About NLP

“NLP could be the most important synthesis of knowledge about human communication to emerge since the sixties”

Science Digest

What is Neuro Linguistic Programming?

NLP or Neuro Linguistic Programming combines art with science by enabling ourselves to unlock the structures of human communication and excellence. By studying and understanding these different structures, we can become even more skilful at thinking, communicating and managing ourselves and others more effectively. Often this journey of discovery leads to uncovering existing and new ways of creating greater success, satisfaction, happiness and fulfilment leading you in the direction of living and enjoying more of the life you really want.

What does NLP actually mean?

� The word Neuro refers to our neurology; how we think, our mind and our body and how they are inextricably linked;

� The word Linguistic refers to language and other non-verbal indicators we use to describe our internal and external experiences;

� Programming refers to the patterns of thought and the sequences of behaviour, often outside conscious awareness, that produce results.

Through exploring the relationships between how we think, how we communicate and our conscious and unconscious patterns of behaviour, we can transform and transcend traditional patterns and ways of being and open up new possibilities for human excellence.

The “how to” of personal and professional success

One of the ways in which NLP is different to other psychological disciplines is through it methodology and focus on modelling or replicating the process of excellent behaviour. So at it’s most practical, NLP offers us differing models within which to explore and understand ‘what works’ and ‘what is the difference that makes the difference?’

How is NLP used?

Today NLP is widely used around the globe and has massive benefits in the worlds of business to improve management and performance; in education to better understand learning styles and assist with motivation and personal development to develop strong inter-personal skills, inner congruence and alignment.

Who is it for?

NLP is valuable and benefits anyone who wants to increase their ability to communicate and inspire and motivate themselves and others into action that produces results.

So people who take NLP trainings represent the A-Z of personal and professional life. Whether you are a consultant, manager, leader, negotiator, teacher and educator, therapist and counsellor, parent, health practitioner, social worker, or presenter – if you are interested in getting better results, then NLP can offer you the “how to”.

How can NLP help you?

� Be more successful by learning how to influence your ever changing emotional and psychological states

Replace unhelpful behaviors and habits with positive ones.
Transform the way you go about everyday tasks.
Be more aware of your impact on others and how to manage your own behaviour for optimal results.
Better understand your own needs, motivations and behaviours
Better understand your staff and your customer’s needs, motivations and behaviors.
Improve and enhance your interpersonal communication at work and at home.

Where does the body of knowledge come from?

This synthesis of knowledge is drawn from areas as diverse as social science, philosophy and anthropology; also utilising the fields of cognitive psychology, linguistics, cybernetics and systems theory. At it’s heart are some emerging, important and useful themes which underpin successful, sustainable and ecological change. These include:

� recognising the importance of knowing your outcome, what you are wanting for yourself and where you would like to be so that you can steer yourself in the direction that gives you more of what you want and shifts your thinking to engage with and evaluate possibilities

� engaging with our own natural curiosity and utilising internal and external feedback mechanisms via our senses that let us know that we are on track or need to change direction.

� developing our own flexibility so that we can have more choice and greater influence.

What are some of it’s Founding Principles?

These themes are supported by a range of principles that are sometimes called the presuppositions of NLP. Here are a few that we think are important:�

� We all have our own unique map of the world and each person’s map is likely to be different. Our maps are not right or wrong, they are just different and each person’s map deserves respect.

� Having more choice is better than no choice and can lead to having greater personal influence

� Sustainable change results from utilising the resources of both the conscious and the unconscious minds and draws on our own values

� All our behaviour has a positive intention – that is to achieve something that we value even though the behaviour itself may appear unsupportive or even destructive

Personal Benefits

Over the years we have asked our course participants about what benefits they have gained for themselves from successfully undertaking and completing their NLP Practitioner training with us. We also asked them how specifically their training has helped them in their personal life. Many of their comments came under five headings and here is a synopsis of some of what they said:

Personal Growth��	An opportunity for you to grow – for you to be able to clear anything that’s been holding you back and truly focus on creating the life that you want most for yourself – making your dreams your reality.
Outcomes	A way of being able to focus on and attain the things that you really do want in life – those things that matter most, that when you look back over your life, you’ll be proud you have achieved.
Taking Control of how you feel	What would it be like for you to be able to take total control and responsibility for how you feel at any point in time so that you are truly driving your thoughts and emotions? What kinds of results would be possible for you?
Relating to others	How about giving yourself the opportunity to uncover and discover how to get the best out of yourself and those around you so that you can be at your best whenever you choose?
Clearing up the Past	For some people, clearing up the past enables them to move towards an even brighter future. NLP offers some of the simplest and most effective and sustainable ways for helping people let go of what’s been holding them back and therefore being able to create a truly fulfilling future.

And finally …� give yourself the opportunity to craft for yourself the possibility of creating your future – one that truly enhances and nourishes you from the inside.

Professional Benefits

We also asked past participants what benefits they have experienced from successfully undertaking and completing their Practitioner training with us in the context of their professional life. Below is a synopsis of their comments separated into different areas and an overall summary at the end.

Leaders & Managers

� Able to build stronger and more fruitful business relationships with a wider variety of people.

� Able to lead people through periods of change by taking all of the positives of the current situation into the future which helps to overcome resistance.

� By developing a greater awareness of how individuals are motivated, managers are able to significantly enhance the performance of their team.

� Able to utilise their learning as a vehicle for effective appraisals, mentoring and training.

� Feeling more empowered to put points of view forward in difficult situations.

Marketing and Business Development Professionals

� Better able to develop long term relationships for long term business results.

� Improved questioning skills to be able to understand what prospective clients really want.

� Be able to present more effectively from a place of calmness on the inside.

Managers within HR

� Improved rates of interviewing which leads to reduced staff turnover and savings in recruitment and induction.

� Greater ability to coach, mentor and appraise people.

� Able to deal with difficult situations more easily such as early retirement, downsizing, mergers, acquisitions and disciplinary action with greater empathy, understanding and vision.

� Awareness of the power behind language giving a greater understanding of what is really going on, especially where conflict is involved.

� More effective at being able to bring about harmony and cohesion within different parts of the business.

Trainers

� Better able to bring trainings alive and be more memorable by utilising rich sensory based language and descriptive metaphors.

� By understanding different learning styles, be able to attune the teaching appropriate to each individual and thus facilitate greater student learning.

� Through stimulating a desire to learn and motivating people, increase participant involvement in the learning process.

� People make the best choices available at the time, sometimes we are unable to access all our resources to help us achieve what we want to.

� Modelling successful performance leads to greater excellence

These presuppositions, which were largely modelled from sages such as Milton Erickson, Fritz Pearls and Virginia Satir and considered radical back in the early 70’s, have been and continue to be embraced in everyday thinking. Harnessing them can offer us the opportunity to create different results for ourselves and those around us.