Mind Control, Mentalism and Manipulation: The Psychology of Influence and Persuasion with Duncan Stevens

Is hypnosis real? Is NLP a scam? And are there elements of influence and persuasion that simply cannot be taught?Duncan Stevens has spent his career at the intersection of mentalism, psychology, and professional speaking -- and he has answers to all three questions that might surprise you.Duncan is a professional mentalist, keynote speaker, and author of Effective Influence, one of the most practical books on influence and persuasion available. He's also the CEO and founder of the Influence Association in the UK, an organisation that helps businesses understand and apply the psychology of influence to stand out in their markets.In this conversation Duncan pulls back the curtain on the secret world of the mentalist -- and explains what professional speakers can learn from it.What you'll learn in this episodeWhat mentalism actually is and why it's fundamentally different from magic, whether hypnosis is real and how stage hypnosis actually works, the truth about NLP and whether it delivers what it promises, why humans are far more predictable than we like to think, whether manipulation is always unethical or whether context changes everything, the one tool of influence that cannot be taught, and what Duncan discovers when he attempts several influence techniques live in the conversation.About Duncan StevensDuncan Stevens is a professional mentalist, keynote speaker, and the founder and CEO of the Influence Association in the UK. His book Effective Influence is available on Amazon, and for Kindle Unlimited subscribers it's included in the subscription at no extra cost.Find out more at duncanstevens.com and influenceassociation.com.If this episode resonated with youUnderstanding how influence actually works -- psychologically, not theoretically -- is one of the most underrated skills a professional speaker can develop. If you want to find out what's blocking your growth as a speaker, take the free Speaker Growth Diagnostic at strategic-speaker.scoreapp.comRelated episodes: How to Connect With Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime with Simon LancasterWant to get coached for free on the show? Fill in the form https://forms.gle/mo4xYkEiCjqtz9yP6, and if we think your challenge could help others, we'll invite you on.For speaking enquiries or to connect with me, you can email [email protected] or find me on LinkedInYou can find all our clips, episodes and more on the Present Influence YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PresentInfluenceThanks for listening. Rating the show 5* on Spotify helps their algo recommend the show, so please take a moment to follow the show and leave a rating.Mentioned in this episode:Speaker Fee AuditFind out in less than a minute if you're undercharging for your speaking and where you need to look to fix any leaks with the Speaker Fee Audit. It's free to take and find out if you're missing out on money.