Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is today the most revolutionary tool in coaching. It suggests that our behavior is programmed by our brain function which is the result of previously acquired knowledge. Basically it says that we learnt our behavior and if it doesn’t work for us, we can unlearn it and learn a new one. Our brain is a tool that can be educated whenever we need to learn a new skill, or reprogrammed when the previous learnt skill becomes obsolete or dysfunctional.
In other words, every time we embark on a new venture, we have to learn the new required skills and if the old ones get in the way, contradict the new needs or you need more space in your memory, some of the old things have to give way to the new ones.
With this kind of theory firmly turned into a belief, there is no limit to our potential for learning. Our behavior or that of someone else is then revisited and broken into different components. These components are studied and the ones that are instrumental in making the behavior more functional are retained.
In coaching, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is today’s trend. One of the many definitions of NLP is "The study of Subjective Experience". The roots of NLP are taken from real life experience. Its main aim is to help people get better at what they do. The features of NLP are its techniques, analyzing how the mind processes information and puts in place strategies for achievement. The focus of NLP is modeling, and its principles include excellence in performance that can be analyzed, modeled and transferred from one person to another. The desired high performance requires the development of skills and particular mental and physical states. These must be broken into small components and modified to suite the individual and achieve the desired states.
The underlying common assumptions of NLP include the following: "If something is possible for one person it is possible for everybody", "There is no failure, only feedback", "If what you are doing isn’t working, do something else" and finally "every behavior has a positive intent".
Milton Erickson's phenomenal communication skills and extensive writings inspired Bandler and Grinder, two of the best known writers and designers of NLP's applications and techniques used in coaching practices.
Some of NLP's techniques in raising awareness and allowing for change are:
1. "Perceptual positions": changing from a position where one is associated, to one where the individual is detached and able to revisit experiences and transform the emotional torment into feedback.
2. "Reframing": this also deals with shifting perceptions, putting another meaning on a situation, feeling or thought.
3. "Chunking", relates also to changing perspectives; one possible way is by breaking a difficult task into smaller parts to make it more manageable.
4. "Anchoring" helps to elicit different reactions through the use of association, taken from the behaviorist approach to learning. Anchoring involves associating a trigger with a response; as an example a person who’s tapped on the shoulder while smiling is likely to feel happy when touched in the future.
5. "Parts work", is another technique used in NLP. People often talk of themselves as if they were parts: "part of me wants to leave my job and another part feels it would be better to stay". By using different parts as if they had different personalities, it would be useful to help the individual in realizing their different roles and how they can use them or change them.
6."Sensory Preferences" refers to listening carefully to the individual's choice of language and replying in the same way to build trusting relationships. Examples of these sensory preferences include sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell.
If you wish to read more on NLP you can refer to “NLP made easy “by Carol Harris, published by Element in 2003. For other suggested books, go to the related links page. Please contact me if you wish to know more on the topic of NLP or Coaching.
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