NLP – SNAKE OIL OR THE ANSWER TO THE MEANING OF LIFE?

“NLP sets out to teach us to use the language of the mind to consistently achieve our specific and desired outcomes.”
- Norman Randall, managing director, Randall Consulting.

If you’ve never come across it before, just hearing the phrase ‘Neuro Linguistic Programming’ (NLP) may be enough to put you off reading this article further – you may be thinking ‘another fad from America’ with its own jargon, sold as some sort of answer to all our problems.

I know that when I first heard about NLP (probably 20 years ago) I was quite sceptical especially because it was being touted as purely a sales technique so that sales staff could close more deals.

Of course, I know better now, but challenging though it may be to pin NLP down to a useful definition (there’s a reason for this as you’ll see), in this short article I will address some of the principles upon which NLP is based and look at the practical applications of this fascinating body of tools and techniques for excellence in communication.

First then, let’s look at the three words that make up this term.

‘Neuro’ refers to the neurological system - in particular how our five senses (sight, hearing, sense of touch, smell, taste) are translated into thought processes that operate at conscious and unconscious levels. It also helps us to understand the link between brain, mind and body because it relates to the way in which these function as one system.

‘Linguistic’ refers to the way language is used to make sense of experiences - to yourself and others. Because we use language in the form of words to describe our world, a major part of NLP is concerned with our individual language patterns and the way in which we communicate with and to other people.

NLP is very much concerned with the verbal and non-verbal communication systems through which our brain make sense and gives order and meaning to what we experience – including pictures, sounds, feelings, tastes, smells as well as words (self-talk).

‘Programming’ refers to the way in which we programme (just like a computer) our experiences within our minds. Becoming aware of these programmes or patterns of behaviour, thought, belief etc - and the component parts that make up this programme allows us to make very effective changes to the way we live. It gives us the ability to discover and utilise the programmes that we run (our communication to ourselves and others) in our neurological systems to achieve our specific and desired outcomes.

But the realisation that we process internal and external experiences in a variety of ways also gives us some clues about how to get the best out of communicating with others. This is the huge strength of NLP techniques - they heighten our awareness of the way in which others see the world and allow us to build closer rapport and more satisfying relationships because of it. NLP sets out to teach us to use the language of the mind to consistently achieve our specific and desired outcomes.

In the 30 years I’ve been working in business communications training I’ve seen first hand how NLP tools and techniques can help people be even more effective communicators, to the point where they really become excellent at building rapport and relationships.

Dr L. Michael Hall, a cognitive-behavioural psychologist and NLP specialist describes NLP as “The study of excellence,” describing NLP as:

 “a model of how people structure their experience; the structure of subjective experience; how humans become programmed in their thinking-emoting and behaving in their very neurology by the various languages they use to process, code and retrieve information.” (to be included in a “feature” box)

One of the ‘founding fathers’ of NLP, Richard Bandler, is typically more esoteric in defining what he helped to bring to a wider audience. It isn’t so easy to define succinctly and his definition reflects this fact neatly. He says NLP is “an attitude and a methodology that leaves behind a trail of techniques.”  

So what is Bandler saying here? Well, being curious and willing to experiment is very much an attitude or approach to learning something new. In my experience, it does take such a willingness to be open to what NLP can offer – a sort of flexibility in learning. As for being a ’methodology’, NLP is a way of looking at communication through modelling (copying) and continual experimentation to see what is most effective (NLP teaches that if what you’re doing isn’t working, do something else). Finally that ‘trail of techniques’ to which Bandler refers is the set of tools, skills and ways of behaving that are included in the study of NLP.

There is an interesting set of assumptions that form the basis of NLP. These presuppositions are NLP’s operating principles. When you see them set out you’ll quickly realise that there’s really nothing earth-shatteringly new about the components of NLP but rather it is the useful way in which tools and techniques have been amalgamated in the way NLP is presented. For example:

The map is not the territory. The words we use are not the event or the item they represent. Everyone lives in his or her own model of the world. All experiences are subjective - there is therefore no absolute truth in terms of experiences. What a person believes is true for that person – perception is reality!

The mind and the body affect each other. Imagine a ripe juicy lemon. Imagine taking a slice off the top with a sharp knife. Now imagine bringing the lemon up to your mouth and taking a big slurp of lemon juice! Chances are you just pulled a face, or experienced some sensation in your mouth – the mind and the body is linked. If we can get this interesting physiological response just with this little thought experiment, imagine how we may look and sound when we feel positive about something, anything, and how we might look and sound when we are less than enthusiastic. And don’t think you can hide it, because:

A person cannot not communicate. Behaviour is the highest form of communication.

The meaning of your communication is the response you get. That is to say it isn’t necessarily the intention of your communication that is the best measure of how effective you are at communicating but the impact it has on the other person and how they react to you. Simply put the best communicators ensure that their intention and the impact they have is closely linked.

NLP training is based around the assumption that everybody already has (or can create or learn) all the resources they need to be an outstanding communicator. You already have all the abilities you need to succeed. There are no unresourceful people only unresourceful states of mind and body and if you can learn to be flexible in your behaviour rather than restrict yourself with rigid thinking then you’ll be far less stressed by having far more control of your situation.

So no, NLP isn’t snake oil, and it isn’t the answer to life, the universe and everything, but it can be an extremely powerful means of self-development in all areas of life, if what you are seeking is a greater range of responses to the experiences you have, to the people you interact with and to the situations around you.

For more information about how Randall Consulting can help your business grow with NLP-based communication, please contact Norman Randall on 0115 911 0050 or by email: info@randallconsultingltd.com