#119: The Surprising Impact of Saying "Just Imagine"

Just imagine you're on a reclining chair lying on a beach in Hawaii or someplace tropical. The sun feels warm. There's a nice breeze. You've got a good book, you take a sip of your cool drink. There's a nice refreshing breeze.

Can you imagine that? Did you create a picture in your mind of that setting?

Today I talk about the power of two words. "Just imagine."

In his book,  "Exactly What To Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact" author Phil M Jones shares how simple phrases can work powerfully on an audience. Last week in Episode 112, I looked at how we can use the phrase, "how would you feel if..." as a way to get excited about a future potential and make the other person consider taking action.

Today I look at "Just imagine..."

Jones says the value of this phrase is that you're letting the other person's creative mind build a case for you. They're creating a picture in their own mind. And it's likely more vivid than anything you could describe.

In this episode, I give several examples of how to use this phrase, as well as some suggestions on how to prepare in advance for using it.

As always, thanks for listening!
You can find me here:

WEBSITE:  https://www.thorchallgren.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/thorchallgren

All episodes in the series
#091 - "I'm not sure if it's for you but"
#098 - "How open minded are you?"
#105 - "What do you know?"
#112 - "How would you feel if"
#119 - "Just imagine"

"Exactly What To Say" by Phil M. Jones on Amazon 
https://a.co/d/9MKpt40

You can find me here:

WEBSITE: https://www.thorchallgren.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/thorchallgren

Transcript

Just imagine you're on a reclining chair lying on a beach in Hawaii or someplace tropical that you love. The sun feels warm. There's a nice breeze. You've got a good book, take a sip of your cool drink. Nice refreshing breeze. Can you imagine that? Did you go there? Did you create a picture in your mind of that setting? 

Today we're going to talk about the power of two words. Just imagine, welcome to every day a new thought. I'm Thor Challgren. Today, I'm looking at the Phil M. Jones book, "Exactly What To Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact" 

Last week in Episode 112, I looked at how we can use the phrase, "how would you feel if..." as a way to get excited about a future potential and make the other person consider taking action. 

Today's set of magic words is "just imagine." In his book, Jones says the value of this phrase is that you're letting the other person's creative mind build a case for you. They're creating a picture in their own mind. And it's likely more vivid than anything you could describe. As he says, "creating pictures in the minds of others is done by telling stories. When you hear just imagine the brain pictures, the very scenario you are creating." 

So how does this work? Basically, you're using the phrase just imagine, followed by a scenario that allows the listener to create their own visual picture. 

Here are a couple of examples. Just imagine how it will feel to attend a book signing at Barnes and Noble and sign copies of your book. Just imagine how great it will feel to go out with your friends on Friday night and know your homework is already done. Just imagine the look on your kids faces when they see you achieve this. Just imagine standing on stage after your speech and hearing the applause. 

You see what we're doing here, you are creating a scenario that the listener can drop themselves into. And ideally, it's a scenario where they feel they are a first person participant. They're on the stage. They're looking out at the audience they see their kids faces, they're sitting at the table at Barnes and Noble signing those books. 

So how can you use this? Next time you're trying to persuade someone of something, use the phrase just imagine followed by an outcome you know that they want. If you have a business, maybe create two or three of these scenarios in advance so you can have a whole catalogue of just imagined moments. 

That's the show for today. If you liked this episode, please hit like if you're watching on YouTube. If you're listening to the podcast, please subscribe or follow the show on your favorite podcast app. Until tomorrow. Thanks for listening