A BRIEF INTRODUCTION: NEURO-LINGUISTIC PROGRAMMING (NLP)
- Oct 23, 2017
- 6 min read
Neuro-Linguistic Programming is an approach for communication, personal development, and psychotherapy andit’s about how high achievers in different fields obtain outstanding results, and how their successful thinking and behaviour patterns can be modelled. Then how anyone can utilise these tried and test techniques to communicate effectively, influence others and achieve their own success. In simple terms, learning and applying NLP is about learning the language of your own mind and how to apply it effectively.
Neuro relates to your neurology; the way we use our senses to interpret the world around us, as each person has developed their own unique mental filtering system for processing the millions of data being absorbed through their senses. Neurological processes affect our thoughts and emotions, our physiology and subsequent behaviour.
Each individual has developed their own unique mental filtering system for processing the millions of data being absorbed through their senses. As such the first mental map of the world around is called the ‘First Access’ in NLP. This map is made up of internal images, internal sensations, sounds, tactile awareness, tastes and smells that form as result of the neurological filtering process.
Linguistic refers to the use of language; it’s about how we use language to describe, categorise and make sense of our reality and experience then assign personal meaning to the information being received from the world around us. We form our second mental map which is called the ‘Linguistic Map’ by assigning language to the internal images, sounds and feelings, tastes and smells, thus forming everyday conscious awareness.
Programming refers to how that neural language functions; it’s about the sequence of our internal thought processes and the patterns of behaviour that we use to motivate ourselves to achieve our goals. It’s about managing the thoughts, feeling and behavioural response that occurs as a result of neurological filtering processes and the subsequent linguistic map that is developed.
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A brief history
Neuro Linguistic Programming started early in the 1970s with the collaboration of an Associate Professor from the University of California, Santa Cruz, John Grinder and undergraduate Richard Bandler. They both had passion for human excellence which charted a path for them to model behavioural patterns of selected geniuses they has studied. They studied a wide range of people they considered to be excellent, especially in the areas of communication and management of change and they identified consistent patterns of behaviour and resources they shared in common.
The core activity of NLP is modelling, and is the process of replicating and extricating the language, structure, habits and behavioural patterns of highly successful people at a given activity or stages in their lives. NLP modelling is the art of making explicit the set of differences present in someone who is excellent at a given activity compared with someone who is mediocre at the same activity. Modelling is by far the highest skill level in NLP and it can be used to capture patterns of excellence present in anyone in any context.
NLP Presuppositions
The NLP Presuppositions is that the mind and body are interconnected and such they are:
Parts of the same system, and they affect each other
The Map is Not the Territory as we all have different maps of the world around us
There is no failure, only feedback and a renewed opportunity for success
The Map Becomes the Territory as what you believe to be true either is true or becomes true, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right!” (Henry Ford)
Knowing what you want will help you to reach you goal
The resources we need to reach our goals are within us
Know that communication is verbal as well as non-verbal e.g. Body language
The sub-conscious mind is benevolent and has no sense of time
Communication is to the sub-conscious as well as the conscious mind as your language can influence subconscious mind
The meaning of my communication is the response I get
By modelling excellent behaviour leads to excellence in your pursuit of your goals
An NLP Practitioner can employ his/her skills as an agent of change working with individuals, groups, or companies, or even global organisations and governments. As a technology, NLP has an amazing track record for instigating fast and efficient change in individuals and groups.
Many people study NLP to help them become more effective in their chosen field. The techniques and patterns can be employed across a wide area of applications ranging from diverse fields as education, team building, sales, marketing, personal development, leadership and coaching. Wherever there is human interaction and growth potential, NLP can be used to develop and enhance performance.
What are the potential benefits NLP?
There are numerous benefits of NLP, particularly in business and sport such as:
Increased awareness of our thinking patterns increases our flexibility, our choices and our self-management, so that we can influence outcomes
Increased awareness of and ability to use language to influence others and facilitate change
Understand the factors that lead to successful outcomes
Quickly identify and blast through the limitations that are holding you back in business and in life... Once you break through these, your business and personal life will never be the same again.
Master your subconscious mind so that you can learn more quickly than traditional teaching methods could ever allow
Learn things about yourself that you didn’t know before
Master your own emotions so that you handle all eventualities easily
Gain that vital edge that makes you a far more effective and powerful communicator
Enhance your personal relationships
Develop instant confidence
The four Pillars of NLP
Rapport: building relationships of trust and influence
Outcome focused: know what you want, clear purpose and direction
Sensory acuity: paying attention to the responses and signals you get from others
Flexibility of behaviour: the more choices you have in practice, the more chance you have of getting what you want
Rapport
Generally being in rapport with someone is about getting on with them but in NLP it is much more than this and is about:
Is the first step to good communication
Is meeting others in their model of the world
Is matching the way you communicate to the way the other person takes in information
Increases the likelihood that the message you send will be the one they receive
Promotes trust and comfort between people
Outcome Focused
The second pillar is to know what you want and without knowing what you want, you cannot define success, celebrate when you achieve, or map your journey towards your goals.
You need to ask yourself the following questions:
What do I want?
What do I want?
What do I want?
What do I want?
Sensory Acuity
The third pillar is to notice what is happening to you and to others around you. Become more curious and aware of the effects and impact of what you do. Only then will you truly know if you are on course to achieve your goal. You can then use this feedback to adjust what you are doing an you need to ask yourself the following questions:
How will I know when I have got it?
What will I be seeing when I have got it?
What will I be hearing when I have got it?
What will I be feeling when I have got it?
What will you see me doing, when I have got it?
What will you hear me saying when I have got it?
Flexibility of behaviour
In the fourth pillar; if what you are doing isn’t working do something different. And if you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get the same results. Know that you always have a choice of what action to take and how you act and react to each situation. It is useful to look at the world from different perspectives and points of views. The more behavioural flexibility you have the more choices you will discover and by keep changing what you do until you get the results you want.
In conclusion NLP is a means for unlocking personal potential and improving an individual’s performance. It achieves this by removing the psychological barriers - such as fear of failures - that normally inhibit an individual from challenging his/her ability in different situations outside their normal comfort zone. Therefore, by enabling and building the individuals confidence to overcome beliefs that normally limits one’s capability, NLP creates a 'safety net' that allows the individual to perform outside their perceived limited comfort zones, thereby achieving more than we previously believed we were capable of achieving.
Your next steps…?
If you want to unlock your potential, you need to get curious about NLP and discover more in my following articles at The Somaliland Review.
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