Rintu Basu is a Glasgow-based NLP and hypnosis trainer and the author of the Persuasion Skills Black Book, a practical guide to using hypnotic language patterns in everyday conversation. [1] [2] His focus is on simple, real-world uses of language for work, sales, coaching and daily life. [3]
Who is Rintu Basu?
Rintu Basu was born in Kolkata, back when it was still called Calcutta. His family moved to England when he was two, and he likes to tell how his first brush with the power of language came on arrival at Heathrow: he refused to get off the plane because he had no words for cold or snow. [1]
He jokes that a short attention span gave him many careers, including musician, engineer, trainer and business consultant. [1] He has an engineering degree, and his work has spanned training, consulting and coaching. [3] [4]
He discovered NLP while working as a teacher. He decided to write out five language patterns every evening and use them with his class the next day, “come hell or high water.” [5] He also served as a police officer and used the same patterns at work, though he is honest that this approach “doesn’t work consistently all the time.” His point is that a small improvement in everyday results can still make a big difference. [5]
He later worked as a corporate trainer. [4] He went on to found The NLP Company to teach persuasion skills, practical hypnosis and accelerated learning, and he settled in Glasgow. [1]
His first book came about almost by accident. To attract visitors to his website, he wrote a free ten-week email course on using NLP language. Six months later, a friend pointed out that he had written a book. [4] Published in 2009 as the Persuasion Skills Black Book, it became his best-known work. [2] [1]
His approach in brief
- Language is a filter. Words direct attention and shape the pictures people make.
- Practise daily. Use one pattern at a time in normal conversation.
- Find agreement first. Then gently move the conversation on.
- Small steps. Lead with things that are simply true.
At a glance
Known for: The Persuasion Skills Black Book
Topics: NLP, hypnotic language, persuasion, training, job interviews
Style: Practical, playful, down-to-earth
Based in: Glasgow, Scotland
Watch: His YouTube channel
Good fit if
You want to communicate more clearly and persuasively at work or at home, and you like learning through short, practical exercises.
Our take
A down-to-earth teacher who makes NLP language patterns feel usable. Best approached with his own advice in mind: practise one pattern at a time.
Rintu Basu’s key ideas
These come from his interviews and book. Tap a card to read more.
Language is a filter
The idea that hooked Rintu on NLP is simple. Whenever someone speaks, the listener “has to make pictures in your head” for the words to make sense. [5]
That means words direct attention. “This whole language thing is just a filter,” he says, and it lets a speaker guide where a listener’s attention goes. [5]
He describes his book’s patterns as not necessarily about trance, but “a way to move you from one perspective on an issue to another.” [2]
“The issue isn’t X, the issue is Y”
One of his favourite patterns is a simple reframe: “the issue isn’t X, the issue is Y.” It invites the listener to look in a new direction. [5]
As a teacher, he would answer students: “that’s such a great question! But you know, the issue isn’t that question,” and then move on to what he wanted to explain. [5]
He suggests first finding agreement with the other person, then using the pattern. A similar version is “on one level it’s this, on another level it’s that.” What matters, he says, is what feels most comfortable for you. [5]
Awareness patterns
Salespeople call it a “yes set”; hypnotists call it an awareness pattern. You make a couple of statements that are simply true, then add the suggestion you want to make. [5]
A hypnotist might say: you’re sitting in this chair, you’re listening to my voice, and that means you’re ready to relax. The trick, Rintu says, is to “take small steps.” [5]
People don’t have to say yes out loud. “They just need to feel it.” [5]
One pattern at a time
Rintu’s book opens with “Ten Minutes Daily Practice”, and much of it is about practising with real people. [2]
His tip for building the skill naturally: in a normal conversation, give yourself a rule that you can only say what you want to say after two truisms, two statements that are simply true. [5]
Practised this way, he says, it “gets to be fun”, and with time you start to use the patterns without thinking. [5]
Say it before you believe it
For years, Rintu told people he couldn’t write a book. Looking back, he calls these “identity constraints”, beliefs about who you are that stop you from creating. [4]
He noticed that saying “I am a trainer” came before he had the skills, and drove him to build them. His suggestion: “make the statement even if you don’t believe it yet.” [4]
The same idea runs through his teaching: build the identity first, then let practice catch up with it. [4]
From problem solver to creator
Rintu has long seen himself as a problem solver, someone who reacts to whatever needs fixing. In conversation with Debbie Jenkins, he talks about the shift to seeing himself as a creator, who builds things on purpose. [4]
A practical example is his writing process. Faced with producing a large batch of articles, he wrote around 70 in a day by keeping a core idea and changing the opening and closing for each one, a method he calls top and tail. [4]
The lesson he draws is that a simple, repeatable system can turn a daunting task into a manageable one. [4]
Videos with Rintu Basu
From his own channel and interviews, checked one by one.
Start here
Persuasion skills
Work and confidence
His story
Articles about Rintu Basu
Rintu Basu’s books
His first book grew out of a free email course and became his best-known work. [4]
Find his books in your country: US · UK · Canada · Australia · India.
Free resources
Rintu’s YouTube channel has many short lessons and demonstrations of his persuasion patterns. In his interview with Debbie Jenkins, he mentions that his website is offline for now and that he shares news on Facebook. [4]
What the Research Shows
Rintu’s approach rests on little-and-often practice of language skills. Research on habits and on deliberate practice sits close to that idea.
- Small daily habits. New habits became automatic after an average of 66 days, and missing an occasional day did not derail progress. [6]
- Deliberate practice. Focused, structured practice is a key driver of expert performance. [7]
Frequently asked questions
Who is Rintu Basu?
A Glasgow-based NLP and hypnosis trainer and author of the Persuasion Skills Black Book.
What is the Persuasion Skills Black Book?
His 2009 guide to using hypnotic language patterns in everyday situations, from meetings to job interviews.
What is a language pattern?
A phrase that guides attention in a new direction, such as “the issue isn’t X, the issue is Y.”
What is an awareness pattern?
A few simple, true statements followed by a suggestion, also known in sales as a “yes set”.
How does he suggest practising?
One pattern at a time, little and often, in normal conversations.
What was his background?
He has worked as a musician, engineer, teacher, police officer, trainer and business consultant.
Where should I start?
His Jedi Persuasion Techniques interview, then the first chapters of his book.
Sources
- Audible: Rintu Basu author biography
- Google Books: Persuasion Skills Black Book (2009)
- Smashwords: Rintu Basu biography
- Chaos to Creation Confessions: I Accidentally Wrote a Bestselling Book (video interview)
- Your Charisma Coach: Jedi Persuasion Techniques with Rintu Basu (interview transcript, 2014)
- Lally et al., How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world, European Journal of Social Psychology 2010
- Ericsson, Krampe and Tesch-Römer, The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance, Psychological Review 1993
By Saj Ali. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will fix it.