catlayst nlp blog

The joy of rapport

2011-11-17T22:59:00.000Z

Isn't it great meeting new people? Today I met a lovely local coach (Maria Hocking) for no other reason than to connect as individuals with a similar interest (NLP) and profession (Coaching and Training).

We spent an hour at the pub by the beach chatting over coffee and not once did the thought of needing to fill silence occur. In fact we had the sort of connection you have where time distorts and as a result our meeting flew by in a flash.

So what made our rapport so effective?

The same thing that makes "rapport" work in so many situations. It wasn't just that we had similar experiences and interests (although that helps). It was, I am guessing, more that we were genuinely interested in each other's model of the world, recognising that "similar" is not "the same" and we both approached the conversation with curiosity, rather than needing to tell our own story first.

So this got me thinking... how interested in the new people you have met this week have you been? And... For those people you already know very well... How curious we're you this week? Did you mind read or really hear their story? It can be really easy with those we know well to fill in the gaps with "our own stuff", it is a great exercise to practice listening cleanly. My friend, colleague and mentor Reg Connolly has a saying "are you listening or are you waiting to speak" this is a great reminder that those two options are independent of one another and choosing the latter is both disrespectful and unhelpful when nurturing rapport. Please share your insights here!

NLP Diploma / Practice Group

2011-10-26T21:42:00.000+01:00

What a day... Great to meet a new group of NLP Diploma trainees, we had a fab sensory acuity walk on the dunes in the sunshine. This evening was spent with my brilliant Truro College evening class group. Workshop 4 of NLP Intro... So many insights beginning to be made-great hearing about application of learning.

A week of NLP!

2011-10-02T21:39:00.000+01:00

What a fab week it was last week. Last weekend I ran an intro to NLP for a group of sign language interpreters. Amazingly talented communication experts they were too. Stimulating debate and lots of learning for all involved. The week progressed with a practice group session for our NLP Practitioners where we played with shifting perspectives. A trip to World of Learning in Birmingham followed, providing opportunity to witness people "selling" and "really not selling". I spent a couple of days sharing NLP approaches to presentation skills and values elicitation with a great group of graduates on the Unlocking Cornish Potential Employability course. Coached several people out on the beach in the October heatwave sunshine, including sharing a beautiful "Change Personal History" experience with a very special lady. A new group started their Intro to NLP at Truro College... Once again a fab collection of learners... I even fitted in some very relaxed networking with a lovely group of ladies. So many learning opportunities last week, let's see what this week brings!!!! Please feel free to share how you used your NLP skills last/this week?

Completion / Start of NLP Practitioner Certification

2011-09-28T09:39:00.000+01:00

A couple of weeks ago we completed the Summer 2011 NLP Practitioner programme in Cornwall and a new group of NLP Practitioners are proudly awaiting their certificates. An "end" you might think and yet it is more accurately described as a beginning, since so much more learning is still to come through supporting others to create the choices they wish to make within their lives.

We held an open practice group on Monday evening and are in the process of setting dates for the next.

On October 26th, 27th and 28th we are running another Intro to NLP accredited Diploma and the Truro College evening Intro to NLP group start this evening.

This blog is for capturing NLP learning and insights made... so what have you been noticing?

Is NLP a Cult?

2011-08-19T18:36:00.001+01:00

I was recently posed a great question by a fellow NLP Practitioner… The question and my initial response are below… please feel free to add your own insights and thoughts.

“What is your position to the rumours of NLP being considered a cult, to be more precise scientology?

I firstly thought I would define cult for myself, as I am certain there must be loads of interpretations and I wasn’t really sure of my own interpretation. I found on wiki (reputed as an unreliable source, yet interesting none-the-less) a cult was defined as…

A system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object.
A relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister
Brainwashing + Deception + Manipulation or Control

None of these seemed to sum up my experience of NLP, so I then found these definitions on another site

A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader. Or the followers of such a religion or sect.
A system or community of religious worship and ritual. The formal means of expressing religious reverence; religious ceremony and ritual.
A usually non-scientific method or regimen claimed by its originator to have exclusive or exceptional power in curing a particular disease.
Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing. Or the object of such devotion.
An exclusive group of persons sharing an esoteric, usually artistic or intellectual interest.

For me once again I struggled to see how these definitions could co-exist with 4Rs or wider NLP Presuppositions. Another site defined cult as “a great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement or work”, which didn’t sound too bad to me… it then went on to add words like “control and exclusivity” which I found to be less favourable. Once again this didn’t sound any of the NLP groups I have worked with, since we have always aimed to encourage others to create their own rules and interpretations.

I guess whether NLP is a cult really depends on your definition of cult and your experience of NLP? By luck or by judgement some years ago I was attracted to a website that said “NLP - for people who like to think for themselves”…”That’s me” I thought… and it was of course the site of Reg at Pegasus (where I now work as an associate NLP Trainer). I had come across the term “be curious not critical” through another mentor of mine a few years previously and NLP seemed to support me in developing my ability to adopt and demonstrate that ethos. This ethos of Curiosity runs through the work I do with Reg and the work I do training NLP in Cornwall as catalystNLP

I believe NLP simply provides me with more skills to create more choices for myself and to help others (if they want help) to create more choices for themselves. I could of course be wrong… since this is only “a belief”… happily I am encouraged on a regular basis by myself, my friends and my panel of experts to question my beliefs and ensure that they are helpful rather than limiting.

The attitudinal aspects of NLP I believe run counter to “control, conformity and exclusion” words that seemed to appear often when researching the term “cult”. Other words associated with “cult” however such as “systems, beliefs and sharing” could well align to NLP and 4Rs… If I were to believe that a belief’s only purpose is prove itself right… anything is possible…to illustrate…

Let’s suppose I believe that cults are bad and NLP is a cult. I might look at an NLP group who have developed a strong bond of friendship during their training journey and see them as exclusive. They might (and I hope would) invite me to join in, but I could consider this a sinister move to indoctrinate me. This group might have their own in jokes and jargon and once again I might consider this threatening. Their encouragement of one another could be perceived as control. Hearing of their enthusiasm to develop their skills and share how useful NLP has been to them personally could (for me) be a worrying thing – seeming like a recruiting process and terms such as “the map is not the territory” might influence my state into one of terror or confusion (if I allowed it) etc J.

If, let’s suppose, my filters suggest a cult is a good thing and NLP is a cult. ... If to be a part of this cult I am invited (should I choose to accept the invitation) to accept firstly that this cult is open to all and holds no secrets and secondly to recognise the benefit of being curious and non-critical, questioning often and seeking to always add choice. I might thirdly be offered the belief that we all have the right to experience life in our own subjective way and we all have potential. Finally (and by no means last) I might be encouraged to aim to adopt a 4Rs approach to others and myself. To me NLP is in everything we do and rather than being something new it is simply “paying more attention”. If that is my model of the world - then count me in. Luckily I am the driver of my own bus and I can make my own decisions J

Scepticism and fear are often driven from a lack of insight and understanding. We all have choices in how we interpret and respond to our world – that is for me what makes living such fun! I would hope that every “NLP Practitioner” that I meet is “a person” first and foremost and I aim to meet people as people. Any NLP label is secondary and very possibly one of many labels we can adopt, be that mother, husband, partner, boss, son, coach, carer etc.

As for part two of the query - I don't know much about Scientology, isn't it linked to us being Aliens (if so it sounds pretty cool)? Without many hours research I could not comment on how it links to NLP. If I were to add a view it would be based on limited information and assumption. If the beliefs of individuals labelling themselves “scientologists” work for them and they don't damage others in the process then I say let them go for it.

I personally do not subscribe to any one particular organised religion and I believe there are aspects we can take from loads of sources to aim to live our lives ethically and responsibly. Religions like chocolate are, to me, great in moderation, without needing to take an extremist view in any one particular direction. I love the Fritz Perls prayer and I guess the best response I could give you is that only you can decide if NLP is a cult or not and only you can decide if that is a good thing or not, for you.

NLP Practitioner Module 4

2011-08-19T11:40:00.000+01:00

What a fantastic group of NLP Practitioners you are developing into! Another interesting and insightful weekend where you offered so many ideas and such curiosity. It really is a pleasure to learn and develop with you!

I would be curious to know...

What was your greatest insight so far relating to state management?
Which skills are you focusing on developing today?
What did you learn about yourself and others yesterday?

Thanks to those who came along to the practice group and made it such an enjoyable evening of experimentation. How are you changing your personal histories to create the future you want?

Catch up soon

Lizzi

NLP Practitioner Module 3

2011-07-16T20:40:00.000+01:00

Wow how time flies... It is now two weeks since module 3 and I am looking forward to seeing most of the group Monday for the additional practice group session you have arranged!

Module three was a weekend of language patterns and strategy awareness. We Meta modelled and Milton modelled. What are you noticing within the language you and others use? Which patterns are easiest for you to identify and how are you already using these patterns to create more choices for yourselves and others?

How many of your strategies are you now noticing and refining? What reflection have you had relating to the surfing activity or kite flying? What thoughts have arisen for you and how have these manifested themselves in actions. How do you feel about the progress you are making? How are you applying 10% new daily to refine your skills?

Can't wait to hear your progress!

Stay Curious!

Lizzi

Module 2 NLP Cornwall 2011 Practitioner

2011-06-12T11:26:00.000+01:00

Well what an eventful module two it was!

What did we do...

We had loads of opportunity to seek new behaviour choices, gain new perspectives, manage our states and recognise and respond to ambiguity.

All this and demonstrating the NLP attitudes led to a range of personal insights and a healthy degree of feedback which will enable the group to become the NLP Practitioners we all aspire to be.

We modelled our ideal NLP Practitioners using logical levels.

We considered our behaviour, how do we do the things we do... and what does our behaviour seek to achieve and avoid for us.

We built upon values, beginning to recognise what is important to us and the criteria we associate with our core values.

We gained new perceptions through stepping into the shoes of others and drew upon the attributes of experts to identify new choices available to us.

We considered how we might respond under stress and how we manage change.

So what...

All in all three days full of potential learning with each individual making our own connections and linking our conclusions to our own world and the system we live and work within

What now...

Most importantly this provides opportunity to act and behave in new ways in order to be more personally effective and to communicate with greater elegance, creating more choices for ourselves and for others. So I am interested to know... what are you doing with what you have been learning? Feel free to comment below or email as usual.

See you next month!

Lizzi

NLP Practitioner Group

2011-05-18T16:57:00.001+01:00

Module one of the Cornish based NLP Practitioner group proved to be a weekend of exploration and shared personal insights.

With so many interpretations of what NLP "is" and "isn't"... and what "it could be" to each individual we seem set to create and eclectic mix of approaches to applying NLP. The common themes we agreed upon are...

An ethos of "curious - not critical", aiming to "always add choice", placing our attention upon respecting recognising and reassuring ourselves and others, whilst taking responsibility for our thoughts and actions.

An openness to experiment with NLP was evident throughout the weekend and I am sure this has continued during the past couple of weeks. I look forward to hearing about the results NLP application has gained for each individual progressing towards their NLP Practitioner certification, when we meet again at the start of next month.

NLP PRACTITIONER PROGRAMME CORNWALL

2011-04-01T20:06:00.001+01:00

Having just completed the Intro to NLP Course at Camborne College with a fab group, my attention now shifts to the new NLP Practitioner programme starting at the end of the month.

This 15 day programme runs across 6 months in Perranporth, ending in September.

We will explore the full NLP Practitioner syllabus using a range of approaches including outdoor activities to ensure that NLP skills can be applied with elegance, competence and confidence.

For programme dates and to reserve your place on this programme, please see www.catalystnlp.co.uk

Module 6 - State Management

2011-03-11T12:30:00.000Z

We explored state management beginning to consider... what exactly is a state and how many different ways do we already have for managing our mental and emotional responses to the world around us?

It amazes me how we unconsciously develop resilience to manage a roller-coaster of experiences, without being "taught" at school to do this. Simply through recognising the approaches we are adopting to navigate our way through life we can identify how to consciously apply our abilities to become more in the driving seat of our emotions.

We discussed the concept of filing cabinets to review less than desirable situations from a safe distance rather than reliving them and conversely to use positive past experiences as resources for the future.

Trigger hunting is the current mission!

What are the things that trigger great states within you? How exactly do you know when to become excited, curious, enthusiastic, focused, confident etc?

Like-wise if we can recognise what things trigger less than desirable states within us we can work to diffuse these "hot buttons". Do you know what your hot buttons are? What choices do you have available when a hot button is pressed?

What are you noticing about the states you experience day to day?

On another note - I was very amused to see group rapport in action in a music store in Amsterdam. I was people watching (as I often do) whilst Julian browsed the Rock / Metal section of CDs. I noted a range of males all walking their index and middle fingers through the CDs in various locations of the room from front of row to back, methodically checking for that one elusive album. Music was pretty loud in the store and as one track faded and the intro to a track by Kyuss roared out over the speaker system in perfect time with the drum beat each and every guy in the room started tapping a foot and bobbing their heads. A beautiful (and amusing) sight to behold!

Intro to NLP Module 4

2011-02-18T22:49:00.000Z

Having further explored the benefits of recognising Representational Systems, we moved this week into the world of Logical Levels, an area of NLP with so many applications!

What have you noticed about the labels you apply to yourself and others based solely on behaviour?

Are you beginning to question the intention underlying your own behaviour to consider if you might have other options to fulfill your values and beliefs??

How does questioning the possible intentions underlying the behaviour of others impact upon your perception of / response to them?

For those of your who were going to check logical levels alignment within areas of your life and work or use this model to set some goals... how is that going for you?

I'd love to see your insights captured here and hear about your experiences next week in class.

Have a great week and stay curious!

Lizzi

Intro to NLP Module 3

2011-02-15T18:21:00.001Z

Well it was a week of developing increased sensory awareness and delving into the world of representational systems.

As an aid to rapport, an awareness of how an individual might be experiencing the world around them can enable us to quite literally "speak their language". This is one of the first steps in putting ourselves in their shoes.

We can develop our ability to recognise the"language of the senses" within self and others through consciously placing our attention on observing the subtle verbal and non verbal clues offered within any situation.

How are you representing your world most often?

Maybe you are seeing your life in pictures and film?
Are your experiences organised through a number of thoughts and internal conversations?
Perhaps you are feeling your way through life step by step?
Your history and memories might even echo conversations with friends and contain soundtracks to match your frame of mind at the time.

We all use a variety of approaches to engaging with the world around us and may favour some senses more than others.

How about those you know well? Have you noticed any clues suggesting how they might be organising their experiences? How flexible can you be to meet them in their model of the world?

What are you noticing?

Lizzi

Intro to NLP Module 2

2011-01-31T11:48:00.000Z

Module two was all about rapport and beginning to use our senses more effectively. Gaining more awareness of our own physiology and that of others in order to be fully present and engaged with others.

Have you noticed how with some people you can seem to have an almost instant connection - it is like you have known them for years, yet with others it takes a little more time and effort to get on the same wavelength?

There is no substitute for being genuinely interested in others as a facilitator to rapport building. I hope you are all experimenting with rapport this week... what are you noticing?

Intro to NLP Module 1

2011-01-21T13:27:00.001Z

During module 1 of "Intro to NLP" we played with ambiguity, questioning “What is reality”? This aimed to promote a thought process around "How do we do the things that we do and get the results that we get?", through asking the question “What else is going on?”

I find it exciting to meet new people and notice how individuals respond in new situations... possibly a side-effect of a curious state of mind. It can be useful to reflect upon our experiences, exploring the dynamics within any new group provides a rich source of potential feedback.

How did you build rapport, for example, with the other group members?
Do you think people gained an insight into who you are?
What worked for you or what held you back?

If NLP is "The Study of the Structure of Subjective Experience"...

Spend some time this week noticing how you and others experience the world around you.
Begin paying attention to how you are structuring your experiences - have you identified any patterns within your thoughts or behaviour (or that of others)?
What insights can you make that can usefully be applied?

We explored NLP being an "active methodology", requiring application in order to truly develop skills associated with advanced communication... so... I'm curious... please share what have you been thinking, doing and noticing?

Lizzi

Yoda advises well!

2010-07-13T16:14:00.001+01:00

Opportunity

2010-05-28T15:45:00.001+01:00

The weak wait for opportunity

The strong seize opportunity

The wise create their own opportunity

(Chinese Proverb)

Be wise first then strong!

Curiosity

2010-05-10T10:11:00.002+01:00

Anybody I have worked with will be familiar with the fact that curiosity is my favourite resource state in the world!

Indeed during the NLP programmes I facilitate we work on rekindling that sense of eagerness to explore and question rather than judge... adding choice rather than limiting the options of ourselves and others through simply adopting a more open frame of mind.

Check out this fab blog by Reg which eloquently captures this concept ...

http://pegasusnlpblog.com/nlp-learn-curiosity

Enjoy

NLP Logical Levels

2010-03-17T15:24:00.003Z

Isn't it surprising how much we can make assumptions based on the behaviour of others, responding almost immediately to the surface information we are presented with, without questioning "What else might be going on?"

Exploring "intention versus behaviour" with groups often highlights so many opportunities to change our own behaviour...

This might be through exploring our responses to others... simply applying a more curious approach to question... What could be true for this individual right now? What is their behaviour achieving for them What choices do I have in my response and is my judgement about what their behaviour might "mean" accurate? How do I know? Is their behaviour a response to something I am doing?" etc

Likewise what a great opportunity this presents to question our own actions when we are behaving in a... how should put this... "less than resourceful way". Similar questions such as... Could I achieve my higher intention through behaving in a different way? Is this the best way to achieve the result I am seeking? How is this behaviour impacting on others? Am I acting this way out of habit rather than being truly effective? etc

The NLP presuppositions "People are not the sum of their behaviours" and "Every behaviour has a positive intention" act as a great reminder to question the higher purpose of our actions rather than label and condemn ourselves and others as "right, wrong, good or bad"....

To me this sounds like a great way to add choices!

Stay Curious

Lizzi

Representational Systems and Rapport

2010-02-19T18:57:00.005Z

Isn't it amazing how much more information is available to us when we simply pay attention?

Have people been seeing things the same way you do recently... as though they and you are aligned in your points of view?

Perhaps you've talked things through with others and noticed them saying things that completely echo your thoughts?

Is it possible that things are beginning to feel more comfortable now that you are getting to grips with applying the basics of NLP?

Maybe you are simply understanding and making sense of things in new ways?

The key to gaining benefits from NLP as we have explored is within the application. How much attention are you paying? What could you be missing? How many opportunities could there be? Are you curious enough yet? How flexible could you be?

I'd love to see / read / hear... about your thoughts and experiences... what are you noticing?

Stay Curious!

Lizzi

Model of the World

2010-02-01T13:49:00.003Z

Wow just back from a couple of days in London... and yes I couldn't resist some rapport building on public transport.

Model of the world - I watched a squirrel in the park busy about his daily routine, stark contrast to the chaos of the street not one mile away.

Flexibility - With loads of tube engineering works it was brilliant to watch people demonstrating their abilities to problem solve - their planned routes scrapped and a variety of options being explored to reach their destinations. A great mixture of state changes was on display from "ok lets get on with this", to "oh no what are we going to do now"... Happily our revised route afforded the opportunity to explore some new parts of the city which would previously have remained undiscovered by us.

Putting things in persective - We were trying to guess how many people would be "underground" at any one time and how many people were likely to "pass through" a tube station per day... I don't know the numbers but I'm guessing they are huge!

Whilst watching a group complaining quite loudly about their disrupted journey plans, I considered how phenomenal the transport network in the city really is and how... in the scheme of things maintenance works are really such a minor interruption to a day.

Interesting choice to become furious (as one chap did) - I wonder what his behaviour was achieving for him and I suspect his state change had more influence on his day than it did on changing the situation - as I am pretty sure the line remained closed, despite his outburst. Isn't it great that we can choose our response to situations?

So... What new things have you discovered this week?

Lizzi

Subjective Experience

2010-01-20T15:05:00.004Z

So During week 1 of "Intro to NLP" and "NLP for Lecturers" courses we aimed to begin a thought process around "How do we do the things that we do and get the results that we get".

I find it exciting to meet new people and notice how individuals respond in new situations... possibly a side-effect of a curious state of mind. It can be useful to reflect upon our experiences and exploring the dynamics within new groups provides a rich source of potential feedback.

How did you build rapport, for example, with the other group members?
Do you think people gained an insight into who you are?
What worked for you or what held you back?

If NLP is "The Study of the Structure of Subjective Experience" ...

What have you noticed this week about how you and others experience the world around you?
How are you structuring your experiences - have you identified any patterns within your thoughts or behaviour or that of others?
What insights have you made that can usefully be applied?

We explored NLP being an "active methodology", requiring application in order to truly develop skills associated with advanced communication... so... I'm curious... what have you been thinking, doing and noticing?

Lizzi

NLP Introduction Course Phase Two

2009-12-18T14:55:00.006Z

Well the first round of College Introduction to NLP Programmes has concluded, with a two fantastic groups of learners now off to further develop their NLP skills - I look forward to hearing of their successes applying NLP!

The new College courses start January 13th in Truro and January 21st in Camborne.

I am in the process of planning the Spring Practitioner Programme and writing a degree level short course "NLP and Coaching". Please contact me for more info or to reserve your place.

Keep an eye out on the Training link of my website http://www.catalystnlp.co.uk/ for Masterclasses. These commence early 2010 and will be single day workshops aimed at enhancing specific NLP skills. These are open to anybody who has completed my introduction programmes or any NLP Practitioner programme.

If you have specific Masterclass topic requests please contact me via lizzi@catalystnlp.co.uk or via the contact link on my website.

Stay Curious

Lizzi

Week 10 and Thanks

2009-12-04T15:35:00.002Z

Well this week was the final week of College NLP Intro sessions for Autumn 2009. The end? I hope not... surely just the beginning and only 10 weeks into applying NLP, there is so much scope for integrating your skills...

Week 10 we looked at, thought about, explored and experienced Goal Setting...

Creating Outcomes that are Well Formed is so much more motivational than leaving our aspirations as mere dreams. It is true that dreaming can be a great approach to changing state, however once we question and gain some clarity around our goals it is likely that we experience a degree of impetus to take action in order to achieve them.

My very wise friend Reg talks about taking your goals off wheels - it is a great analogy for beginning to question... are you pushing a goal along in front of you as if it were on wheels? Have you ever said oh yes that is where I want to be in 3 years time... and then caught yourself the following year saying something similar... noticing that the goal is oddly still 3 years in the future with you having gained no ground on it. What would you need to do to take the wheels off?

It may of course be that you didn't really want the "goal" enough to take action and if you haven't made progress it may be the wrong goal. There is however another possibility, maybe the "dream" is too broad and nebulous and therefore its lack of tangibility and substance makes it difficult to know where to start. For true "goals"... those you really want to achieve... giving the goal your time and attention to ensure it is really well formed can be the difference between success and inactivity. Isn't it great that we can frame previous non achievement of goals as feedback rather than failure to extract learning?

What dreams do you have?
Could any of them be used to create "well formed outcomes"?
What can you learn from previous goal setting that you can use in order to motivate yourself to achieve anything you really put your mind to?

It has been a pleasure to learn with you and I look forward to hearing about how you are gaining positive results from applying NLP.

Stay Curious

Lizzi

www.catalystnlp.co.uk

Week 9

2009-11-29T11:09:00.002Z

In our penultimate session we spent some time exploring motivation.

I find it really fascinating how we can use such a variety of strategies to approach similar situations... a great reminder that the map is not the territory.

Values exploration can be a hugely beneficial process for recognising where our lives are in balance with the things that are important to us... and the areas where they are not. Great for focusing our attention on aspects of our world we can make changes within in order to increase our sense of personal wealth and congruence.

How about the values of those people who are important to us? Are we aware of these and demonstrating respect for their model of the world?

I hope you enjoy identifying your core values and playing with motivation strategies this week

Lizzi

Week 8

2009-11-21T18:48:00.002Z

Isn't it amazing how much more information we can gain when simply viewing the world from a new perspective?

How often do we really do this... truly consider the background noise of others when they are lucky enough to experience being on the end of our communication?

Perceptual positions is a great tool for both reviewing times when we were "less than our best", but also for "future event rehearsals".

I'd love to hear how you are putting this into practice this week?

How about your communication preferences (4mat)? Noticed any specialisms?

What can you do to become more flexible?
Why exactly will this be useful?
How will you put this into practice?
If you apply this thinking, what are the possibilities?

Look forward to seeing you all next week!

Lizzi

Week 7

2009-11-12T12:16:00.002Z

Well this week we explore the world of "States".

Using the term "I was in a real state" is an interesting one...

Can we ever not be in a state I wonder? What are your thoughts?

What a huge library of resources (experiences) we have available to us when we recognise that we are in control of our states and not at the mercy of them.

What state will you choose to be in when you wake up tomorrow morning?
How might your choice of state impact on the filters you set for the day?

How about hot buttons? What a great opportunity they present for applying your NLP attitudes... Curious Not Critical and the four Rs. Also a chance to integrate the logical levels work we explored in week 6 and the language patterns of week 5...

First to self... "what has triggered this response, am I being a victim, how can move myself from "effect" to "cause", is what I am doing working for me, what other options do I have... etc?"
Then to others... "thats interesting, I wonder what their behavioour is achieving for them, what must they be believing to act in this way, do they have other options or are they doing the best they can with the resources they currenly have available to them... etc?"

Have fun and let me know what you notice as you begin to manage your states even more elegantly than you have in the past.

Lizzi

Week 6

2009-11-05T12:34:00.002Z

Well this week we began to explore Logical Levels.

It can be quite enlightening to openly consider the labels we apply on a day to day basis, don't you think?

Generalising, Distorting and Deleting based solely on the external information available to us, forgetting therefore that "The Map is Not the Territory"

A key presupposition of NLP states that a person is not the sum of their Behaviour. This model begins to lift the lid on the potential Values and Beliefs that impact upon how we choose to act in different situations.

Changing Beliefs to change Behaviour is a hugely empowering process, recognising that we are in control of the way we engage with and respond to the world around us. Often through simply questioning "what is this behaviour doing for me right now?" we can increase our flexibility and become more resourceful. Try it.

I look forward to reading about how you are applying your learning this week

Lizzi

Week 5

2009-10-26T09:42:00.004Z

Language is a funny old thing isn't it?

This week we began to explore "Deletions, Distortions and Generalisations".

It really is no wonder that we can misunderstand messages if we choose not to question for clarity.

TV advertising can be great for deleting just enough information to allow us to fill in the gaps enabling broad appeal. We filter for the elements of the message that fit for us and ignore anything else.

It can be amazing how we can allow potentially trivial things to become all encompassing impacting on our state, through simply paying disproportionate attention to one aspect of a situation. This is where distortion and filtering meet to create an "unreality".

Generalising also has a link to filtering, we look for sameness. It can for example rain twice in one week and we say it was a wet week, or we have one bad experience in a store and assume all the staff are rude.

Asking questions where we find ourselves filling in gaps or making assumptions is a great first step towards increasing the clarity of our communication.

Have a great week and see you all after half term!

Lizzi

Week Four

2009-10-15T10:01:00.002+01:00

Representational Systems are amazing aren't they?

I find it fascinating how we all take such a subjective approach to experiencing and making sense of the world around us.

Playing around with the "submodalities" (the quality) of our internal representation can completely change our response to our memories. We have the skills to make great memories evoke highly positive states, whilst minimising our emotional connection to those "less than great" memories thus allowing us to focus upon reviewing and extracting learning from the "not so good times" without embodying the negative feelings previously attached to them.

Whether you are using your awareness of Rep systems to manage rapport, to influence increased choice for yourself and others, or simply as an exercise in people watching... I hope you find awareness of this new level of communication enlightening, intriguing and enabling.

Recognising rep systems is a great tool for developing yet more behavioural flexibility!

By the way... great link from Dave attached to last weeks post... relating to filters... worth a look!

Have a great week and I look forward to reading about how you are applying your learning!

Lizzi

Week 3

2009-10-08T14:35:00.002+01:00

We've entered the wonderful world of Sensory Acuity.

I wonder what you are all noticing?

How much information are you becoming aware of... both information about yourselves and others?

It is amazing how rich our experiences can be when we consciously decide to pay attention to what is going on!

Don't you think?

Week Two

2009-09-25T12:50:00.001+01:00

Introductions...

Truro... Dave, Jenny, Di, Caroline, Michelle, Susanne, Tracey, Sandhya, Louisa

Camborne... Hilary, Stacey, Melinda, Alison, Gina, David, Paul, Mike, Alan

With such a diverse range of people beginning to explore NLP it is always great to hear how you are applying NLP so early on when you are "out in the real world"

Whilst the workshops are great for sharing learning, it is also good to capture things as they occur and here is a great place to do that... your insights can prompt ideas for one another...

Enjoy noticing whatever it is that you notice!

Lizzi

Introduction to NLP Programme Truro and Camborne

2009-09-23T10:26:00.002+01:00

September sees the start of the new NLP Introductory Programmes.

These run in Truro and Camborne, so I thought it would be great fun to share and build on ideas and insights across the two groups.

Week by week we will be exploring different areas of NLP and going out into the beautiful County we live in to apply our new skills between workshops. This blog could offer a simple place to capture your thoughts and successes, highlight how you are integrating NLP into your day to day lives, ask questions of each other and share views.

I look forward to reading your comments and being part of the online discussions and debates....

Lizzi

Territories of the Alive: Gregory Bateson

2009-05-23T11:21:00.000+01:00

This is a fab blog I found on the internet...

Territories of the Alive: Gregory Bateson