What is Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)?
While NLP was first developed more than 35 years ago it is still growing in popularity in 2010. NLP trainer Michael Beale explains what it is.
NLP is an approach towards developing mental and physical strategies which combines aspects of behavioural psychology,
linguistics, hypnosis, modelling and common sense. NLP is a powerful vehicle for personal and business change, used by many thousands of people around the world. It's about exploring attitudes that lead to success, modelling top performers and integrating the resulting techniques into your business and personal life.
NLP initially centred on the development of communication, thinking and personal change skills. The creators of NLP, Richard Bandler and John Grinder, undertook extensive studies of people who were highly skilled and respected in the field of personal change and from these studies they derived the first NLP attitude and toolkit, which are continually updated on an ongoing basis.
Applications from this initial work are now found in many areas of personal performance development including coaching, sales, leadership, change management and personal influence and impact.
Personalities such as Tony Robbins, Derren Brown and Paul McKenna use aspects of NLP to motivate and entertain, although it can support individual change in anything from career choices to lifestyle and health. If you watch these programs and notice the techniques used by the experts on them, youll see NLP in action.
The worlds top athletes and sports people, entertainers and performers use NLP to mentally rehearse and get into their highest performance frame of mind. You can even find applications of NLP in relationship, dating and seduction advice.
NLP is different from other personal development approaches in that:
- It is modelled from individuals who were experts at helping others change; it is not an abstract theory but a set of tools derived from practical experience
- It takes into account how we connect to the world through our sensory experience and how we store and change that experience through our minds and bodies
- It is highly effective at connecting conscious and unconscious resources, leading to individuals discovering their “untapped potential.NLP combines logical, sensory, emotional and intuitive thinking to enable you reach theirs goals more easily.
- NLP is as much about “unlearningand “letting goof what we’ve previously learned that is now getting in our way, as having to learn a lot of new material.
It is worth remembering that while NLP can and does produce immediate ”magical results, both personally and for business, many of the best Practitioners have spent many, many years practising and refining their craft.