nlp (neuro-linguistic programming)

NLP - neuro-linguistic programming - free training introduction, NLP principles and

techniques guide
This free introduction to NLP is provided by Robert Smith MBA, a leading international
practitioner in neurolinguistic programming and NLP Master Trainer! NeuroLinguistic
Programming "NLP# $as created in the early %&'(s by Richard Bandler, a computer scientist
and )estalt therapist, and *r +ohn )rinder, a linguist and therapist! Bandler and )rinder
invented a process ,no$n as -modelling- that enabled them to study three of the $orld-s
greatest therapists. *r Milton /ric,son, father of modern hypnotherapy0 1rit2 Perls, creator of
)estalt therapy0 and 3irginia Satir, the mother of modernday family therapy! They $anted to
,no$ $hat made these therapists effective and to train others in their methods! 4hat is
offered today as NLP is the product of this modelling process!
how does nlp optimise individual and organizational performance?
NeuroLinguistic Programming is an e5tremely po$erful concept! 6t is said by many to
contain the most accessible, positive and useful aspects of modern psychology, and so can be
helpful in virtually every aspect of personal and interpersonal relations! NLP has many
beneficial uses for selfdevelopment, and for businesses and organi2ations0 for e5ample NLP
enables better communications in customer service, and all types of selling! NLP enables
better a$areness and control of oneself, better appreciation of the other person-s feelings and
behavioural style, $hich in turn enables better empathy and cooperation! NLP improves
understanding in all onetoone communications, especially intervie$ing and appraisals
"$hether used by the intervie$er or the intervie$ee#! NLP certainly features strongly in
facilitative selling! NLP is an enabling tool of /motional 6ntelligence "/7#, $hich is an
aspect of multiple intelligence theory! NeuroLinguistic Programming can also be very
helpful for stress management and developing selfbelief and assertiveness and confidence!
The empathic caring principles of NLP also assist the practical application of ethical and
moral considerations "notably achieving detachment and ob8ectivity#, and using loving and
compassionate ideas "simply, helping people# in $or, and life generally! These fe$ e5amples
illustrate the significance of NLP as a concept for personal and organi2ational development!
The e5perience of undergoing NLP training is a lifechanging one for many people, and its
techni9ues offer substantial advantages to people performing most roles in organi2ations.
*irectors and e5ecutives
Managers at all levels
Sales people
Administrators
/ngineering and technical staff
:ustomer care operatives
Receptionists
Secretarial staff
Trainers
;R and counselling staff
NLP techni9ues help particularly by ma,ing it possible for people to.
Set clear goals and define realistic strategies
:oach ne$ and e5isting staff to help them gain
greater satisfaction from their contribution
<nderstand and reduce stress and conflict
6mprove ne$ customer relationshipbuilding and
sales performance
/nhance the s,ills of customer care staff and reduce
customer loss
6mprove people-s effectiveness, productivity and
thereby profitability

nlp operational principles
NLP consists of a set of po$erful techni9ues for rapid and effective behavioural modification,
and an operational philosophy to guide their use! 6t is based on four operational principles,
$hich belo$ these headings are e5plained in more detail!
%! Know $hat outcome you $ant to achieve! "See nlp principle % achieving outcomes!#
=! ;ave sufficient sensor acuit "acuity means clear understanding# to ,no$ if you are
moving to$ards or a$ay from your outcome "See nlp principle = sensory a$areness!#
>! ;ave sufficient fle!i"ilit of "ehaviour so that you can vary your behaviour until you get
your outcome! "See nlp principle > changing behaviour!#
?! #a$e action now! "See nlp principle ? time for action#
6t is important to have specific outcomes! Many people do not have conscious outcomes and
$ander randomly through life! NLP stresses the importance of living $ith conscious
purpose! 6n order to achieve outcomes it is necessary to act and spea, in certain $ays! NLP
teaches a series of linguistic and behavioural patterns that have proved highly effective in
enabling people to change the beliefs and behaviours of other people!
6n using any of these patterns NLP stresses the importance of continuous calibration of the
person or people you are interacting $ith in order to see if $hat you are doing is $or,ing! 6f
it is not $or,ing it is important to do something different! The idea is to var our
"ehaviour until ou get the results ou want!
This variation in behaviour is not random! 6t involves the systematic application of NLP
patterns! 6t is also important to ta,e action, since nothing ever happens until someone ta,es
the initiative! 6n short, NLP is about thin$ing, o"serving and doing to get what ou want
out of life!

nlp principle % - achieving outcomes
The importance of ,no$ing your outcome cannot be stressed enough! Many people do not
have conscious outcomes! @thers have no idea $hat they $ant but ,no$ $hat they don-t
$ant! Their life is based on moving a$ay from those things they don-t $ant! NLP stresses the
importance of moving towards those things ou want! 4ithout outcomes life becomes a
process of $andering aimlessly! @nce an outcome is determined you can begin to focus on
achieving that outcome!
NLP lists certain well-formedness conditions that outcomes should meet! The first of these
is that the outcome needs to be stated in positive terms! This means that the outcome must
be $hat you $ant and not $hat you don-t $ant to happen! @utcomes must be capable of
being satisfied! 6t is both logically and practically impossible to give someone the negation of
an e5perience! Aou can-t engage in the process of -not doing-! Aou can only engage in the
process of doing!
The second well-formedness condition for outcomes is that the outcome must be testa"le
and demonstra"le in sensor e!perience! There must be an evidence procedure! <nless this
is the case, there is no $ay to measure progress to$ards the achievement of the outcome!
4ith an evidence procedure for the outcome it is possible to determine $hether or not you
are ma,ing progress to$ards achieving the outcome!
Third, the desired state must be sensor specific! Aou must be able to say $hat you $ould
loo, li,e, sound li,e and feel li,e if you achieved the outcome!
1ourth, the outcome or desired state must be initiated and maintained " the su"&ect! This
places the locus "ie position# of control and responsibility for achieving the outcome $ith the
sub8ect and not $ith someone else! 6t is not a $ellformed outcome $hen someone else does
something or changes in some $ay! All you can do is have an outcome in $hich you can
change yourself or your behaviour so as to bring about a change in someone else!
1ifth, the outcome must be appropriatel and e!plicitl conte!tualised! This means that
outcomes must not be stated as universals! Aou must never $ant either -all the time- of -never-,
but only under specific circumstances! 6n NLP $e al$ays strive to create more choice and
never to ta,e choice or reduce the number of possible responses! The goal instead is to ma,e
the choices or responses available in the appropriate circumstances!
Si5th, the desired outcome must preserve an positive product of the present state! 6f this
is not the case then symptom substitution may occur!
Seventh and finally, the outcome or desired state must be ecologicall sound! Aou should
consider the conse9uences for yourself and for other people and not pursue outcomes that
lead to harm to yourself or other people!
nlp principle ' - sensor awareness
@nce you ,no$ your outcome you must ne5t have sufficient sensory acuity to ,no$ if you
are moving to$ards it or not! NLP teaches the ability to calibrate or -read- people! This
involves the ability to interpret changes in muscle tone, s,in colour and shininess, lo$er lip
si2e and breathing rate and location! The NLP practitioner uses these and other indications to
determine $hat effect they are having on other people! This information serves as feedbac, as
to $hether the other person is in the desired state! An important and often overloo,ed point is
to ,no$ to stop $hen the other person is in the state that you desire!
nlp principle ( - changing "ehaviour
The third operational principle of NLP is to vary your behaviour until you get the response
you $ant!
6f $hat you are doing isn-t $or,ing, then you need to do something else! Aou should use your
sensory acuity to determine if $hat you are doing is leading you in the desired direction of
not! 6t $hat you are doing is leading to$ards your outcome, then you should continue! 6f, on
the other hand, $hat you are doing is leading a$ay from your goals, then you should do
something else!
nlp principle ) - time for action
The fourth and final operational principle of NLP is to ta,e action no$! There is no place for
the slogan -:omplacency rules, and 6 don-t care!- NLP is about ta,ing action no$ to change
behaviour for yourself and for others, no$ and in the future! So, to use another catchphrase.
-*on-t delay0 act today!-

nlp presuppositions
There are certain presuppositions underlying NLP! These are things that are presupposed in
effective communication! Some of these are as follo$s! Belo$ these headings each
presupposition is e5plained in more detail!
%! The meaning of a communication is the response you get!
=! The map is not the territor!
>! Language is a secondary representation of e5perience!
?! Mind and body are parts of the same cybernetic system and affect each other!
B! #he law of requisite variet "also ,no$n as the first law of c"ernetics cybernetics is
the science of systems and controls in animals, including humans, and machines# states that
in an c"ernetic sstem the element or person in the sstem with the widest range of
"ehaviours or varia"ilit of choice will control the sstem!
C! *ehaviour is geared to$ards adaptation!
'! Present "ehaviour represents the ver "est choice availa"le to a person!
D! *ehaviour is to be evaluated and appreciated or changed as appropriate in the conte!t
presented!
&! People have all the resources they need to ma$e the changes they $ant!
%(! +Possi"le in the world+ or +possi"le for me+ is only a matter of how!
%%! The highest qualit information about other people is "ehavioural!
%=! 6t is useful to ma,e a distinction "etween "ehaviour and self!
%>! There is no such thing as failure0 there is onl feed"ac$!

nlp presupposition % - meaning equals response
6n communication it is usually assumed that you are transferring information to another
person! Aou have information that -means- something to the other person and you intend for
the other person to understand $hat it is you intend to communicate!
1re9uently a person assumes that if they -say $hat they mean to say-, their responsibility for
the communication is over! /ffective communicators realise that their responsibility doesn-t
end $hen they finish tal,ing! They realise that, for practical purposes, $hat they
communicate is $hat the other person thin,s they say and not $hat they intend to say! @ften
the t$o are 9uite different!
6n communication it is important $hat the other person thin,s you say and ho$ they respond!
This re9uires that the person pays attention to the response they are getting! 6f it is not the
response they $ant, then they need to vary their o$n communication until they get the
desired response!
There are several ma8or sources of -misunderstanding- in communication! The first arises
from the fact that each person has a different life e5perience associated $ith each $ord in the
language! 1re9uently, $hat one person means by a $ord "their comple! equivalence for that
$ord# may be something different from $hat another person means by it! The second
misunderstanding arises from the failure to realise that a person-s tone of voice and facial
e5pression also communicate information, and that the other person may respond to these as
much as they do to $hat is said! As the old saying goes. -Actions spea, louder than $ords,-
and in NLP people are trained that $hen the t$o are in conflict, the person should pay more
attention to the actions!
nlp presupposition ' - map and territor
)ood communicators realise that the representations they use to organise their e5perience of
the $orld "-map-# are not the $orld "-territory-#!
6t is important to distinguish bet$een several semantic levels! 1irst there is the $orld! Second
comes the person-s e5perience of the $orld! This e5perience is the person-s -map- or -model- of
the $orld and is different for each person! /very individual creates a uni9ue model of the
$orld and thus lives in a some$hat different reality from everyone else! Aou do not operate
directly on the $orld but on your e5perience of it! This e5perience may or may not be correct!
To the e5tent that your e5perience has a similar structure to the $orld it is correct and this
accounts for its usefulness!
A person-s e5perience, map, model or representation of the $orld determines ho$ they $ill
perceive the $orld and $hat choices they $ill see as available to them! Many NLP techni9ues
involve you changing your representation of the $orld to ma,e it more useful and to bring it
more into line $ith the $ay the $orld actually is!
nlp presupposition ( - language and e!perience
Language is a secondary representation of e5perience!
Language is at a third semantic level! 1irst is the stimulus coming from the $ord! Second is
the person-s representation of e5perience of that stimulus! Third is the person-s description of
that e5perience by $ay of language! Language is not e5perience but a representation of it!
4ords are merely arbitrary to,ens used to represent things the person sees, hears or feels!
People $ho spea, other languages use different $ords to represent the same things that
/nglish spea,ers see, hear or feel! Also, since each person has a uni9ue set of things that they
have seen, heard and felt in their lives, their $ords have different meanings from each of
them!
People are able to communicate effectively to the degree that these meanings are similar!
4hen they are too dissimilar, problems in communication begin to arise!
nlp presupposition ) - "od and mind affect each other
Mind and body are parts of the same cybernetic system and affect each other! There is no
separate -mind- and no separate -body-! Both $ords refer to aspects of the same -$hole- or
-gestalt-, They act as one and they influence each other in such a $ay that there is no
separation!
Anything that happens in one part of a cybernetic system, such as a human being, $ill affect
all other parts of that system! This means that the $ay a person thin,s affects ho$ they feel
and that the condition of their physical body affects ho$ they thin,! A person-s perceptual
input, internal thought process, emotional process, physiological response and behavioural
output all occur both simultaneously and through time!
6n practical terms, this means that a person can change ho$ they thin, either by directly
changing ho$ they thin, or by changing their physiology or other feelings! Li,e$ise, a
person can change their physiology or their emotions by changing ho$ they thin,! @ne
important corollary of this, $hich $ill be e5plored later, is the importance of visualisation
and mental rehearsal in improving the conduct of any activity!
nlp presupposition , - widest range of "ehaviours or choices controls the sstem
:ontrol in human systems refers to the ability to influence the 9uality of a person-s o$n and
other people-s e5perience in the moment and through time!
The person $ith the greatest fle5ibility of behaviour that is, the number of $ays of
interacting $ill control the system! :hoice is al$ays preferable to no choice, and more
choice is al$ays preferable to less choice! This also relates to the third general principle of
NLP, mentioned previously! This principle is that a person needs to vary their behaviour until
they get their desired outcome! 6f $hat you are doing is not $or,ing, vary the behaviour and
do something else! Anything else is better than continuing $ith $hat doesn-t $or,! Eeep
varying your behaviour until you find something that $or,s!
nlp presupposition - - "ehaviour and adaptation
Behaviour is geared to$ards adaptation! A person-s behaviour is determined by the conte5t in
$hich that behaviour originates!
Aour reality is defined by your perceptions of the $orld! The behaviour a person e5hibits is
appropriate to their reality! All of a person-s behaviour, $hether good or bad, is an adaptation!
/verything is useful in some conte5t! All behaviour is or $as adaptive, given the conte5t in
$hich it $as learned! 6n another conte5t it may not be appropriate! People need to realise this
and change their behaviour $hen it is appropriate to do so!
nlp presupposition . - present "ehaviour is the "est choice
Behind every behaviour is a positive intent! A person ma,es the best choice available to them
at any moment in time, given $ho the person is and based on all their life e5periences and the
choices they are a$are of! 6f offered a better choice they $ill ta,e it!
6n order to change someone-s inappropriate behaviour it is necessary to give them other
choices! @nce this is done they $ill behave accordingly! NLP has techni9ues for providing
these additional choices! Also, in NLP $e never ta,e a$ay choices! 4e only provide more
choices and e5plicitly conte5tualise the e5isting choices!
nlp presupposition / - conte!t of "ehaviour
Aou need to evaluate your behaviour in terms of $hat you are capable of becoming! Aou need
to strive to become all that you are capable of being!
nlp presupposition 0 - resources to change
People have all they need to ma,e changes they $ant to ma,e! The tas, is to locate or access
those resources and to ma,e them available in the appropriate conte5t! NLP provides
techni9ues to accomplish this tas,!
4hat this means in practice is that people do not need to spend time trying to gain insight
into their problems or in developing resources to deal $ith their problems! They already have
all the resources they need to deal $ith their problems! All that is necessary is to access these
resources and transfer them to the current time frame!
nlp presupposition %1 - the how of possi"ilit
6f any other human being is capable of performing some behaviour, then it is possible for you
to perform it, too! The process of determining -ho$- you do it is called -modelling-, and it is
the process by $hich NLP came into being in the first place!
nlp presupposition %% - "ehaviour spea$s louder than words
Listen to $hat people say but pay more attention to $hat they do! 6f there is any contradiction
bet$een the t$o then rely on the behaviour! Loo, for behavioural evidence of change and
don-t 8ust reply on people-s $ords
nlp presupposition %' - distinguish "ehaviour and self
6t is useful to ma,e a distinction bet$een behaviour and self! 6n other $ords, 8ust because
someone -scre$s up- on something it doesn-t mean that they are a -scre$up-! Behaviour is
$hat a person says, does or feels at any moment in time! This is not a person-s self, ho$ever!
A person-s self is greater than their behaviours!
nlp presupposition %( - feed"ac$, not failure
6t is more valuable for a person to vie$ their e5perience in terms of a learning frame than in
terms of a failure frame! 6f a person doesn-t succeed in something, that doesn-t mean they
have failed! 6t 8ust means that they have discovered one $ay not to do that particular thing!
The person then needs to vary their behaviour until they find a $ay to succeed!

nlp techniques and definitions
NLP consists of a set of po$erful techni9ues to effect change! Some of these techni9ues are
as follo$s, $ith their definitions.
anchoring
The process of associating an internal response $ith some e5ternal trigger so that the
response may be 9uic,ly, and sometimes covertly, reaccessed by activating the trigger!
anchors
These may be naturally occurring or set up deliberately! They may be established in all
representational systems and serve to control both positive and negative internal states!
stac$ing anchors
The process of associating a series of events $ith one specific anchor so as to strengthen the
intensity of the sub8ect-s response to a specific anchor!
collapsing anchors
A process of neutralising negative states by triggering t$o incompatible responses at the
same time!
chaining anchors
A process by $hich a series of anchors is created to lead from an undesired state through a
series of intermediate states to a desired state!
associated state
Being fully present in a state so as to e5perience the ,inesthetics of it! 1or past states this
involves being in the e5perience loo,ing from the perspective of the person-s o$n eyes!
dissociated state
Recreating a past e5perience from the perspective of an onloo,er or observer! This means the
person does not ree5perience the original emotion but instead e5periences the emotions of an
observer!
dou"le $inesthetic dissociation
The process of $atching yourself $atching a film of a past e5perience! This is used in cases
of phobias and e5treme psychic trauma!
cali"ration
The process of reading a sub8ect-s internal responses in an ongoing interaction by pairing
them $ith observable behavioural cues!
change histor
A process of guiding a sub8ect to ree5perience a series of past situations by the use of
selective anchoring! Resource states are developed for each situation and are installed in the
sub8ect-s repertoire in order to change the significance of the past events!
rapport
The process of establishing a relationship $ith a sub8ect that is characterised by harmony,
understanding and mutual confidence! This is done by reducing to a minimum the perceived
difference at the unconscious level!
reframing
A process used to separate a problematic behaviour from the positive intention to the internal
part responsible for that behaviour! Ne$ choices of behaviour are established that maintain
the positive intent but don-t have the problematic byproducts!
strateg
A set of e5plicit mental and behavioural steps used to achieve a specific outcome! This is
represented by a specific se9uence of representational systems used to carry out the specific
steps!
su"modalities
The subclassification of e5ternal e5perience! The decomposing into its components of a
picture, sound or feeling!

This free NLP article is provided for this $ebsite by Robert Smith, and this is gratefully
ac,no$ledged! This material can be used freely for personal or organi2ational development
purposes but is not to be sold or published in any form!
Robert Smith biography Robert Smith MBA is a $idely soughtafter international
consultant reno$ned for his enthusiastic motivational and forthright style! ;e is a Master
Trainer of Neuro Linguistic Programming, specialising in leadership development and
-Solution 1ocused- consultancy! ;e has over =( years e5perience developing leaders in a $ide
range of settings! Robert-s early years of consultancy $ere mainly $or,ing for 6BM in
/urope, Middle /ast and Africa on their leadership development programmes! Robert has a
remar,able s,ill set including being a psychotherapist "<E:P registered# and is able, by
using the latest psychological methods, to help people remove limiting beliefs relating to
achievement and success! Robert has $or,ed $ith the Motorola MBA inta,e programme and
trained the <nited Nations peace,eeping force in Bosnia! ;e also $or,ed closely $ith the
British 1oreign @ffice and the British Armed 1orces, and has $or,ed $ith many of the top
organi2ations in the $orld including :able and 4ireless, the :ivil Aviation Authority, Solvay
Pharmaceuticals, TNT and Alstom! 6n more recent years Robert Smith has become a highly
respected international trainer enabling the development of trainers, coaches, consultants and
organi2ational leaders, across more than ?( different nationalities! ;e no$ runs a training
centre in Tur,ey as $ell as maintaining training and coaching activities in the <E!