One of the things which a lot of people find difficult to explain simply and succinctly, despite their enthusiasm for the subject, is what exactly is NLP?
It’s certainly a question I used to have difficulty in answering briefly and in plain English.
Someone would ask ‘Okay, so what exactly is this NLP?’ And 5 to 15 minutes later I would still be struggling to explain it – despite their interest having evaporated and their eyes having long since glazed over!
A short definition
So to avoid having to climb a similar learning curve you might like to consider this explanation …
‘NLP is the study of how we get results in our lives.
With NLP we can identify how we get either successful or unsuccessful results in a very precise, methodical, and practical way. This enables us to systematically repeat our successful performances and modify or replace our unsuccessful ones.’
Richard Bandler’s definition
Years ago Richard Bandler, one of the originators of NLP, said that NLP was ‘an attitude followed by a methodology that leaves in its wake a trail of techniques’.
Definitely succinct and comprehensive but, like a lot of American-led NLP, requiring a little elaboration and a translation into Plain English.
The NLP Attitude
This involves developing an approach to life, to people, and to situations which is a blend of curiosity, wonder, humour, experimentation, etc. Without this attitude NLP doesn’t have a heart! Without this attitude NLP can easily become something that we ‘do’ to other people – to further our own aims.
With this attitude a person’s problems become fascinating rather than a cause for sympathy. With this attitude we first respond to the criticism or the rejection or the anger of others with interest in them and their motivation – rather than endless self analysis. We later look at what value, if any, we may derive from their response.
The NLP Methodology
This could be described as the core technology within NLP. It includes the ability to distinguish between what a person is actually saying and what this is telling us about how they are really thinking/functioning, to recognise and respond to non-verbal communication and, among many other things, to use the wonderful NLP Language Models.
With the methodology we can choose to function in a methodical rather than emotional manner (while not losing the ability to respond emotionally, if we consider this appropriate). In our personal lives it is this methodology which plays a big part in moving us from being back-seat passengers to driving our own bus.
The NLP Techniques: these are what, regrettably, NLP is best known for. ‘Regrettably’ because without the attitude and the methodology the techniques are mere ‘self-improvement formulae’. Unhappily they form the basis for most NLP trainings nowadays and, as a result, customers of such trainings are seriously short-changed.
And yet when they are designed to suit the individual, through the methodology, and backed up by the attitude the techniques become very powerful indeed.