People are discovering techniques and skills that enable them to improve their performance and reach targets at work. Skills that help them create a more fulfilling life. They attend the training, receive a manual, ideas to help them improve their skills.
It wasn’t until after I had completed the course that I realised my world had changed over the previous few weeks. Or my version of the world had changed, or at least my perception of it. Everything seemed different, it was as if I’d acquired an additional dimension somehow.
I was aware of how people were communicating with each other; I was noticing so much more about how they responded. I found I could identify ways to change responses. My clients within the company who used to be considered more difficult were suddenly easier to deal with.
I began to practice, I ran through the exercises in the manual; I was lucky enough that at that time all of Richard Bandlers books were in print so I bought them. Read them and re-read them. I bought the CDs and DVDs, watched them – devoured them – paid attention to the language patterns used, watched for non verbal elicitation ……. Every time I listened or watched I noticed more.
One of my colleagues from Toronto said that she saw Representational systems as the foundation with sub-modalities as the mortar that holds things together. The more you practice with these, the more you begin to notice the differences created. By questioning, using the meta model challenges you are changing peoples representations.
The foundations are laid with representational systems and sub modalities, these then create the way we represent things in our mind. You can then build on these; learning various language patterns and techniques.
There have been a lot of discussion on various FB pages recently on how NLP doesn’t teach people enough, doesn’t cover everything people need to be effective at change work. From my experience it isn’t that NLP doesn’t teach what’s needed, it’s more a case that the students aren’t practicing. They complete a practitioner training, and yet do not practice, explore the techniques until they begin to master them. This seems to be the case whether they attend a 7 day or 21 day course.
The result of this is apparent at the Master Practitioner trainings, some students attend without having reviewed or practiced their practitioner subjects. This then impacts on the course, as the trainer then has to ensure that those who have practiced get the information they need whilst bringing the rest of the class to the next level. This can then means that some of the advanced techniques can’t be taught.
A couple of people I know on attending their NLP Training, bought the books, CDs and DVDs; then came to see me for coaching. They wanted to improve, and yet hadn’t done any work towards this. I think it was Tony Robbins who talked about people who bought self-help books and put them on their bookshelves without actually doing anything with them. These people had done just that, were they hoping to improve through osmosis?
They were at conscious incompetence and were confused as to how to improve; some of the students on the Master Practitioner arrive at unconscious incompetence and the journey to conscious incompetence is sometimes painful.
Steve & I created our Practice Group and this on line resource to help people progress to conscious competence through to unconscious competence. With practice we know just how powerful NLP can be ………
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