Neurolinguistic Programming

Neurlinguistic programming (NLP) is one of the most innovative and useful models of communication to emerge over the past twenty years. And properly used it can dramatically help one in dealing with people and situations in many parts of everyday life. If you are like me, you are asking yourself what the heck is Neurlinguistic programming? And what does it mean?

Since the mid 70´s the methods of NLP have been used to study people. There are three major core principles related to NLP. The first is NLP emphasizes process over content, or form over substance. Many experts assert that no meaningful change can take place in any human system unless the process is somehow altered. The second principle is that the meaning of communication is more dependent on the response people observe, rather than on what the communicator intended. In other words, what most people are reacting to is not ones intentions but the behavior being exhibited and their interpretation of it. The third principle is no matter how effectively or ineffectively you are communicating, you are using the best choices available to you, given your personal limitations and skill level.

Studies have discovered that people tent to use a prime sensory modality in their communication, either visual, auditory, or kinesthetic. Thus, consciously or unconsciously recognizing that someone has a preferred mode of communication and then matching that mode with it , were the critical communication factors that experts discovered while studying high achieving individuals. Their work since this initial discovery has been to further refine and develop and teaching technologies.

Visuals prefer to process information visually. They also find it easier to learn by seeing than by listening. When determining if a person is a visual, watch their posture. Arms folded, hunched back, and neck extended are all examples of a visual words such as see, look,view,clear,foggy, should be used when communicating with them. . Auditory people are searching for someone to tell them things verbally. Sometimes their shoulders tend to be slouched and the head tilted to one side. They prefer words such as hear, listen, ring, deaf, attune, and silence with communicating with others. Last but not least kinesics like to use words such as sense, experience, think, learn, process and decide when communicating.

The use of NLP can help one in any work or social environment. The key is to match the right people with the right phrases and languages, thus creating the perception of rapport and understanding. This will give one a far greater chance of gaining the trust, friendship or business or the prospect.