact opposite of the truth, strongly enough and often enough, people will believe it, rather than investigate and believe the truth.

Am I Suggesting That We Should Be Negative?

Absolutely not. I’m am NOT suggest that we emphatically state things that we no to be inaccurate or untrue.

So, What Am I Suggesting?

I am merely trying to “emphasize” the power of being emphatic. If we are forceful; if we are significant; if we come across as sincere; if we are impressive, people are likely to believe us. In fact, they are so likely to believe us, that they will believe something that is inaccurate, over something that is inaccurate.

Okay, Being Emphatic Is Powerful, How Should I Use It?

You should use the power of being emphatic in a POSITIVE way. You should emphasize positive points of view. You should emphasize truthful points of view. You should emphasize powerful points of view.

If you are POSITIVE, as opposed to being negative, emphasis can be one of the most powerful tools you have ever encountered.

A Perfect Example Of The Power Of Emphasis

David Brinkley, the famous newscaster was quoted as saying: The one function that TV news performs very well is that when there is no news we give it to you with the same emphasis as if there were.

In other words, the news media recognized that through emphasis, they could make anything seem important, EVEN the trivial.

What Does It Take To Be Emphatic?

I believe that what it takes to be emphatic is:

A belief in your ideas;

A willingness and ability to express those ideas; and

A willingness and ability to express those ideas STRONGLY.

That is what I am suggesting you do, each and every day, in each and every way.

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