A Report on Neuro-Linguistic Programme Approach in Communication

Neuro-Linguistic Programme (NLP) was developed in 1970s and has achieved widespread popularity as a method for communication and personal development. In this report, we outline the nature of Neuro-linguistic programme and also explore the potential for learning and teaching. Through this report we would be illustrating the role of language and internal imagery and the how language influences beliefs about learning. This report exposes the relationship between Coaching and Neuro-Linguistic Programme.

The report stands a basis to understand exactly what NLP or neuro linguistic programme is, the four pillars of NLP which are rapport, sensory awareness, outcome thinking and behavioral flexibility, the reasons behind the person willing to being trained under NLP such as to alleviate fears and phobias, to be motivated and empowered and so on. The report also consists of the levels of Neuro-Linguistic Programme and also a detailed study of the benefits involved in NLP along with the limitations that Neuro-Linguistic Programme carry. The essence of NLP is that Neuro-Linguistic Programme is a form of modelling that offers potential for systematic and detailed understanding of people’s subjective experience.

Introduction

Founded in the 1970’s by Richard Bandler and John Grinder, NLP is an approach to communication and personal development that explores how we think, feel, and analyzes the internal language patterns that we use to reflect our experiences. It's called neuro linguistic programming because it combines the three words Neuro, Linguistic and Programming:

Neuro: Referring to the mind or brain, particularly regarding how states of mind (and body) affect communication and behavior. NLP teaches a structural way of viewing mind and body states, developing mental maps that show how things happen and how to change course.

Linguistic: Meaning that our mind and body states are revealed in our language and non-verbal communication. Language is the tool we use to gain access to the inner workings of the mind. Neuro-linguistic programming language patterns teach us how to access these unconscious information that would otherwise remain vague and unknowable to us.

Programming: This refers to the capacity to change our mind and body states. To someone trained in NLP, this would mean that you are living according to your programming, which consists of habitual thoughts, feelings, reactions, beliefs, and traditions. Someone trained in neuro-linguistic programming knows how such programs are structured in the mind and how to access them through conversation (language) so that outdated programs and autopilot behaviors can be changed.

The NLP approach was developed out of the modeling of human behaviours. Richard Bandler and John Grinder watched and observed the behaviours of successful psychotherapists, and broke down the language and the processes that they used, in order to create change in people. The concept of modeling denotes that if someone is getting a result that you desire, you can achieve the same result if you break down and model one’s language patterns, beliefs, and behaviours.

The four pillars (foundations) of the Neuro-Linguistic Programming are as follows:

Rapport

NLP provides an important gift to build relationships with other people. Rapport can be described as connecting quickly with others. Creating rapport creates trust from others. Rapport can be built quickly through understanding modality preferences, eye accessing cues and predicates.

Sensory awareness

Sometimes when you walk into someone’s home, notice that the colors, smells, and sounds are subtly quite different from yours. Neuro-linguistic programming enables you to notice that your world is much richer when you deliberately pay attention to your senses wholly.

Outcome thinking

An outcome is your goal for doing something. Outcome connects to thinking about what you want, as opposed to getting stuck in a negative mode of thinking. The principles of outcome approach may help to make the best decisions and choices.

Behavioral flexibility

Behavioral flexibility means being able to do something differently if the way you’re currently doing it isn’t working. Being flexible is a key aspect of practicing NLP. Learning NLP helps you to find fresh perspectives and to build these habits into your repertoire.

The main reasons a person may take an NLP training are to:

• Be a powerful and inspiring communicator
• Be skilled at reading non-verbal cues
• Increase your subconscious and sensory awareness
• Master and be in control of your thinking and emotions
• Alleviate fears and phobias
• Motivate and empower
• Develop depth in personal and business relationships
• Attain success and achievement
• Rectify unwanted behaviors in yourself and others
• Effectively communicate and get information from others.

Levels of NLP Training

1. NLP Practitioner
2. NLP Master Practitioner
3. NLP Trainer.

At its simplest, NLP affects how you perceive the world, how you assess your place in the world, and it allows you to reframe your mode of existence to provide the richest choice of resources and options available to make real, valid, provable improvements to your life. It allows you to heal, if you are injured or troubled; and if you are healthy, NLP allows you to focus on ways to improve your lot in life.

Literature Review

NLP is a set of behaviours, skills and attitudes that help us to understand how we organize information and communicate with others. Put simply, it’s a form of ‘brain training’, and you can use it to visualize yourself performing at your peak, transferring existing skills to learning to drive, eliminating self-doubt and increasing self-esteem, and ‘modelling’ yourself on successful drivers to improve your own driving. According to the central philosophy of NLP, “The Map is not the territory. Each and every person has an internal representation of the world and operates accordingly. The map that we create in our mind might not be the complete one, it may be limited, impoverished, inflexible and distorted. The the choices that we make are restricted and thus our transactions with the outer world become difficult and frustrating. The original papers of NLP were published between 1975 and 1980 by Richard Bantler and john Grinder. Indeed Batler and Grinder state that some of the observations are derived from the close observations from study of therapists like Erickson, Virginia Satir and Fritz Perls. The book “Frogs into Princess” contains the most popular exposition of NLP which is based on a training workshop given by the authors. Other accounts of NLP are given by Lankton (1980), Cameron-Bandler (1978) and Dilts (1983). Cameron - Bandler describe the application of NLP to the couples in problems. Whereas Bantler – Grinder state the combining therapeutic process of NLP.

Bandler –Grinder (19790, Lankton (1980) state that problems like learning disabilities, phobias maybe disposed off by using NLP in less than an hour’s session, whereas it take weeks or months for some other theories. Also, spelling problems can be eliminated in 5 minutes according to a recent NLP workshop. Aron Beck (1976) and Albert Ellis(1962) talk about restrictions leads to frustration and thus they rejected psychoanalysis in the favor of the cognitive approach.

Bandler - Grinder (1975) stated that the three processes namely generalization, distortion and deletion adversely affect an individual's map of the world. These processes are adaptive but may also lead to an overly distorted and impoverished representation of reality and undue restriction of the choices available to the person.

Organizational Usage

NLP is the way through which one can get the thing done and executed in the manner in which one wishes. Communication plays a vital role, it is about the method to see the way the other party responds and perceives during the conversation and the ability of one to make change to the same to get constructively the one the individual wishes. NLP is used in various organization across various streams to help the organization deal with the following:

Stress

The stress in workplace is due to various internal and external factors. The work is very much competitive that stress can’t be done away with in the organization, but rather be worked along. Some of the factors are work overload, procrastination, poor time management, office politics, etc. NLP helps in relaxing the points that triggers the stress. For this the though pattern is targeted and recasted and how an individual interpret the events are changed. The events are however non-controllable. They exist in the organization. The use of positive interpretation for those events are targeted and this is done through the internal thought process modification.

Getting the work done in the way one wanted

The training sessions in the organization concentrates on the managers on these aspects. Through NLP it is possible to achieve the goals if one cast the request and presentation in the manner the recipient understands and accepts. It is the techniques to identify the motivating triggers of the individual to get the work done.

Process vs Content differentiation

The differentiation between the process and the content is essential. Using the NLP we are trained in the organization to decipher the tone of the individual, other body language etc. These are the subtle clues provided by the individual, which as a manager need to decipher it and get the real objective behind the conversations. The framing of the answers to the individual according to these subtle clues are very much required in the organization.

NLP’s Relevance To Advertising

NLP is definitely a more of one to one interaction of the sales personnel, but it has expanded to the one to many technique. It is widely accepted in marketing and creating a new branch of nuero marketing. This helps in mass marketing for the organization by creating segmentation and targeting for the masses. It has been revealed that language is also one of the senses that people respond majorly.

Benefits of NLP

For the people who are new to personal development, NLP provides framework to begin their journey towards self-development. It aims at bringing change from within oneself that results in perceiving eternal and congruent benefits. It gives simple path in achieving desired goals of any individual by mastering their mind by themselves. Unlike other coaching tools, NLP doesn’t require presentBelow are the benefits that one can have through NLP:

• Helps in overcoming one’s phobias and freedom from negative thoughts
• Improves self-esteem and provides sense of relaxation by lowering anxiety
• Helps in modelling the behavior one aspires for through controlling subconscious mind
• Gives the ability to master one’s emotions and thus gives control on their actions
• Teaches how one can effectively manage their mindset and influence others
• Helps in overcoming hurdles and in turn accomplishing goals
• Brings clarity in thought process to make better decisions with added rationality
• Helps in enhancing personal relations and become an effective communicator
• Transforms oneself as effective leader by identifying what motivates others
• Helps in performance of individuals in various domains like sports, business, etc.

Limitations of NLP

• It lacks empirical evidence and there are existing claims that it is not scientifically verified
• There are critics that though people are predominant in one of the categories of Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, still may not be able to process information in any of them
• One needs to identify the problem themselves and be open in sharing it to practitioner
• One needs to work upon change they intend to bring in them, with help of practitioners
• Using NLP one can change the way they feel in the moment but not the actual issue
• Methods of NLP have been stagnant and had not incorporated recent learnings from neuroscience
• It requires larger capital investment compared to other methods
• There is lack of regulation in its training that resulted in many unofficial practitioners In addition to these, NLP requires an effort from an individual to work upon themselves and an intent to change for their well-being to acclaim benefits out of this method.

Conclusion

Neuro Linguistic Programme (NLP) is s an approach to communication, personal development, and psychotherapy. It can be defined as – “a way of changing someone's thoughts and behaviors to help achieve desired outcomes for them”. According to DR Richard Bandler, the co-creator of NLP, everything in NLP can be by your own experience, or by observing others. Compared to other learning processes which relies on objectivity, NLP has its roots in subjective experiences. It brings a distinctive character – it looks for people with solution and not the problems. It is even speculated to be a quasi-religion and pseudoscience.

The main advantage of NLP training is it improves many critical soft skills like- business skills, interpersonal skills, public speaking and even rapport building. It is imparted in many important training programmes, both at personal and business level, mainly concerning the behavioural aspects. It has a wide variety of fields including – teaching, sports and even medical fields. Although there are some claims that it can even be used for treatment of many terminal diseases including cancer and HIV, there is no medical evidences substantiating the same.

Although it is widely accepted to be an effective coaching and mentoring tool, it has a lot of limitations. The empirical validity of NLP is considered to be a major limitation. Adding to that, scientific reviews state that NLP is based on outdated metaphors of how the brain works that are inconsistent with current neurological theory and contain numerous factual errors. Moreover, the undesirable customization done by practitioners make it lose its identity, the quality and standards varying drastically.