These relate to four central skills/behaviours that are central to NLP. They are:
- Rapport
- Outcome thinking
- Sensory Awareness
- Behavioural Flexibility
Presuppositions of NLP
The presuppositions of NLP are a cluster of beliefs and assumptions that we presuppose to be true. Like any truth they may, or may not be so, and that depends upon your point of view. However, the early developers identified that these "beliefs" were common amongst those that they "modelled" within the field of human behavioural excellence. In NLP we invite you to "try them on" as if they were truths, and note what happens when you do.
Well Formed Outcomes
An approach we adopt to determine an appropriateness of an "outcome" in terms of suitability/quality. The quality of our goals determine much of our relative success and or failure. The apparent simplicity of the approach, often belies the power behind it.
Rapport
One of the pillars of NLP. Rapport is a term used to indicate the level of relationship you have with yourself, another person, or indeed any organisation. Crudely this may be good, or not so good, and there is much that NLP can do to provide you with enhanced skills to influence the quality of a relationship in line with the "outcome" that you seek from that relationship. Perhaps the stating point is the quality of the relationship you have with yourself. This is often expressed in the form of internal dialogue, states of mind/body and externally communicated through your behaviour.
Sensory Acuity
You will learn how to become increasingly sensitive to subtle verbal and particularly non verbal changes within people. Most importantly, you will gradually become aware of the potential significance even the slightest shift "may" indicate. You will learn techniques that enable you to remain engaged in a conversation, whilst simultaneously "scanning" the whole person for even the finest of changes that may vary from skin tone to supple twitching and thinning of the lips. Likewise, you will learn the difference between informed noticing, and inadvertent mind reading.
Calibration
This term is used to describe how you start to "calibrate" those changes (as in sensory acuity) which you notice when working with a particular person. We all respond and show (leak) what we experience differently. E.G. Relaxation, anxiety and much, much more. Shifts in the person could mean many things, including changes in their state, due to something you have said, or they have thought / realised.
Representational Systems
How we "represent" information using our five senses to make sense of what we perceive to be reality. Most of us have mastered (unconsciously) one or two systems better than the others and can enhance many competencies and outcomes through understanding which these might be and further developing our previously weaker senses. We also learn how to understand other peoples sensory preferences, and adjust our communication to meet theirs, and in so doing enhancing rapport, understanding and potential outcomes.
Known as "Rep systems" for short, this area includes skills such as; Eye Accessing Cues and Predicates, the latter being NLP jargon for sensory based words like, see, feel and hear. The five senses are known as:
- Visual (Sight)
- Auditory (Hearing)
- Kinaesthetic (Feeling)
- Olfactory (Smell)
- Gustatory (Taste)
Sub-modalities
Each of the senses are made up of parts that we call submodalities. If we take visual as an example. Its not just that I saw a car, the car is moving fast away from me, was a dirty dark red etc etc. Submodalities are how we structure our sensory experience. One of the great significances on this is that every sensory experience is coded, every behaviour is coded, and that enables us to change both our recollection of the experience, and if we chose to do so, our behaviour in response to what we recalled. We can even learn to "elicit" the submodality strategy (strategy is the sequence of submodalities) behind the behaviours of others, and try them on. The latter is one of the skills we learn within the field of modelling which is central to NLP.
State Management
We are always in a "state" (happy, calm, excited, focused, sad, anxious etc), and states have great influence over our what we do, and "can do" at any given moment in time. In this area you will learn how to manage your state (take control of), learn how to ethically influence the state of others and in so doing, significantly enhance the quality of the outcomes you / others seek.
Anchors
We are surrounded by anchors which directly influence our thoughts and actions. Most of the time it's an unconscious response to what we know as a stimuli such as the smell of toast, fresh coffee, traffic lights, someone shouting etc etc. Understanding this provides us with many opportunities including building resourceful anchors that empower us, through to collapsing un-resourceful anchors that might have been holding us back.
Perceptual Positions
The ability to be able to explore different perspectives on anything you wish to explore. In this training we look at three positions, and in doing so you can note the impact this has on the conclusions you draw as you explore what we call 1st, 2nd and 3rd perceptual positions. 1st = your perspective. 2nd = somebody else's perspective. 3rd = the fly on the wall perspective also technically refereed to as the "Meta" position (META = Over and above).
Meta Model
The Meta Model is an approach / skills set we use to explore what really lies behind that which someone "perceives" to be true (our personal perception of reality). It is a very powerful tool for drilling down to uncover (recover) the information that we have (unconsciously) generalised, deleted or distorted.
Milton Model
Modelled from the late Milton H Erickson, this is a language orientated tool that achieves its objectives by doing exactly the opposite of the Meta Model. I.E. Instead of drilling down to recover deleted, distorted and generalised information, it use what we call "artfully vague" language to facilitate communication with the clients "unconscious" mind. This has many uses not least the fact that our unconscious mind represents the treasure trove of all our collective experiences, beliefs values and understanding which are stored/coded and a sensory level. When we refer to the unconscious, we are simply referring to all that is outside of consciousness I.E. our current awareness.
The Milton model can be used directly as in the form of direct hypnosis (a trance state), and indirectly to enhance the quality of communication. "As you are sat there reading this I wonder what you are thinking right now" contains several classical Meta / Milton model language patterns. When designed and ethically utilised with an "outcome in mind", they become an extraordinarily powerful influencing, communication and therapeutic tool.
Frames and Framing
We all perceive things in different ways, and what if we had the ability / skills to perceive / present things in other ways? NLP training introduces us to the ability to be able to both frame, "reframe" and out-frame contexts in the moment, both for ourselves, and others. A classic (albeit simple) example might be; is the pint half full, or half empty?
Modelling + Modelling project
Modelling lies at the core of NLP. By modelling we refer to the skills and process behind observing and mapping the successful behaviours of outstanding people in any field of life. This includes mapping behaviours, physiology, beliefs, values, internal states and the strategies they adopt which enables then to do what they do. Much of what they do they do at an unconscious level. We will not only show you how to model, we will give you the opportunity to model someone and get feedback from your submission of a modelling project.
It's great fun, incredibly revealing, an outstanding learning / developmental opportunity, and will put you ahead of the game as an NLP practitioner. Unfortunately most training organisations don't provide you with a formal modelling project. Why? well, it might take "me" a load of work reading them and providing you with quality feedback, yet the difference in competencies and importantly confidence within those that complete a modelling project is quite marked. Highly recommended.
Belief Change processes
Everything we think to be true is a belief and yet we all think different things. Truth is that we run our lives in line with that which we believe to be true. Yet, where did our beliefs come from, and to what extent do they all serve us well. Beliefs empower us, and they stifle us. Have you ever considered what would happen if you took your wildest dream and aligned your beliefs to achieve that dream.
NLP has many belief change process's which used ethically and ecologically can make a huge impact on our ability to achieve that which is important to us. Come to think of it,,,, have you ever considered the impact your beliefs have on those around you?
Neuro-Logical Levels (Robert Dilts)
A framework of which is so amazing it will absolutely blow your socks off. Like most pieces of genius, it seems so simple, yet trust me, its staggeringly powerful. Based upon the synergy and inter-relationship between a series of logical levels we are looking to create a sense of balance and harmony between the levels whilst recognising that the highest levels will always have greater influence over the lower levels.
Conventionally illustrated as a pyramid, I have simply listed them from top to bottom.
- Sense of purpose / Spirituality / Connectedness
- Identity (Who you perceive yourself to be)
- Values (That which is important to you)
- Beliefs (That which you hold to be true)
- Capabilities (How you do what you do)
- Behaviours (What you do)
- Environment (Inc Who / Where / When)
Time Lines
How we process, code and store our experiences in such a way as we can diferentiate one experience from another whilst maintaining a sense of perspective within the context of time. Whilst there are many varients to the manner in which we code time, many within Western society have one of two key ways and are typically in-time or though time. Simplistically this means that we are either associated into the moment, or disasociated from the moment (I.E. Stand off our time line).
So what the use of this? Significant. We can elicit ours and others time lines. Place things / experiences / outcomes on them and very importantly, change our personal history to make it more appropriate and empowering for us. And there is much, much more. Indeed!!!!
Lots More::::::::::
