How to evoke the desired emotion in the audience? How to convey emotions in text.

Arguments are sometimes not enough to win people over to your side. We must use emotions. Mikhail Lomonosov has a little-known but very useful book on how to manage people, in particular, on what to do or say to arouse anger, joy, hope, ambition and other emotions in a person. Let's talk about it.

Lomonosov proposes to understand how and from what every feeling is born in listeners. How to use speech to evoke in listeners the emotions that we need. In addition, he emphasizes that a good speaker should always have an idea of who the speech is addressed to. Everything is important here: the age of the listeners, their level of education and upbringing, even gender. Lomonosov was convinced many times that the arguments for men and women are sometimes not just different, but completely opposite. Moreover, he came up with an interesting pattern: men succumb to the speaker’s emotions more easily, but quickly cool down, while women, on the contrary, succumb to passions less easily, but deeply.

Mikhail Lomonosov made a clear distinction between “rhetoric” and “eloquence”. Rhetoric, in his opinion, is “the science of speaking and writing about any proposed matter,” and eloquence is “the art of speaking eloquently about any matter and thereby inducing others to your opinion about it.” And if rhetoric is an activity for learned men, then eloquence is an art that anyone can learn. For those who want to master it, Lomonosov wrote “A Brief Guide to Eloquence,” in which he offered several tips on how to influence the emotions of listeners and win their hearts.

Customer Emotions: 7 Buyer Pain Points for Big Sales

A step-by-step guide on how to evoke different emotions in people

1. How to create a feeling of joy in your listeners:

tell what benefits the listeners acquired and what success they achieved;
remind you what work and effort it took to achieve them;
mention that many others have strived for the same goal but have failed to achieve it;
to note that enemies and rivals are saddened by our successes;
praise listeners and tell them that they deserve this success.

2. How to comfort listeners in trouble:

to assure that in return for the lost benefits they will receive others, equal and even greater;
to say that they are not alone in their loss and their sadness;
remind you that human life is often tripled in such a way that even the most worthy sometimes suffer defeats and experience misfortunes, but difficult times are always replaced by successes;
call to action, saying that sadness and melancholy cannot correct the situation and cannot return what was lost;
encourage the listener with hope for success.

3. How to awaken hope:

declare that achieving the desired result is possible, and although there are obstacles, they are surmountable;
suggest possible ways to overcome obstacles;
Provide examples of how others have achieved similar results even in more difficult situations.

4. How to arouse ambition in a person:

praise his actions and merits, sometimes it is even appropriate to exaggerate them;
compare his merits with the merits of those who are equal to him in position, and give him the palm;
mention that without ambition and enthusiasm it is impossible to achieve personal and professional heights;
express confidence that this person, with due diligence, can handle even the most difficult tasks.

5. How to awaken feelings of anger against someone:

inform the listeners that not only is the offense inflicted, but the offender also despises them and mocks them, and also boasts of his action;
convince that even greater troubles may come from this person in the future;
express the confidence that such an insult would be unbearable even for less worthy people, and also that it is impossible to endure a lesser insult;
remind that the offense came from a person to whom everyone was friendly and disposed;
to assure that if this offense is forgiven and left unpunished, then others will decide that we are weak and can be offended.

6. How to evoke mercy:

vividly describe the plight of the victim;
invite listeners to try on this situation for themselves;
if the victim himself is to blame for what happened, then show that he admits his guilt and regrets it, promising not to do this again in the future;
if possible, present as an excuse the age of the victim (youth or old age) or the difficult circumstances of his life;
convey to the listeners that their mercy is his only chance of salvation.

The “Main Thought” Library presents Mikhail Lomonosov’s book “A Brief Guide to Eloquence,” in which he talks in detail about the rules of speech construction.

Mikhail Lomonosov was a versatile person. He is known to us as a great scientist. A person who fruitfully studies physics, chemistry, and astronomy. He also has achievements in geography and mechanics. He also achieved great results in eloquence and oratory.

In one of his popular publications, Rhetoric, the scientist highlights:

Rhetoric as the science of eloquence in general
Oratorio - requirements for composing texts in prose
Poetry - rules for composing poetic lines

He says that if only people involved in science should know rhetoric, then everyone must have eloquence.

The scientist talks about this fact in his book, known to a narrow circle of people, “A Brief Guide to Eloquence.” This is quite a valuable publication from a professional point of view. What is so interesting about it that we mention the book after 2.5 hundred years?

IN the article says, how, having evoked a certain emotion in the listener, incline him to the actions that we need.

What manipulations should be carried out to generate the necessary sensation in the listener? First, you should imagine the audience you will be speaking to. It is important to take into account every little detail: age, gender, education, profession.

M. Lomonosov concluded that representatives of the stronger sex are easier to succumb to oratorical emotions, but quickly move away from their influence. Women can be influenced for a long time, but emotions penetrate much deeper.

Let's take his advice on how to influence a person's emotions and win his heart.

Detailed Guide

Emotions are different, now we will learn how to influence a person with words in order to awaken this or that feeling.

We awaken joy in the listener

Explain to the person what successes he has achieved and what benefits he has received
Let him remember the efforts and labors he put in
Remind us that many have tried but failed to achieve this goal
It is worth hinting that competitors and ill-wishers are saddened by his success
Be sure to praise the listener and tell him that he deserves such a result

Comforting a person in trouble

The person in need must be reassured that his loss is nothing compared to what he will gain.
Show that the listener is not alone in his problem and even the most successful can fail
To say that the black stripe will definitely be replaced by a white one
Show that tears will not help grief and call for action
Energize a person with hope for future success

How to awaken hope in a person

You need to convince the person that any obstacles on the way are just temporary
Recommend ways to solve any obstacles that have arisen
Give examples of people achieving their goals even when they were in a more difficult situation

Awakening human ambition

It is necessary to praise or even slightly exaggerate a person’s actions and merits
Compare the work of the listener with the actions of his colleagues, but give primacy to him
Hint that without ambition you cannot reach the top
Convince the listener that with some effort he can solve even impossible tasks

We cause anger in people towards the offender

To begin with, you should announce to those listening that the offender was not satisfied with just insults. That he mocks his listeners and is proud of his actions
We need to convince people that this person can cause even more harm in the future.
Assure the audience that any insult cannot be tolerated, and lesser insults cannot be forgiven
Hint that the offense came from a person with whom you were initially friendly
Assure listeners that if you forgive the offender for his actions, then others will decide that you can be offended

Calling for mercy

It is necessary to briefly outline the situation in which the distressed person finds himself
Try to put listeners in the place of the victim
If the victim himself is to blame for what happened, show that he deeply regrets
As an excuse, make allowance for the age of the victim and the circumstances that provoked the trouble
Explain that the mercy of listeners is the victim’s chance for salvation and understanding

As you can see, by influencing a person’s subconscious with words and choosing the right arguments, we can evoke different feelings and emotions in people.

Details Created: 07/16/2017 17:04

“They write vaguely about what they vaguely imagine”

Mikhail Lomonosov

Mikhail Lomonosov is a great scientist known to us as a naturalist, chemist, physicist, astronomer, mechanic, and geographer. But he achieved no less great results as an excellent orator and the founder of eloquence. In his famous book “Rhetoric”, he distinguishes rhetoric itself - the doctrine of eloquence in general; oratorio - instructions for writing speeches in prose; poetry - instructions for composing poetic works. And if rhetoric is an activity for learned men, then eloquence is an art that everyone can learn.

This is exactly what Lomonosov wrote about in his not so well-known, but very useful from a practical point of view, book “A Brief Guide to Eloquence.” What is there in it that might interest us today, 250 years later? In this book we receive clear guidance on how to evoke different emotions in the listener: joy, hope, anger, mercy, manage them, inclining them to the action you need.

What needs to be done so that the feeling we need arises in the listener? First, imagine who will listen to you. Everything is important here, down to the smallest detail: age, education, cultural background, gender.

An interesting fact that Lomonosov drew attention to: men succumb to the speaker’s emotions more easily, but quickly cool down, while women, on the contrary, succumb to passions worse, but deeply.

Let's use some tips on how to influence the emotions of listeners and win their hearts.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. How to create a feeling of joy in your listeners:

tell what benefits the listeners acquired and what success they achieved;
remind you what work and effort it took to achieve them;
mention that many others have strived for the same goal but have failed to achieve it;
to note that enemies and rivals are saddened by our successes;
praise listeners and tell them that they deserve this success.

2. How to comfort listeners in trouble:

to assure that in return for the lost benefits they will receive others, equal and even greater;
to say that in their loss and their sadness they are not alone; - to remind that human life is often tripled in such a way that even the most worthy sometimes suffer defeats and experience
misfortunes, but difficult times are always replaced by successes;
call to action, saying that sadness and melancholy cannot correct the situation and cannot return what was lost;
encourage the listener with hope for success.

3. How to awaken hope:

declare that achieving the desired result is possible, and although there are obstacles, they are surmountable;
suggest possible ways to overcome obstacles;
Provide examples of how others have achieved similar results even in more difficult situations.

4. How to arouse ambition in a person:

praise his actions and merits, sometimes it is even appropriate to exaggerate them;
compare his merits with the merits of those who are equal to him in position, and give him the palm;
mention that without ambition and enthusiasm it is impossible to achieve personal and professional heights;
express confidence that this person, with due diligence, can handle even the most difficult tasks.

5. How to awaken feelings of anger against someone:

inform the listeners that not only is the offense inflicted, but the offender also despises them and mocks them, and also boasts of his action;
convince that even greater troubles may come from this person in the future;
express the confidence that such an insult would be unbearable even for less worthy people, and also that it is impossible to endure a lesser insult;
remind that the offense came from a person to whom everyone was friendly and disposed;
to assure that if this offense is forgiven and left unpunished, then others will decide that we are weak and can be offended.

6. How to evoke mercy:

vividly describe the plight of the victim;
invite listeners to try on this situation for themselves;
if the victim himself is to blame for what happened, then show that he admits his guilt and regrets it, promising not to do this again in the future;
if possible, present as an excuse the age of the victim (youth or old age) or the difficult circumstances of his life;
convey to the listeners that their mercy is his only chance of salvation.

This is how, using arguments addressed to emotions, we can create a certain state in a person.

But do not forget that only a parity combination of emotional and rational can give 100% results when working with listeners.

Customers often ask to write more emotional texts. At the same time, examples are given of articles full of adjectives and not particularly coherent. Not all novice copywriters understand in which case an abundance of epithets in combination with exclamation marks is really necessary.

In this article we will figure out whether real emotions exist in the text, whether it is so important to write purely in an information style, and what means of emotionality can and cannot be used in a selling article.

Are there emotions in the text?

There cannot be real emotions in the text, so the phrase “emotional text” cannot be taken literally. This is a metaphor that hides the ability to evoke an emotional response among members of the target audience.

Emotion is a mental process provoked by experiences that arise in certain situations. Emotions can be very diverse. This includes fear, joy, interest, sadness, surprise, and much more.

For a text to be able to evoke such a response, adjectives alone are not enough.

Here is an example of a text full of epithets:

“These are gorgeous rings! Jewelry of amazing beauty cannot leave anyone indifferent. You have a unique chance to become their lucky owner, receiving an incredible 50% discount from the original price!”

Here is an example of text that really evokes emotions:

“$5,000 off rings priced at $10,000. 18k gold and 4 carat diamond. There are 24 hours left until the Cartier sale ends. You can ignore this message. But if you want a “Yes” answer from her, it's time to take action. Today is that day."

Maybe not too fair. But it’s clear.

How “emotional” should a sales text be?

Some copywriters just can’t give up the habit of making the atmosphere as intense as possible. Their articles simply scream. Others, on the contrary, “squeeze” out of them everything that can evoke even the slightest emotion, and turn their texts into a dry set of numbers and facts, misinterpreting the modern information style.

In the early 2000s, during the formation of the information business, when selling texts just appeared, the emotional intensity in them went off scale. And there were several reasons for this:

1). It is widely believed that it is emotions that provoke people to make purchases. Let us immediately note that this is true, but partly.
2). Selling texts offer special products that are not really needed by a potential buyer and are even downright useless. You can't sell them without emotions.

If you remember advertising from 5-10 years ago, emotions literally poured out from TV screens and monitors. Today you almost never see anything like this. Consumers have become more experienced and discerning; they are no longer so willing to respond to loud calls and cries.

But we must admit that such advertising appears now. For example, in recent years on the Internet you can come across a lot of pages with offers of courses on teaching something unknown. A scheme is given that allows you to make money, screenshots are shown, and all this is supplemented with reviews of dubious reliability. There is a lack of specifics, but the price is low and there is a lot of emotion.

At one time, it was the desire to present information to the point and as simply as possible that led to the emergence of information style. But it is still often perceived only as a set of facts and figures, and this leads to the “drying out” of the text.

There is nothing good in extremes. This is also true for selling texts. In them both factual data and an emotional component must be present.

Let's take the formula of the selling text AIDCKA. After stage D, behind which desire is hidden, it comes C, that is, confidence. Thus, first the consumer is offered an attractive product, and after that there is a long process of dealing with objections.

For example, it is impossible to answer unequivocally whether purchases are made only under the influence of emotions. Some people really follow their emotional impulses and often make spontaneous purchases. Others are more rational and rarely allow their emotions to run wild. Many people act differently in different situations, making either necessary or emotional purchases.

Even during leisurely shopping, when the buyer considers each purchase, at the last moment a too hasty decision is often made. And it usually looks like this: “Okay, I’m tired of choosing, I’ll take both blouses” or “This model is prettier, I’ll take it.” What guides us in such cases? First of all, emotions.

How not to overdo it with emotionality?

The choice of heat degree depends on many factors, which can be combined into two groups:

addressee: it is necessary to consider who we are offering the product to;
price: a different approach is used for expensive and cheap goods (services, works).

Making an unplanned purchase of ice cream is as easy as shelling pears. This won’t work with a new car or apartment; you need to weigh everything.

Thus, the level of emotionality of texts depends on the price category of the product and the target audience.

For private consumers (b2c), women and young people, as well as when promoting inexpensive goods (services), there should be more emotions.

If the text is addressed to business representatives (b2b), men and mature people, when it comes to an expensive product, more logic is required.

In articles for business, the intensity of emotions is low, but it should not be reduced to zero. Some emotionality is acceptable here.

As for tests for ordinary consumer audiences, the degree of emotionality in them is much higher, but it’s still not worth screaming. It is necessary to avoid placing exclamations too closely. Normally, a block consisting of several paragraphs should have one or two exclamation marks.

But this is not the only manifestation of emotionality.

Tools for showing emotions in sales text

All methods of increasing emotionality, including dubious ones, can be divided into the following groups:

based on the use of punctuation;
speech;
related to design.

Punctuation marks that add emotion

Exclamation mark
When a copywriter is asked to increase or decrease the level of emotionality, most often they mean exclamations. But, as we said in the last article, there shouldn’t be many of them.

Exclamation marks should be used with extreme caution, and in some cases it is better to avoid them altogether. Often, exclamations are perceived as a cry addressed to the reader, encouraging certain actions.

Use them exclusively where it is especially important to attract attention.

Ellipsis
This punctuation mark can be used to convey confusion, uncertainty, and thoughtfulness. It should be used where we are talking about consumer problems, where “suffering” reaches the limit.

Here's an example:
“And then you realize that this is absolutely not what you wanted...”

Ellipses are not appropriate in every text, and you need to be careful with their number. If there are too many of them, the text looks frivolous and gives the impression that the author is not confident in his words.

Speech emotions

Here we will talk about the use of emotional vocabulary.

Superlatives
This method of increasing the degree of emotionality of the text cannot be called successful. This hackneyed technique is used by unprofessional authors of advertisements, who limit themselves to simply praising the product, describing it with epithets like “the best”, “wonderful”, etc.

The use of superlatives in relation to a product or service is appropriate only when it is a positioning element based on a reliable marketing base. In other words, we can say that the company is the first in its market segment, if this is indeed the case.

Otherwise, you should limit yourself to more modest epithets, instead of “best” use “reliable” or “decent quality”.

Epithets
The emotional text should contain not only adjectives that describe the characteristics of the product, for example, “black”, “wide”, etc. A dry description should be diluted.

“The menu design from our company will be as appetizing and juicy as the dishes of your restaurant.”

But when using epithets, accuracy and balance are important: choose only those that are really suitable in a particular situation, and do not get carried away by turning the selling text into fiction - it should be understandable at the level of intuition.

Active voice
Verbs and participles in Russian can have a real (active) or passive (passive) form. In the first case, the action is performed by the object itself, and in the second, it is performed on it.

If you use predominantly passive voice in the text, its style will be clerical, and the phrases will be too general and faceless.

Here, look:

As part of the implementation of anti-corruption measures, 10 bribe-takers were brought to justice.
Based on the results of inspections, prosecutors identified 100 offenses.
During the first half of 2018, road repairs were carried out in the Saratov region for 1 million rubles.

Such phrases do not give an idea about the participants in the events. A million was spent, repairs were carried out, violations were revealed - one gets the impression that all this happened by itself, without outside help.

You can determine the collateral without much difficulty. Just take the word "zombie" and put it after the verb or participle. If the voice is passive, the phrase will be consistent, but “zombie” cannot be combined with the active verb. The technique is humorous, but effective.

Compare:

The car was purchased by a zombie a week ago - passive voice.
We bought a zombie car a week ago - active.

By using verbs in the active voice, you can avoid officialdom and add lightness to the text.

Expressive vocabulary
We are talking about words with an emotional connotation, both rude and diminutive.

Sometimes copywriters abuse such language and even resort to swearing. For a certain target audience that needs a strong “kick,” this works if an author with a big name, to whom almost anything can be forgiven, allows himself to use obscene language.

But we categorically do not recommend using swear words or other expressive words and expressions in texts: it is much better to demonstrate respect for the reader, regardless of who we are addressing and for what purpose. Colloquialisms and curse words should be discarded.

Although very rare, you can still use something like this:

The main thing you need to learn is that there should be a sense of proportion in everything.

Comparisons
This tool for increasing the intensity is quite suitable for writing sales text. But you can encounter a serious problem - it is sometimes quite difficult to choose a comparison that would be correct and at the same time strong.

In this case, the experience of writers will be useful to the copywriter, since it is sometimes easier to attract the reader’s attention and convey the necessary information to him through images.

Techniques of emotional design

Only one of the four existing ways of formatting texts is associated with emotions - accent. Using accents, you can not only indicate what to pay special attention to, but also increase emotionality.

But you need to be careful with some of them. These are, for example, such “toxic” accents as:

Increasing the font size of a specific word or phrase;
- use of upper case.

If you use such techniques, the texts will turn out flashy, and this is a clear sign of low-quality work.

Among the entire mass of existing accents, we recommend focusing on two:

italics - suitable for words and phrases with intonation coloring;
bold font - the most important, basic thoughts should be highlighted this way.

The emotionality indicator is higher in italics. They should replace such accents as the underscore, which is typical for links, as well as upper case.

If you want to evoke an emotion, show concern

Regardless of whether the article is dry or full of emotions, whether you are writing a post for social networks or a sales text, the most important thing is to give the reader what he expects to receive. If he needs a watch, write why it is better than its analogues. For the reader looking for a real-life story, spare no emotion. For those who need delivery of goods, tell them about its conditions specifically and clearly, with all the necessary figures.

The reader will enjoy the article, which will be useful for him. If an emotion arises at the same time, everything has been done correctly.

Check with the customer about his target audience, its interests and characteristics. This will help you understand which emotional means to use and which to avoid.

Confidence

Assume the pose of a confident person.

Think about times when you felt confident and acted accordingly.

Talk to yourself, telling yourself that you are a great person, reminding yourself of the things you value about yourself.

Imagine yourself doing something amazing: climbing a mountain or flying an airplane.

Identify something in the situation that you feel confident about.

Feel your spine and feel that it has turned into a steel rod.

Determine for yourself a clear outcome of the implied situation.

Remember your favorite tune that fills you with confidence.

Think about the people who give you confidence, and imagine that they are smaller, sitting on your shoulder and talking in your ear.

What methods do you have to gain a sense of confidence?

Equanimity

Imagine calm, still water.

Imagine that you are in a Japanese garden.

Take a deep breath, close your eyes and get comfortable.

Listen to slow, soothing, harmonious music playing in your head.

Close your hands and think about harmonious unity.

Slowly count to ten.

Curiosity

Ask yourself what questions you really want answered, especially those that relate to what is happening around you at the moment.

Ask others questions like: “How do you do it?” and “How does it work?”

Change the position of your body so that it leans forward more and is more attuned to this or that activity.

Consider getting answers to questions without having to ask them out loud.

Look for answers and patterns in the events happening around you.

Fun

Imagine that you have supernatural powers, but do not use them on mere mortals.

Imagine that everyone is running around in bags.

Think of something outrageously rude, but don't voice it.

Make up puns and keep them to yourself or say them out loud.

Look for ambiguity in the words of others.

Imagine the same situation in a different time frame - ten years earlier or ten years later.

Imagine what your favorite comic actor would do in this situation.

Format for successful search for emotions:

1. Clarify what exactly you want to feel (information about this may come through the use of one of the three qualifying formats presented in the previous chapter).

2. Ask yourself: “What can I do here and now (or there and then) to evoke this emotion?”

3. Turning to your personal biography, remember the ways that previously helped you or someone you know to evoke your chosen emotion.

4. Select the means that seem most favorable.

5. Do it. If you are not satisfied with the result, return to steps 3 and 4 and choose other means to access the emotion.

Format for self-anchoring technique:

1. Identify the feeling you want to experience.

2. Remember when you experienced this emotion in its entirety. Having decided on a memory, clasp your hands in a weak lock (or use any other tactile signal: pinch your earlobe with your thumb and forefinger or touch your nose).

3. Lose yourself in memory, seeing what you saw; hearing what they heard, and, most importantly, feeling what they felt.

4. Once immersed in the desired emotion, gently increase the strength of your grip or touch, continuing to experience it in its entirety. With this action you will turn the clasping of hands or any other tactile signal into an anchor for feeling.

5. With the same pressure, refocus on the immediate situation, taking the emotion with you. If the emotion disappears, return to steps 3 and 4, dive into the memory again, and repeat the anchoring.

6. Release your hands and enjoy the feeling. If the feeling becomes vague, use the tactile cue again to re-access the emotion. Do this until you can create an emotion with an anchor and maintain it when the anchor is no longer there.

7. Later check the anchor by clasping your hands again or performing any other tangential action you chose. If the anchor does not allow you to evoke the desired emotion, repeat the entire procedure, intensifying the memory as much as possible and adding others if necessary.

* Anchoring- a technique of combining some stimulus over which you have control with an emotional state to which you would like to have access.
We all already have many unintentionally installed, but indestructible anchors to which we react automatically. So, there is a melody that always takes you back to some special evening, or a smell that awakens in you the feelings you had for a certain person, or a tender hug that instantly makes you feel safe. Each of these “events”—music, smell, hug—is an anchor for the memories and feelings with which that event was associated.

The effectiveness of an anchor depends mainly on its strength.
When you first anchor an emotion, make your experience of returning to a situation where you already experienced that emotion as vivid and compelling as possible. You can intensify the experience by increasing the intensity of your sensations and the colors of your picture, increasing its brightness, mobility, volume, and also accelerating the tempo of what you hear.

You can also strengthen the anchor by repeatedly anchoring the emotion. Sufficient intensification of emotion sometimes requires searching for a particularly memorable episode from one's past, which, once remembered, still continues to have a deep impact.

If, for example, you want to anchor your love for your spouse, then instead of intensifying the feeling of love you currently feel, you can return to those unforgettable days when you first felt attracted to this person...)