To learn to hypnotize people you could study the masters, go to school to become a professional hypnotherapist, or you could read information or take a course on the art of hypnosis.

But all hypnosis doesn't involve a swinging pocket watch or a pendulum and a dark room with a Rasputin-like character attempting to put someone into a trance. The kind of hypnosis that's most effective in helping you get what you want is actually conversational hypnosis.

Conversational hypnosis is the act of using strong persuasion in ordinary conversation to get people to do what you want. The misconceptions about what it takes to learn to hypnotize people are what keep most people from ever trying conversational hypnosis. That's a shame, because anyone can learn to do this.

First, when you want to learn to hypnotize people without them knowing and influence them through basic conversation, you have to learn to read people. This sounds complicated, but the key is simply listening to them.

You can't encounter someone and within two minutes start the process. Well, you can, but you're not going to be successful! Listen as long as you can, and learn to read between the lines. Many people say one thing, but their actions hint at something else. Someone protesting that they don't care about something someone said about them might care very much if they act nervous while they're saying it.

If they're chewing their nails, if their lips are shaking slightly, if they're talking quickly or breathlessly, or if they're fidgeting by shaking a foot or using their hands excessively, then their actions don't match their words. Learn to pick up on those clues so you can get a sense of the person if you've just met, or you can judge how someone you already know well is feeling at that particular moment.

Next, you must think like a salesman. Salespeople use this technique daily. Let's say you want to learn to hypnotize someone because when you're together he never wants to go see the movie you want to see and you'd like to influence him a little bit. That might seem like a silly example, but it's a perfect scenario to test your skills. You've listened and you know he's in a pretty decent mood, nothing's really bothering him at the moment.

It's time to use a technique known as pattern interrupt. This is when you take what he'll be expecting you to say, and you say something completely different. If you often have a conversation that goes much like:

Him: "What are you doing tonight?"

You: "Nothing much."

Him: "Want to see a movie?"

You: "I guess so."

He'll expect the same responses from you, in general. So this time, when he asks, "Want to see a movie?" you can say something he's not expecting. If you're in sight distance of a magazine or a newspaper, you could note the headline out loud rather than answering the question. "Want to see a movie?" would then be followed by, "Obama's on the cover of Time again." Or you could say "Yes, if my foot will stop throbbing."

Anything unexpected will do, and the more unexpected the better. This "pattern interrupt" causes a jolt in the other person's brain and causes them to suddenly pay more attention.

Now that you've gotten his attention, before he can recover from the mind jolt say something like: "Hey, it'd be great if you'd take me to see -insert movie he probably doesn't want to see--." Or, "I'd love to try that new restaurant downtown | movie| boat ride|etc." Suggest whatever it is that you'd like to do that you know he normally wouldn't.

The key is making the suggestion right after the pattern interrupt while making sure it doesn't sound forced. Subtlety is important. This goes beyond the art of persuasion and uses science to plant a suggestion into that person's mind. Don't be discouraged if you try this and it doesn't work for a while. Like anything else, it takes a lot of practice. Be sure and practice on a variety of people and not just people you know very well so you can practice reading people's moods and personalities, too.

This is just one of the ways you can learn to hypnotize people without them knowing.