Chapter 14 - Distinctions Of Excellence: METAPROGRAMS "In the right key one can say anything. In the wrong key, nothing: the only delicate part is the establishment of the key." -George Bernard Shaw Why do people react so differently to identical messages? Why does one person see the glass as half-empty and another sees it as half-full? Shaw's quote is precisely right. If you address someone in the right key, you can do anything. If you address someone in the wrong key, you can do nothing. If you want to be a master communicator or a master persuader, you have to know how to find the right key. The path is through metaprograms. Metaprograms are powerful internal patterns that help determine how people form internal representations and direct their behavior. Metaprograms are the internal programs (or sorts) we use in deciding what to pay attention to. We distort, delete, and generalize information because the conscious mind can only pay attention to so many pieces of...