Rhetorical Inception: The Subtle Power of The Right Question

ONE question can plant a thought in anyone’s mind 🧠

It’s called Rhetorical Inception.

It’s not new.
It’s not groundbreaking.
But it works.

The principle is simple:

✅ The brain LOVES to be told what to think…
❌ But NOT directly.

We resist DIRECT commands.

Yet…

We love being GUIDED.
When it’s subtle, indirect.

👉 Enter Rhetorical Inception.

What is it?

👉 A simple question that makes people “justify” YOUR idea TO THEMSELVES.

Example:

You’re a fitness coach.

❌ Skip the “Best workout plan ever!”
✅ Instead, reframe it as a question:

“Why do the fittest people always follow this exact routine?”

See what happens?

→ Questions aren’t “threatening.”
→ Your brain processes them differently.

How?

Just like it doesn’t understand “negations,” the unconscious brain doesn’t understand “questions.”

So what?

1️⃣ Subconscious registers the question as a FACT.
2️⃣ Conscious mind wants to come up with ANSWERS.

In other words:

→ The brain accepts the idea as truth.
→ THEN builds reasons to believe it.

You end up convincing yourself.
You sell the idea internally.

And since the reasoning comes from YOUR THOUGHTS,
You end up believing it was YOUR INSIGHT.

(Okay, I took a bit of a shortcut with cognitive psychology, but still…)

Powerful?
Absolutely.

Sneaky?
Maybe.

FOOLPROOF?
Absolutely NOT!

We live in a world of noise.
Attention is scarce.
Skepticism is high.

BUT, when:

1️⃣ You target the RIGHT AUDIENCE (aka Ideal Customer Profile*)
2️⃣ You offer GENUINE VALUE

👉 This gives you and EDGE.

And before anyone cries “manipulation,” remember that questions invite thinking, not force conclusions.

To your success,

Gaetan Portaels

* If you want to learn how to come up with:

1️⃣ Your Customer Avatar
2️⃣ Your Business Avatar
3️⃣ And create a DIALOGUE between them.

Check the carousel I made a few months ago:
CLICK HERE

Original publication date — March, 2025 (HERE)