Setting Context

What does the word ‘conduct’ mean? It could mean several different things, depending on the context in which it was used, right?

The word ‘conduct’ could mean the behavior of a person, or it could refer to what a particular person does in front of an orchestra, or it could mean the process of transferring electricity through a wire.

Take a look at the word ‘desire’. It really only has one meaning, doesn’t it? But that one meaning could have several different connotations, depending on the context of the conversation.

In one conversation, the word ‘desire’ could be used as a counterpoint to the word ‘need’, and be used to mean a simple thing that doesn’t have much importance.

In another conversation, the word ‘desire’ could be used in such a fashion as to mean something that is sought after with enthusiasm, and be placed into a good light.

In a third context, the word ‘desire’ could be taken to mean something evil to be avoided.

So if we want to persuade someone that they will ‘desire’ what we have to offer, we want to make sure that the context of the conversation is such that ‘desire’ is a good thing. Otherwise, the word ‘desire’ could cause your prospect to clam up.

Or if we plan to talk about ‘discipline’, we want to make sure that our prospect sees ‘discipline’ as something good and an activity to be lauded and engaged in.

Context can be set by many different things, such as the situation in which the conversation takes place, the topic of our conversation, how we present our information, the way we word our sentences, and even the gestures we use while we’re speaking.

When we are persuading someone, we set an appropriate context so that our prospect’s mind is a fertile field in which our suggestions grow roots and multiply.