Developed by John Grinder & Richard Bandler in 1972, based on the work of Milton Ericson and Fritz Perls the originator of Gestalt. The Logical Levels Model was created by Robert Dilts

Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or NLP as it is more popularly known, is a series of techniques and procedures for coding human behaviour. NLP aids a coach's understanding of what people do and how they do it to perform excellently. It gives structure to the mind's sensory experiences. Some consider NLP to be the science that explains and influences your behaviour. Others believe it to apply NLP well is an art.

I have outlined the main techniques below. I use NLP with clients to improve their communication skills, meet their personal development needs or achieve accelerated learning. It is powerful because it draws it's techniques from the best of other schools of thought.

Neuro relates to the nervous system through which our experience is processed via our senses - visual, auditory, kinaesthetic (feeling), olfactory (smell) and gustatory (taste).

Linguistic relates to language and non-verbal communication through which our neural representations are coded, ordered and given meaning. They include pictures, sounds, feelings, tastes, smells and words (self-talk).

Programming is the ability to discover and use the programmes that we run (our communication with others and ourselves) to achieve a desired outcome.

THE THREE LEGS OF NLP
NLP is said to rest on three important ideas, "filters" or "behavioural frames".

1. OUTCOMES (What do you want to have happen ?) - to know what you really want and how you know when you have it. The more positive and specific you can be, the better are your chances of success. See Well Formed Outcomes

2. SENSORY ACUITY (What do your senses tell you ?) - to see/hear/feel the information presented to your senses and to process it meaningfully so it is seen as useful feedback from which one can then respond more effectively. The ability to notice (observe) and be curious about whether what you are doing is getting you what you really want - your outcome.

Sharpening your powers of observation means using all your senses together. Especially your least preferred representational system. One of NLP's presuppositions is:

The mind and body are one system - if you are happy you smile.
We process all information through our senses - What does a wrinkled forehead mean? You need reinforcement from other senses or a pattern repeated to know what stimulated it.

Matching a person's external behaviour to their internal workings is called calibration. To listen carefully is not enough, you need to look for iconic and metaphoric gestures (unedited thinking). To accurately recognise another person's state you can learn to calibrate (recognise different states) through non-verbal signals such as breathing, skin colour. muscular tension, posture, swallowing, blink rate, eye accessing cues, voice tone and tempo, heart rate. We need to learn to notice and direct where our attention goes. The more you practice calibration, the better you will become at establishing rapport with others.

The process of elicitation will guide someone into a state. To elicit an emotional state you would ask them to remember a time in the past when they were experiencing that particular emotion. The more expressive the request the more expressiveness will be elicited. To put someone in a calm resourceful state, soothing words and slow movements are needed. The words must be congruent with your body language and voice tone. The person must be 'associated' in the experience or situation, not observing from the outside-in.

3. BEHAVIOURAL FLEXIBILITY (What else can you do ?) - your ability to do something different. This requires the ability suspend assumptions and create new possibilities and choices, even when you may feel stuck. It's about asking 'how' else you could get what you want rather than getting bogged down in 'why' questions. Behaviour has patterns and we repeat the them whether they work for us or not.

Ashby's Law of Requisite Variety says, that part of the system that has the most flexibility has the most control. Getting locked into one way of thinking or acting suggests you have no choice. You are stuck in your box of always behaving the same way, day after day - but you can do anything.

Three of the presuppositions of NLP are:

Having choice is better than no choice
People make the best choice they can at any one time
People work perfectly - they are not broken or wrong. They are xxxjust doing the best they can with their limited map of the world.

The aim is to help them draw a new map with different thoughts and assumptions about what's possibe.

THE PRESUPPOSITIONS OF NLP
It is important to behave as if the following are true.

1. xxPeople respond to their map of reality and not to reality itself
2. xxHuman behaviour is purposeful - it has intention
3. xxModelling successful performance leads to excellence
4. xxThere is no failure, only feedback
5. xxThe unconscious mind is benevolent and compassionate
6. xxPeople have all the resources they need to succeed. There xxxxxxare no unresourceful people, only unresourceful states
7. xxPeople make the best choice they can at the time
8. xxHaving choice is better than no choice
9. xxEvery behaviour has a positive intention - even negative ones
10. All behaviour is appropriate in some context
11. The mind, body and spirit affect each other in one system
12. People work perfectly in their current 'way of being'
13. The meaning of your communication is in the response
14. What others can do, you can learn by modelling
15. We process all information through our senses
16. If you want to understand - act (doing is knowing)
17. If you do what you always did, you get what you always got.
18. Experience in and of itself is neutral - we give it meaning

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WELL FORMED OUTCOMES OR GOALS

A way of thinking about and expressing an outcome which makes it both achievable and verifiable. The model for change is to more from Present State to Desired State. To do this you need to know where you are now and where you want to get to. This requires resources

PRESENT STATE + RESOURCES = DESIRED STATE

Start with CHUNKING - UP or DOWN

Chunking is a way of getting at the size of the issue being addressed. Some people like to "chunk-up" to get an overview or see their goal as part of a bigger picture. Small chunkers like to get at the detail first, before they consider what it all adds up to. You can also chunk sideways or think laterally about something similar.

For example:
Chunk up - appearance. Clothes might be an example
Chunk down - socks. A specific type of clothing
Chunk sideways - books. Also available in an Oxfam Shop

Am I considering the right chunk size ?

A goal or outcome is well formed when:

1. It is expressed in the positive
We often know what we don't want, but this is negative. Goals need to be expressed in the positive. To know it's positive, the negative has to be understood.
2. You can describe it in sensory terms
How will you know when you have achieved your goal ? What will your sensory (see, hear, feel, smell, taste) evidence be ?
3. It's under your control (action on your own part)
What will you do ? Not relying on others to do something. Being proactive to find out what you need to know, do or understand to make the change happen.
4. The context is clear (SMART - specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timebound)
What exactly do you want ? When do you want it ? Where do you want it ? Who else wants it ? Chunk it down into stages - short and long term.
5. The resources are defined and their source identified
How will you get what you need (internally and externally) such as physical, skill based and behavioural resources
6. It is ecological in terms of time taken, costs incurred, consequences or the impact on your identity
What could you lose by achieving your goal ? How could the benefits be protected ? How might others be affected ?

Have a Solution Focus
By setting a desired outcome in the future you create a problem in the present. Instead of analysing the problem use it as a platform to assess what actions would count towards achieving the desired state. The resources are the small, positive actions you can take to effectively eliminate the barriers and resistance by replacing the present state behaviours, thoughts and feelings with those required of the desired state.

Click here to find out more

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FRAMING & REFRAMING

Framing is about setting a context or way of perceiving something as in Outcome Frame, Rapport Frame, Backtrack Frame, etc. The way you think that you can change the way you interpret your experience.

Reframing changes the frame of reference round a statement or behaviour that gives it another meaning.

Using a Problem Frame
What's the problem as you see it ?
How long have you had it ?
Why do you think you have this problem ?
Who is to blame for this prblem ?
Why haven't you solved it yet do you think ?

Using a Solution Frame
What do you want to have ?
How will you know when you have it ?
What resources do you already have which you can use to achieve the desired outcome ?
When have you succeeded in doing something similar ?
What is the next step as you see it ?

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PERCEPTUAL POSITIONING

The viewpoint we are aware of at any moment. This approach is useful where there is a relationship to explore, especially when you find someone a 'difficult person'. It's about looking at the relationship from three points of view, you will gain a greater understanding of what it is like for the other person. You may decide to change what you have been doing.

The process is about gathering information from three perspectives or positions:

First Position - as themselves
Second Position - as the other person
Third Position - as a detached observer

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COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE

There is an NLP preposition that states:

The meaning of your communication is the response you get

There are no failures in communication, only feeedback. You can learn from every experience. If you are not getting the response that you want, do something different.

You cannot not communicate. Even if you say nothing there will be a response. This response will have an effect on you.

When you try to do something you see it as being outside your control. It's an intention, not a commitment to act. If you have control over the resopurces needed then trying is likely tolead to success.

Be careful to differentiate between AND and BUT. Sometimes, replacing but with and can make both ststements true at the same time. You can have qualifications for a job AND not have the necessary technical knowledge.

It is sometimes helpful to assume that you already have the resources you need to change. For example, "I know you can't do it, but if you could, then what would it be like".

TAG QUESTIONS
Tag questions are a way of requesting an action or a verbal response, in such a way that you always pace the client's experience. For example, "You can recall a time when you were creative, can't you ?" The pattern is to give permission, expect a positive response or show confidence

EMBEDDED COMMANDS
An embedded command is an idirect suggestion, a way of presenting a command covertly in order to avoid resistance. For example, "The last group I taught this to said you can learn this pattern really easily". You can also reframe as an embedded question. For example, "I was wondering if you can complete this report by the end of next week." Use intonation to stress "you" and "complete this report".

CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE

The Circle of Concern is filled with the have's:
'I'll be happy when I have my house paid off.'
'If only I had a more patient spouse...'
'If only I had better employees/co-workers...'
'If only I had a boss who wasn't so demanding...'

The Circle of Influence is filled with the be's:
'I can be more patient...'
'I can be a better employee...'
'I can be more wise...'

When you listen to other people, make promises or commitments, it is useful to notice which circle they are in - influence or control. NLP works on what you can control, not you hopes. Goals must therefore be turned into things you can actually do to get you there.

You can adopt a reactive focus. Any time you think the problem is 'out there,' that thought is the problem. You can empower what's out there to control you. The change eergy is then coming from the outside-in - what's out there has to change before you can change.

The proactive approach is to generate change energy from the inside-out to approach things differently. By doing something different you influence what changes out there - you can be more resourceful, be more diligent, be a better listener and be a better leader of change.

PERSONAL EDITING
Editing is the process of correcting or revising something to make it more suitable. Personal editing deals with emotional states and how we use our attention within those states. If we change our emotional state then our focus of attention will change. We can redirect where our atttention goes.

Using the table below work horizontally. Read the bold letters out loud and briefly raise your right hand for R, your left hand for L and both hands for T as indicated by the letters below.

1. Select a proble or situation where you want to increase the quality of your experience.
2. Hold this in mind and go through the chart spelling out words with related movements

R = Lift right arm and left leg together
L = Lift left arm and right leg together
T - Lift both arms and bend knees togther

3. After 5 minutes, think about the problem or situation and notice what changes in your experience of how you perceive it or respond to it.

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FEEDBACK

Without feedback we cannot learn what needs to change. As one NLP presupposition states:

There is no failure, only feedback

Failure is just information about how you did not get the result you intended. It represents an opportunity to learn and do something different next time.

Failure is not real. It is a linguistic label we put on what happens when we do not achieve our outcome. One aspect of this may be a negative state. Considering it as feedback is more useful because it leads us towards a positive state. What are you going to do about it ?

GIVING FEEDBACK
Remember when giving feedback to use the feedback sandwich.

Something they did well
Something they could have done better
Something else they did well

Make sure it is sensory based, so that they know specifically what you are suggesting they might change.

Criticism is hurtful. Feedback is helpful.

For example, if you use the feedback sandwich . . . .

You were very smartly dressed and that made a good impression
I began to lose interest when you spoke with a monotone voice
You completed your presentation exactly on time

GETTING FEEDBACK
When getting feedback it is as well to accept it and say thank you. You can then go away and reflect on it. There is learning in every experience should you be willing to look for it and reflect on it.

FEEDBACK IN ORGANISATIONS
Continuous improvement requires feedback to be fast.

"Your ability to learn faster than your competitors may be the only sustainable competitive advantage" Arie De Geus

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TIME

Time helps us organise our experiences. Without time there would be no cause and effect or planning. We code time and use it to store our memories in a linear way. We talk about the 'arrow of time' going in one direction - it cannot be turned back. Yet we have to distinguish between a real time event and a made-up event (in the past or the future).

BELIEFS ABOUT TIME LINES

One event follows another - linear time
An all at once event tat is happening now (manana)
Time lines (NLP notion) - What does time feel like ?

If, on reflection, if you see time going from left to right as past, present and future you are going THROUGH TIME. If any part of your timeline goes into your body from past behind and future in front, you are IN TIME.

If the past dominates it is infront and the future feels as if it is out of sight behind, then future planning will be difficult. If someone is not interested in what happened yesterday,and can only see the future in front of them, they are IN TIME.

How do you see time ?

Take things as they come
Now is as good a time as any
Set tight deadlines
I am flexible and can deal with chaos
Work time and play time are the same to me
15 minutes late is reasonably on time

Moving problems into the past with a question can help the client dissociate from the memory and reduce the strength of emotion associated with the event. For example:

Client: I am having a problem with my best friend
Therapist: So, you have been having a problem with your best friend

Words that end in 'ing' are more compelling because they generate movies. Static words may go too far. For example the Therapist could say "So, you have had a problem with your best friend". It presumes you have solved the problem or have all the resources to do so. For example: What would it be like when you have made those changes, now ? You are inviting someone to adjust their time line.

TIME AND SPACE

PLACING A GOAL IN THE FUTURE
Compare now with the past and the future and create a line on the floor in front of you. Step onto the timeline on NOW. Walk back into the PAST as far as you set your goal in the FUTURE. Think back to how much you have changed in the PAST to get to where you are NOW. Certain experiences may come to mind.

Now come off your timeline and make a dissociated picture of yourself achieving your goal. See yourself as you wish to be.

Now associate into the picture. What do you see, hear and feel ? This is the Future Perfect in the Solution Focus - see above. Adjust the submodalities until you get the best feeling b making the picture bigger, brighter or more colourful.

When satisfied, come out and dissociate. Now put the dissociated picture into your timeline. Look back from this position towards the present. What steps do you need to take to make this picture a reality ? What are the likely obstacles that could stop you and how will you get round them ? What has happened between then and now. Walk back to now

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ASSOCIATION & DISSOCIATION

When you experience something through you own eyes, as if you were there, you are said to be associated with that experience. You are fully yourself and you see, hear and feel what is going on around you. It is your own personal experience and includes all your feelings at the time - reliving the moment. The eyes will go to the right as you try and remember what you saw, heard and felt.

You are dissociated when you can see yourself doing something. It is a bit like an out of body experience, or watching a video where you are one of the people in it. Any feelings are about what you see and hear. They are not derived from the experience itself. It's as if you are seeing yourself being terrified on a roller coaster, but NOT feeling it first hand. You are merely responding to observing yourself being terrified. When dissociated the eyes will go more to the left as you attempt to recreate the experience.

People can often deal with difficult situations by dissociating themselves so they do not actually feel the fear or the pain because they just stepping out of their body and observing themselves having the experience.

ANCHORING
Linked to submodalities (scroll down)

An anchor is a representation that triggers another representation. The presupposition is that all experiences are represented as some combination of our five senses. When stimulus and response are connected we say they are anchored.

This is a process by which a specific stimulus is used to connect to, or trigger, a desired emotional response. Anchors can occur naturally or can be set up intentionally. For example, when you hear a fire alarm (anchor) you leave the building (response). Music helps you recall feelings related to an event. This is auditory. They can also be visual, emotional - negative or positive. See a spider and feel the fear.

The four keys to anchoring are that it needs to be:

Timed just as the state peaks
Unique and distinctive
Easy to repeat naturally
Linked to a state that is clean and completely re-experienced

Having elicited and calibrated a desired state, how can it be switched on and used as a resource in the present. It's about being resourceful in the moment. It's the bottom-line of professionalism - to turn it on and off as the situation requires.

To re-experience a strong emotion we must trigger an association from the past into the present. An alarm clock is an example of an anchor that triggers an emotional response. Anchoring a desired emotional state can be achieved in a three step process.

1. You decide on a highly intense, clear emotion, sound and sight you want to recall and link it to a desired state of mind i.e. confidence
2. You put yourself into that state and at its peak, link it with a part of the body you can touch. a word, etc.
3. You associate that state with the specific trigger you have created.

I use this approach with clients, enabling them, for example, to achieve goals far beyond their initial beliefs. The anchor can be visual, auditory or kinaesthetic. It's a skill that has to be practiced. As Aldous Huxley observed "Experience is not what happens to you, it's what you do with what happens to you."

You can anchor a range of desired states and you can "fire" them in chains. To get rid of negative emotions you can collapse the anchors that triggered them. Anchoring can bring emotional freedom by escaping from the tyranny of past negative experiences to create a more positive future.

SELF-ANCHORING
This is a process that enables you to re-access a chosen resourceful state whenever you wish.

You identify the resource you want i.e. confidence
Choose the specific anchors (non-obvious gestures or touches, words or visual images)
Think back to you best experience in the resourceful state. Ensure you are associated and represent it fully in VAK (vocally, audibly and kinaesthetically)
As the experience reaches its peak, set the anchor, and hold the state for a few moments before breaking state.
Repeat the prvious two steps a few times
Test the anchor by firing it and ensure you have full access to the chosen resource. Repeat steps if necessary.
What will be the first thing I see/hear/feel that will remind you to fire this anchor.

TIP: Use it or lose it

ANCHORING OTHERS
The same process as above can be used to anchor another person and enable them to access a desired state - say by shaking hands, a smile or a tone of voice. Think carefully why you would want to do this so it is used appropriately.

COLLAPSING ANCHORS
This is used to neutralise an unwanted negative anchor. You can break the stimulus-response link so that it doesn't work anymore. You will need to put a more resourceful response in its place. This is a useful process for replacing a habit that's not working for you with one that will.

What current state or habit or mood isn't working for you ?
What would be a more resourceful state to replace it with ?
Decide on the anchor you are going to use
Describe what it's like to experience the undesired state. What does it look/feel/sound like to you ?
As the experience reaches its peak - fire the anchor
Repeat the previous two steps and few times
Break state
Test the anchor by firing it

Now access the resourceful state and anchor it as above. Fire the anchors alternately a few times so you can see the person changing between the two states.

Holding the resourceful or preferred state anchor, simultaneously apply the unwanted state anchor. Break state for 20 seconds and fire the unwanted state anchor. It should not work. If it does you need to stack a chain of more resourceful anchors. Future pace (see below) by asking when they would have expected the unwanted state to be triggered. Notice their non-verbal behaviour as they reply to check if the unwanted state has been neutralised.

CHANGE PERSONAL HISTORY
Human experience only exists in the present moment. The past exists as memories and to remember these we have to re-experience them in some way in the present. The future only exists as expectations or fantasies, again created in the present.

But what actually happen can be, and often is, changed by giving it a different meaning - which affects our behaviour. Jealousy is generated, not from what actually happened, but from constructed images that we believe happened. We get trapped in our well rehearsed behaviours. "Why do I keep doing this ?" It's as if you were in a trance that you cannot break out of. See Enneagrams

It's as if we need to "break out of our box" and move from our comfort zone into the change zone. To change whilst in the box will only achieve first-order change or a quick-fix. Second-order change requires you to transform the inner experience so profoundly that you perceive the world quite differently. Small changes can lead to big results. See Emergence.

To achieve sustainable and fundamental change you have to get out of your box and change the way you see yourself (from the inside-out), the world around you (from the outside-in), your relationship with others (from the bottom-up) and your reverence for authority (from the top-down). See the 4-WAY Model below.

FUTURE PACING
Experiencing a situation in advance is called future pacing. This is achieved through using your imagination with the the resources you have, and can experience in advance how you wish it to be. Rehearsing a task in your mind before you do it - like replaying a video of your behaviour working just as you want it to.

Future pacing tests if the work you have done in the present changes the action when a new situation occurs. It's about giving the brain strong positive images to work with.

NEW BEHAVIOUR GENERATOR
We hold on to memories of our experiences. This is fine when everything went well. But you can lay down a new, more beneficial memory.

You create an experience of what you should have done better and how that would have made the event more successful. Next time you are in a similar situation you can benefit from recalling what you wished you had done last time. This form of reflection lies at the heart of learning what you would do differently next time.

What did you see, hear and feel happened ?
Replay it as a movie with a sound track as if you were there
Now dissociate and step out of the movie
If you could do it again what would you do differently ?
Be a movie editor. What would you change ?
What positive impact is it having ?
Now step back into the new movie and feel the difference
What will you do to remind you to behave in the new way ?

You can apply this to anything you do. A 'phone call, a conversation with a work colleague, even an email.

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MIND STATES
also see Modeling - scroll down

Your state is how you feel, your mood. It is the sum total of all neurological and physical processes within an individual at any moment in time. The state we are in affects our capabilities and interpretation of experience. Resourceful states hold the key to outstanding performance. They are 'states of mind'. They involve a shift from our present state to a more resourceful desired state. The goal becomes one of bridging the gap. This may involve acquiring resources , gaining skills or changing how you feel. It may also involve motivation and energy.

For example, Robert Dilts explains how Conceptual Modeling follows conceptual rules such as:

The principles and beliefs that guide behaviour, such as the presuppositions of NLP
Using states of mind to access unconscious processes
Encouraging the use of self-organising processes
Acquiring familiarity with information through self-managed learning

FILTERS
After filtering sensory input, we create our internal representation. This leads us into a state or 'way of being'. The state does not arise directly from the sensory input, it comes only from the filtering that creates our internal representation of reality.

A "Way of Being" is a state of mind that is all the thoughts (expressed as language), emotions and physiology we express at any one moment in time. It is what makes us human.

NLP talks about the TEA Model that combines:

Thoughts (internal representations)
Emotions (state)
Actions (behaviour)

Other filters include:

Meta-Programmes that we apply at a higher logical level, a relationship that lies above, beyond or about something else. They lie within our unconscious and determine what we pay attention to and the generalisations we maintain. One person might be happy in a situation that makes another person sad, and vice versa. You may have to call on inner resources to help you into a more positive state of mind. Much depends on how you perceive things.

Changing your state involves:

Deciding what you want
Doing something to achieve it
Noticing what's happening
Being flexible and adaptive

Values are how we decide what is right or wrong and are arranged in a hierarchy. They vary with context and always generate a kinaesthetic response.

Beliefs are statements about our internal generalisations - our world view. We can hold a belief without any sensory evidence.

Attitudes are collections of values and beliefs around a subject. We are usually conscious of our attitudes.

Memories are who we are.

Decisions or choices that we have made in the past affect our entire lives. They help create beliefs, values and attitudes. Sometimes we reevaluate our decisions.

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REPRESENTATIONAL OR SENSORY SYSTEMS
& SUBMODALITIES

A representational system is how NLP codes information in our minds in one or more of the five sensory systems. All experience is coded in our minds in some combination of the five senses: seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, tasting. These are called modalities. By re-coding 'negative' experiences with the submodalities of corresponding 'positive' experiences, you can change the way you think. Making the pictures smaller, further away, dimmer, black and white, will make them less compelling.

Submodalities are distinctions made within each representational system, the smallest building blocks of our thoughts. To elicit the submodalities, ask: (assume the client can do it)

Visualise the scene and describe what you see
What did you hear ?
What did you feel at the time ?
What else did you experience ?

Submodalities are distinctions made in each representational system. They are the qualities of your internal representations of reality - the smallest building blocks of thought.

The critical submodalities are the ones that make a difference. a change in a critical submodality will induce change in other submodalities and in the meaning of the representation.

Visual submodalities
Think of a past experience that had a significant visual content - for example looking at a magnificent view. Elicit the visual submodalities of the memory in predicates such as: location, distance, size, colour, movement, framed, brightness, focus, etc.

Auditory submodalities
Think of a past experience that had a significant auditory content - for example, attending a concert. Elicit the auditory submodalities of the memory in predicates such as: loudness, variation, clarity, speed, rhythm, changeability, etc.

Kinaesthetic submodalities
Think of a past experience with a strong emotional content - for example, a time when you were energetic, balanced or relaxed and comfortable using predicates such as: movement, size, shape, intensity, duration, pressure, etc.

There are also Olfactory (smelling) and Gustatory (tasting) submodalities.

Analogue Submodalities are ones on a sliding scale, such as brightness or volume. Digital submodalities are either one thing or another, such as colour/black or white, rhythm or constant. Critical submodalities are the ones that when changed make the biggest difference.

Discover your learning style. Undertake a short questionnaire at: http://www.vark-learning.com

EYE ACCESSING CUES
Eye movement patterns indicate which representational system is being used. The eye flicks from one to the other. A person's preferred representational system is the position the eyes settle in when thinking and talking. It will tell you if the information is being remembered, constructed or felt.

More specifically, if you are right-handed, you may have noticed the following (for people who are left handed, interchange left and right in the following text):

VR - eyes up and to your left. This is about something you have seen before and hence you remembered it - visual remembered
VC - eyes up and to your right. This is about something that you have not seen before and hence - visually constructed
AR - eyes on the horizontal plane to your left. This is about something you have heard before - auditory remembered
AC - eyes on the horizontal plane to your right. This is about something you have not heard before - auditory constructed
Ad - eyes down and to the left. This is a about your self talk - auditory digital
K - eyes down and to the right. This is about your feelings - kinesthetic

Note: The above eye patterns are how your eyes would move if you are right-handed. They are the opposite for left-handed people.

Click here to test yourself

STRATEGIES
A strategy is a successful recipe. You need to know what the ingredients are (representational systems), how much of each to use and their quality (submodalities) and the correct sequence of steps. We all use slightly different strategies for learning - processing information and making sense of it. We have strategies for remembering, strategies for observing and strategies for creating ideas. See the DISNEY CREATIVE STRATEGY.

The way the eyes move will often show a preference for visual, auditory or kinaesthetic cues. This is a person's Lead System. It's like a doorway to the mind. For example, a person may use a visual door to get in, but once inside will process information using other submodalities. The Output System is like the exit door, which is a person's preference for expressing the results of their thinking about something.

PREDICATES
These are 'process' words, such as verbs and adjectives which indicate qualities or attributes. These words too can indicate which sensory system is being used. A visual person might lots of "I see what you mean". An auditory person might say a lot of "that sounds interesting" and a kinaesthetic person might say "help me grasp that idea"

Other clues lie in how we use our bodies in posture, hand movements, breathing and voice tonality. For example:

Visual - head up, breathing high in chest with a fast and high pitched voice. Use words such as look, picture, notice, see, show, focus, etc.
Auditory - swaying or head tilted to one side, breathing mid-range and voice more rhythmic and melodic. Use words such as ask, clear, discuss, feedback, say, sound, tell, vocal, etc.
Kinaesthetic - rounded body with head down, breathing from the abdomen with a slower, deeper voice. They gesture a lot. Using words such as concrete, expand, grasp, handle, hold, move, press, scrape, sit, solid, stand, touch, warm, etc.

SYNESTHESIA
This is the process of linking the senses involuntarily. The information from one sense is simultaneously accompanied by another - they don't just overlap. There is no Lead System. Numbers also have colours, shapes have tastes, etc.

Creativity involves linking different senses - it makes learning possible. It is often associated with genius.

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RAPPORT SKILLS

The process of establishing and maintaining a relationship of mutual trust and understanding between two or more people, and the ability to generate responses from another person. The principles that underpin rapport involve the ability to be like someone else. This is because we open up to people we feel are most like ourselves. One sign of rapport between people in conversation is that they tend to adopt the same physical posture and mannerisms. This is known as mirroring.

Good rapport can involve matching the speed, volume and tone of voice of the other person. Facial expressions and mirrored words can play an important part too. The best communicators match without thinking and know when they deliberately mismatching as well to get an effect. It can take practice to make sure it doesn't look contrived.

Following the other persons pace and pattern of movement can enable you to lead them into a more open and receptive mental state. An enthusiastic and authentic positive attitude is also important. This is called congruence.

RAPPORT WITH METAPHOR
People use metaphors to explain things that need to communicate a deeper or more meaningful level, but have difficulty in finding the words. Rapport can be greatly enhanced by asking . . . .

"And . . . . is like what ?"
"And is there anything else when . . . . ?"
"And what kind of . . . . is that . . . . .?"

For more on this questioning technique see Clean Language

PACING
Gaining and maintaining rapport wityh another person over a period of time by joining them in their model of the world. You can pace beliefs and ideas as well as behaviour. Future Pacing involves mentally rehearsing an outcome to ensure that the desired behaviour will occur.

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META-PROGRAMMES

In addition to having your own sensory preferences, we have different thinking strategies or styles of working. For example, some of us are generally more optimistic, while others are pessimistic. When we use these predispositions for our thinking we can adopt very different macro-strategies that NLP calls meta-programmes used for sorting things, paying attention or processing information in order to change the patterns.

Meta-programmmes get at HOW we are are thinking about something rather than WHAT we are thinking. How we interpret a passing comment, account for differences in people, spend our time or construct a letter are all meta-programme activities.

Meta-programmes can undermine effectiveness. What is it doing to you ? How is it affecting your performance ? What effect would it have on aspects of your life ? In what type of experiences do you use the meta-programme ?

META-PROGRAMMES & DISTORTIONS

MOVING TOWARDS or AWAY FROM
The programme we have is either trying to move us towards something pleasurable and desirable that we want, or away from something painful and undesirable that we don't want. We are driven by our wants.

INNER or OUTER (Cause and Effect)
Wants can be about pleasing ourselves (inner-driven) or pleasing others (outer-driven). Knowing this enables you to know how best to support and motivate someone.

MATCHING and MISMATCHING
Some people need to feel connected and look for what they have in common, whilst others notice the differences or the odd one out.

POSSIBILITY or NECESSITY
Some people are motivated by what is necessary, rather than by what is possible. They do things because they feel they have to, rather than because they want to or see the possibilities in a course of action.

HEADLINE or DETAIL
Some people are more concerned with having and getting that they are not attracted to the detail. Others need to know everything there is to know about something before they make a decision.

Other kinds of Meta-Programmes involve what are called 'life content' choices. These include personality models and thinking styles. See the 4-Quadrant Model. Some people are doers and don't see the need to reflection or know lots of stuff. Some just don't like to miss out, they are the 'go getters' who are driven by the need to have or get something that could benefit them. For others, they need to reach a state of 'being' rather than getting, having, knowing, relating or doing.

All manner of communication blockages relate to differences in the way meta-programmes operate from person to person. When you understand how a person thinks - how they structure their perceptions - you can get into their map of reality.

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LEVELS OF COMPETENCE & CONSCIOUSNESS
or steps for learning

Most of our behaviour takes place unconsciously - so we don't have to think about what we are doing. This applies to all habits. We start from a point of ignorance and achieve a state where we do things without thinking. It's like being on automatic pilot.

To reach the level of unconscious competence we have to travel through three other levels on our learning journey.

From a state of ignorance where you are just not aware of what you don't know, your awareness is raised with new information and you learn something new. You become conscious of your ability to do something differently, but it does not become a habit until you practice the new behaviour or skill without thinking.

Competence comes from regular repetition over a 30 day period. Unconscious competence allows you to do several things at once and frees the mind to look for nuances and possible improvements. You can learn more strategic learning skills and perform even better. When you lose your flow you quickly revert back to self-conscious incompetence.

The quickest way to unconscious competence is to model your behaviour on others and practice the skills until they become automatic.

Many in NLP circles believe that unconscious -competence has to come before conscious-competence, because the unconscious has to learn something before the conscious mind can know it. To welcome ignorance and value it is a difficult idea for some people to deal with, but it vital for the modeling process.

THE UNCONSCIOUS MIND - INTUITION
When we decide at a conscious level to 'sleep on a problem', we assign to our unconscious mind the task of considering all the issues and variables involved and bringing to our conscious awareness its best advice and conclusions. We call this our intuition and must learn to trust it

NLP presupposes that the unconscious mind is benevolent. It acts intuitively in our best interests. As explained above, when you can do something really well, you have unconscious competence. People tend to go to a therapist when they have tried to change, with all their conscious awareness and need to access their unconscious resources. NLP presupposes that we have all the resources we need - or can create them.

CONGRUENCY SIGNALS - INTUITION
We are congruent when all our verbal and non-verbal behaviour supports our desired outcome. Some call it "walking the talk". It's about wanting something with your whole being so that your actions are in harmony. This is particularly true of the different contributions that combine to make a team successful.

How do you know if you are congruent ? If you become familiar with a feeling associated with a real and authentic want that you had. Describe the feeling using a variety of sub modalities so you can use it in the future to know that you really want something. You are searching for a feeling, sight or sound that makes you feel congruent.

Incongruence is about mixed messages. The result is often muddled actions and self-sabotage. Your intuition tells you not to proceed. Think back to a time when you didn't listen to your intuition and things went wrong. Where was the comment or attitude in your body felt? This "felt-sense" is your incongruency signal. It just doesn't feel right.

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MODELING STRATEGIES

How people go about doing something when they do it well can be copied or modeled. In the words of Joseph O'Connor, "it is the process of discerning the sequence of ideas and behaviour that enable someone to accomplish a task." Robert Dilts sees it as "the process of observing and mapping the successful behaviours of other people."

There are three types of modeling or ways of observing someone and mapping how they are achieving something through their five senses, their thinking patterns and how they make sense of something. They are:

Sensory Modeling relates to behaviour in an environment
. . . . more on Linguistic Acts
Conceptual Modeling relates to beliefs and capabilities
. . . . more on Mental Maps
Symbolic Modeling relates to spiritual metaphor and identity
. . . . more on Symbolic Modeling

They are all supported by three methods - First, Second and Third Position modeling

Second Position information gathering is when the modeler puts aside as much of their own map of the world as possible and "becomes the other person - taking on their behaviours, strategies, beliefs, etc. The challenge for the modeler is to remain in a state of 'not knowing' as long as possible. This is done by shadowing, using the senses to observe another person's 'way of being' and replicating the behaviour patterns - not copying the person.
Third Position information comes from taking a detached standpoint from which to observe and ask questions of the person being modeled on the basis of what they see and hear, not their own interpretation. As all questions are value loaded in some way (say through the intonation and body language) this is best done by asking coaching questions with NLP presuppositions in mind. Symbolic Modeling uses Clean Language questions to minimised any presupposition interference.
First Position information is drawn from the way we see the world. This means what we see and interpret what is around us depends on what we are looking for. This process is often unconscious learned from personal experience or self-impressions. It lies at the core of the mentoring process.

NLP is therefore a process for codifying excellence so that others can achieve it. Purposeful behaviour is linked to specific mental strategies that are dynamic and programmable. NLP makes it possible to model thinking and behaviour in a positive, conscious way, so that uncertainty is seemingly taken out of the change process. NLP enables you to take control of the way you see the world. You create your world view from the way you choose to make sense of the information and energy that comes to you.

You can change or remove your presuppositions to think in ways similar to people who appear to be more successful in this world. You do this by observing what the successful person is doing differently to you - the distinctions that make the difference if you practice it. To be the best you can be you have to be prepared to enter "the changezone". To change for the better is a personal choice that only you can make - after all, it's your life you are living. What you do, think and feel is under your control.

It's important to remember though, that information comes to our senses at the rate of 2 million bytes per second, yet we internally we can only process it at about 134 bytes per second - less than 1%. As a result our knowledge of the world and our understanding of it will only ever be partial.

META-MODELS
They reveal how we filter reality by using language to understand other people's mental maps and language patterns create or avoid meaning. Involved in meta-models is the use of filters. This is about creating maps of the territory. We use sight, sound and feeling to create our own reality.

It means that with language and other modalities we make use of:

generalisations - so that a lot of detail is not transmitted. "You always do that" "You never do so-and-so" "I can't do that" "I ought to make the effort" What's communicated may not be what was intended - lacking in focus or detail we make. This is the basis of prejudice and classification, where we make assumptions instead of looking for more detailed information to get clarity.
deletions - all kinds of information, which we assume others will understand, yet may not because we select the information we pay attention to. "It annoys me" "They don't understand" "His attitude bothers me" "I need fulfillment" "Dieting can be dangerous" prompts a what, who, where, when, how or why types of questions to get more information to get at what the persons means exactly when they are judging or comparing.
distortions - of meaning, either knowingly or unknowingly which shifts our experience of sensory data. "You're not sure, are you ?" "I know he didn't enjoy it" "If you cared you would understand how I feel" prompts the need to ask - How exactly do you know that ? There is a need to understand the link between cause and effect or to get at the presupposition on which the statement was based in order to make sense of it.

FILTERS
How we filter the information and energy that comes to us depends on the map of the world we use to make sense of it (mental map), how we feel about it (emotional intelligence), the way we behave towards it (observable/physical activity), and how connected we believe we are to others or our god (spiritual). Paying attention to all four dimensions allows us to take control of the things we can control and make us feel more successful at getting what we want from our lives.

NLP enables you to extract information and positive energy coming to us at great speed and complexity which we filter through your five submodalities of seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling and tasting. Other filters include selective memory, the choices you make, your values (what's important to you) and your beliefs (what's true for you).

Beware of believing that that your map is like someone else's and that you can truly understand another person. An understanding of diversity means we respect each other's maps of the world.

STRUCTURE
To make distinctions, NLP refers to everyday language as Surface Structure, where the intention is to keep things simple to understand. In doing so we generalise, delete and distort the information. For example, when someone says "I have bought a car"

The opposite is to say everything that could be said, in order to amplify or clarify. For example, "I bought a red hatchback Volvo car from Metro Motors for £3,000 last Tuesday" . . . and so on. This is referred to as Deep Structure.

Alfred Korzybski observed that any definition of words by using words is inevitably a refinement. It's like asking Why ? five times to get at what someone really means. All objects are subjective because they have to be defined using words which are inevitably imprecise in defining what something "is" - only what it's like. See Action Theory This lies below Deep Structure and can only be reached through the emotional domain. See Clean Language

The usefulness of maps is that they represent reality or the territory. Links in the objective world are made through the linguistic world and only to be found in structure. Much of what existed we are simply not aware of - X-rays, Ultraviolet Light, etc. There is therefore a limit to the distinctions we can make. We cannot see a tree grow or feel changes in temperature. When we sense the change it has been processed by the brain against our extensive programming database which transforms the primary data through complex neurological and chemical connections to make sense to us. We do not have direct access to the real world.

Our language, moods and senses combine to transform what is being experienced so it connects with what we experiences yesterday and the day before. Limited experiences lead to further limited experiences and our potential is never realised. NLP helps ourselves and others to expand our maps and experiences to expand our range of choices.

SYMBOLIC MODELING
Based on metaphor, symbolic modeling focuses on indirect communication by a story or figure of speech implying a comparison. It covers similes, parables and allegories. Just as behaviour is the raw material for Sensory Modeling and ideas are the raw material for Conceptual Modeling, Symbolic Modeling draws on metaphor. They are all different aspects of human experience.

Linguistic metaphor is the verbal surface structure of an untapped mine of meaning. In our deep structure lies a complete symbolic representation which has information encoded in visual, auditory and kinesthetic (felt by the body) consructs.

All metaphors contain symbols. - the components of metaphor. A symbol contains more hidden meaning than a sign. Metaphors carry meaning that words alone cannot describe.

Symbolic Modeling is often used to map "problem states". The slightest change in 'input' or 'process' information can change the 'outcome' i.e. behaviour. The process of using clean language questioning techniques is to get at patterns of behaviour and thinking strategies. By self-observation we come to understand ourselves. Complexity Theory tells us that a system will reorganise in a way that preserves the identity of the system. See Self-Organisation Self-awareness enables us to self correct our own system. This transformation is organic and results in behaviours that work better. It can happen consciously or unconsciously. Either way it is mostly automatic.

It is helpful in a coaching context where a client cannot formulate an outcome, is caught in a dilemma, is a 'big issue', when the meta-state is unproductive, etc. Habits are just patterns that perpetuate themselves and can therefore be changed when seen not to be working in our best interests.

PATTERNS
Patterns cannot be measured or weighed, they must be mapped. It's about the relationship between things. Symbolic Modeling uses clean language to to identify the components, relationships and organisation. It is the way we make sense of abstract meaning.

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NEURO-LOGICAL LEVELS

Very useful framework for helping us understand life operating at multiple levels of learning and change in order to be successful. Some see this purpose operating at the highest level which gets at people's perceptions of larger systems, those involving spiritual and cultural issues.

Identity (the who behind the why, how, what, where and when) asks what role you play or how you see yourself in relation to a bigger purpose.

Beliefs and Values (the motivation behind the strategies and capabilities used to achieve change) combine to create attitudes towards things and other people to understand why a particular path is taken.

Values embody waht is important to us and will determine what we are willing to spend time and resources on. Values govern all human behaviour and are the principles we live by. Values are how we judge right and wrong, fair and unfair. They determine what we move towards and move away from. What we believe in depends on our values.

Deeply held beliefs are stated as certainties with words such as 'never', 'always', 'everyone' in conjunction with 'could/should/ought' or 'couldn't/shouldn't/oughtn't'. These thoughts influence behaviour and feelings. Change the thoughts and you change behaviour (action) and feelings. Some believe the opposite, that changes in behaviour (action) and feelings influences the way we think. Others believe that it is the overlapping of experiences based on different combinations of f thinking, behaving and feeling that shapes our believes and values. To get at beliefs and values just challenge assumptions.

Capabilities (the ability to select and direct actions) are often combined with strategies to guide behaviour and get at how you go about making sense of things.

Behaviours (the actions taken within a given environment) are the outcomes of the attitudes that can be observed in what people do.

When you have an experience you create a memory of what happened. To benefit from a bad experience you can lay down an alternative memory. A new behaviour generator. It is based on what you would have done better. The next time you are in a similar position you benefit from what you wished you had done, which is more resourceful and more effective than what actually happened.

Environment (the context in which people can, or cannot, act and interact) answers the questions where, when and with whom action is taken.

Values will change within a context. You may hold certain values around something at work and different values around the same thng at home. You may even have to 'adopt' organisational values if you wish to succeed as an employee.

Criteria are those values that are important to us in context. They are more specific than values.They are the reasons that you do something and what you get out of it.

Making a change at a lower level can be achieved by physical movement and not necessarily affect any levels above it. A change at the upper levels will have an impact on the levels below.

It's a useful tool in the context of Coaching in deciding where to make an intervention or for aligning a collection of actions to achieve an objective or even realign one's identity to a new context.

The logic influences our behaviour and our outcomes. Likewise the outcomes we get from our actions influences subsequent behaviour and future outcomes. If the outcome is not what you wanted then you must change your behaviour. This may require you to question the assumptions behind your thinking and focus on a different logical level. This may mean changing your belief system or developing new capabilities.

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4-WAY CHANGE MODEL

This approach is based on Steve Trivett's Model of Dynamic Change. It is more logical than the Logical Levels model and moves your thinking away from ladders and steps. For example, capability is seen as a collection of behaviours generated from the inside-out in response to demands from an environment that influences how you get from one state to another - behaviour driven from the outside-in.

These behaviours emerge from a bigger system of which they are only a part - such as the vision or purpose imposed from the top-down or a belief in the value of collaboration through culture to the extent they exert influence from the bottom-up.

The top-down/bottom-up dynamic addresses hierarchies of expertise and control. The inside-out/outside-in dynamic addresses issues relating to the individual in context. All four perspectives combine to create a logic frame for thinking about change as a state of mind, which is called the change zone.

Believing that being in the 'change zone' is important to achieving successful change, you begin to value it and seek to understand it. You consequently decide to identify with its logic of stretching you to the limits of your ability and to operate in line with the intention and expectation of successful change.

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