Maximize Your Influence

This episode discusses how to transform fear into excitement to enhance personal and professional influence. He explores the common fears related to public speaking and decision-making, providing techniques to reframe fear as excitement, such as focusing on the message, visualizing success, and using deep breathing.

What Is Performance Anxiety? 10 Ways To Overcome Your Fear Of Being Judged

The episode also features a Persuasion Bl...

In this all-new episode Kurt discusses the psychological appeal and effectiveness of clickbait. He explains how curiosity, FOMO, and emotional triggers drive people to click on intriguing headlines. Kurt also shares tips on using these principles ethically in persuasion, sales, and presentations to engage and influence audiences.

The Benefits of Overconfidence Have Been Exaggerated

The episode covers similarity theory, the importa...

This episode delves into the psychology of first impressions, focusing on the halo and horn effects. The halo effect is when one positive trait of a person influences our perception of their other qualities, while the horn effect is when one negative trait does the same negatively.

Kurt discusses how these cognitive biases impact persuasion and influence, offers practical tips for maximizing positive first impressions, and shares r...

This episode explores the importance of being authentic and genuine to build trust. Kurt discusses the historical origins of the word "sincere" and its significance in modern persuasion. He highlights the necessity of adapting persuasion strategies to individual preferences and cultural differences, emphasizing the shift from the golden rule to the platinum rule.

Can Laughter Make Our Lives Better? Researchers Say Yes

The episode ...

In this episode Kurt explores effective methods for influencing and persuading stubborn individuals. He delves into the Boomerang effect, the importance of patience, and techniques like foot-in-the-door to gradually change minds.

Sleepless and selfish: Lack of sleep makes us less generous

The episode also touches on the significance of sleep on social behavior and the impact of presenting evidence and finding common ground in cont...

In this episode, the focus is on subconscious triggers and how symbols, images, and gestures can influence feelings and behaviors. Kurt discusses how different gestures and symbols can have varied meanings across cultures, like the thumbs up or the okay sign, and their potential impacts. The episode also explores a case study involving Delta Airlines’ strategy to offer compensation following an incident, analyzing whether it was go...

In this episode Kurt Mortensen delves into the world of color psychology and its impact on emotions and persuasion. He explores how different colors can trigger subconscious feelings and influence behaviors, both positively and negatively. The discussion includes practical examples such as how color affects appetite, the perception of products, and even the success of sports teams.

Color Psychology: How Color Affects Your Emotions ...

This episode discusses the power of music and sound in persuasion and influencing emotions. Kurt explores how different types of music can trigger specific emotional responses and affect behaviors, such as enhancing shopping experiences, reducing stress, and increasing productivity. 

5 Ways to Make Sweet Music for Your Business

The Monkey Business Illusion

Through anecdotes and research findings, he explains that music can be a st...

In this episode, Mortensen discusses strategies to handle hecklers, critics, and disruptive individuals in various settings, from business meetings to public speaking engagements. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining composure, using humor, and understanding the motivations of hecklers to effectively manage disruptions.

Being a selfish jerk doesn’t get you ahead, research finds

Mortensen also shares research findings on the...

This episode discusses strategies for building charisma and confidence, particularly in the context of persuasion and public speaking. Kurt provides tips on body language, vocal variety, and mental preparation. He also emphasizes the importance of self-efficacy, using Albert Bandura’s research to outline methods for boosting confidence. Additional topics include cause marketing, the significance of appearance, and the difference be...

This episode delves into the concept of the "fake no" and knee-jerk reactions. Mortensen explores how subconscious triggers can lead to unwarranted objections and resistance from prospects. He uses various anecdotes, including a wedding reception at a funeral home and a study on desk organization, to illustrate how perceptions and subconscious triggers play a role in influencing decisions. Mortensen also addresses how salespeople c...

This episode explores the Law of Dissonance, a key strategy in persuasion that helps individuals convince themselves. Kurt introduces the concept by explaining cognitive dissonance, a psychological conflict between beliefs and actions that causes discomfort and leads individuals to change their attitudes or behaviors.

Immortality in the afterlife as cognitive default

He shares personal anecdotes and studies demonstrating this phen...

In this episode Kurt discusses the impact of humor on persuasion, motivation, and influence. He explains how humor can build rapport, capture attention, and create positive emotional connections. Kurt also talks about the benefits of using humor in the workplace, including increased creativity, job satisfaction, and team performance. He shares tips on how to effectively incorporate humor into sales and presentations, and addresses ...

This episode delves into strategies for enhancing influence, motivation, and success, featuring elements like goal setting and mindfulness. Kurt Mortensen shares personal anecdotes, such as a dentist's poor follow-up, to highlight the importance of persistence. He discusses human motivation, emphasizing the balance between minimizing risk and maximizing reward in decision-making. Listening to audience feedback and personal motivati...

This episode explores the science behind effective goal setting and achieving maximum success. Kurt discusses common pitfalls like failing to set goals correctly and pre-excusing failure. He highlights the importance of mindset, motivation, and self-persuasion in maintaining goal pursuit. The podcast also covers practical steps for setting and achieving goals, such as writing them down, creating an action plan, and having accountab...

This episode explores techniques to understand and influence people by decoding their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Kurt Mortensen delves into methods like hot and cold reading used by psychics, explaining how these techniques can be applied in everyday persuasion. 

Going up against a rival makes us take more risks

This episode also covers various studies on rivalry and risk-taking, body language cues, and the psychological pr...

In this episode, Kurt delves into the power of mindset and its critical role in success. Starting with insights from his recent four-day event on Millionaire Psychology, Kurt explains the fundamental differences between learned optimism and learned helplessness, concepts introduced by Dr. Martin Seligman. Listeners will learn the significance of adopting a millionaire mindset, improving persuasion and negotiation skills, and the im...

In this episode, Kurt Mortensen explores the effectiveness of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and its techniques for persuasion, motivation, and influence. Kurt discusses handling emotions like fear, shares insights from recent studies on the brain's role in fear inhibition, and answers a listener's questions about NLP. He also introduces methods like mirroring, framing, future pacing, embedded commands, and anchoring, explainin...

As a salesperson, you know how crucial communication is.  But have you ever stopped to think about common mistakes that could sabotage your presentations and cost you deals?  These aren’t just minor missteps - they’re the ones that can lose you a sale before you even realize it.

Michael Bay Fails (Meltdown) CES - Walks Off Stage - heckled by technology

The bottom line: ...