NLP Skills – How To Break Someone’s Pattern

In the following video, you’ll watch Derren Brown skillfully interrupting someone’s pattern. This is an exquisite display of embedded suggestions, the handshake interrupt and misdirecting someone’s attention.

What can we learn from Derren’s performance?

1. Establish physical contact early (0:09)

Derren establishes physical contact right away with his “victim.” Notice how he elegantly and quickly touches the man on his counter-side, unconsciously inviting the man to turn towards him and sets him up to be led. Based on the man’s accent, he’s clearly in Britain or Australia, cultures not typically all that physical, which makes it twice as powerful.

2. Immediately begin interrupting the other person’s pattern (0:12)

Watch how Derren rapidly starts distracting his victim by asking a question that takes the man off-guard and pointing in a different direction. Notice in the following seconds how many different times he points away and unconsciously forces the man to respond to his request.

NB: It’s also critical to take note of the bottle he’s holding. That little prop will serve him well in a bit.

3. Break contact to once again interrupt the pattern (0:24)

Derren then breaks away from the man, thereby changing pace and forcing the man to adapt to this new situation. Note how Derren constantly keeps him off-guard, making it impossible for the man to proactively navigate the situation. He constantly has to react to Derren.

4. Point in a totally different direction (0:26)

Now the man gets dizzy. Derren points in the opposite direction he’s been pointing and says: “the tower is over there, isn’t it?” This forces the man to respond and is framed as a tag question, which invites the man to agree with Derren and comply to him.

5. Embed suggestions and deepen trance (0:28)

“You don’t mind me asking, do you?” Once again, a tag question. And paving the way for the request that is to come… “Yeah, you’re happy to help me figure that…” Once again, suggesting that the man is happy to comply with his requests. Note how Derren extends his hand, inviting the man to shake it. Also take note of the back and forth motion he does with his hand, unconsciously suggesting a bond between him and the man.

6. The handshake interrupt (0:34)

Derren extends his hand once again, this time looking down at it to emphasize the handshake. When the man takes his hand to shake it, Derren lets go of it and picks it up with his left hand, totally interrupting the man’s pattern and sending him off deeper into trance. Derren then requests that he hold his water bottle, which he immediately complies with.

7. The Big Request (0:41)

After sending his victim into a trance, Derren proceeds to request his watch and cell phone. “Can I just grab your watch and if you have a cell phone on you, that’d be terrific…” “Can I just grab your… Thanks! I’ll just take that off, allow me… Cheers!” This “cheers” serves as an anchor that he set earlier to reaffirm his bond with the man.

8. Closing the loop (0:55)

Derren starts bringing the man back to the present by pointing back in the direction he originally asked the man about. He takes advantage of that to pick up the man’s wallet. He closes the loop by shaking the man’s hand.

This video really shows a master at work. Watch it as many times as you can as you’ll absorb organically a great number of lessons from it. Heck, try it yourself on the street! You’ll be suprised what happens…