Yes, I think you are right there, I hadn't thought of it that way. Also, Palpatine on several occasions I think reassures the people he's talking to that he'll be able to "persuade" someone to do something he needs them to do.
For instance, this happens in AOTC, when he persuades Padme to take the Jedi as her bodyguards, and she gets a strange look on her face, and Yoda seems to notice something strange going on at that moment as well.