The Magic Of Neuro-Linguistic Programming; Transform Your Everyday Life And Take Control
Did your boss just convince you to meet that impossible deadline?
Or has your significant other talked you into buying that expensive holiday package for two?
In both cases, you might be wondering how you actually agreed
to the other person’s persuasion despite starting out with the exact opposite mindset…
Well, chances are your boss (and your girlfriend) is an expert in Neuro-linguistic Programming.
No, don’t get too spooked by the term; it’s not a complicated mind-control technique that’s doing the rounds on the internet.
Neuro-linguistic Programming (or NLP as it’s fondly called) has a serious scientific basis
and can be easily explained and practiced.
In fact, many professionals, ranging from salespersons, psychologists,
and even entrepreneurs, have used NLP tenets to succeed in their line of work.
And, have also helped others reach their life goals in the process.
In today’s video, we’re going to help you explore this technique.
We’ll begin by taking a brief look at the origins of NLP and what it is.
From there, we’ll move onto explaining some simple strategies and techniques by which you can apply them in real life.
And along the way, we’ll also look at a famous personality who used NLP to great effect.
What Is NLP?
If you’re interested in communication and how it influences our lives,
you must have heard (or read online) that almost 60-70% of our communication is non-verbal.
While that might not be an exact number,
it still shows that a large percentage of the way we communicate is related to non-verbal cues and expressions.
NLP as a science aims to understand precisely that;
the discipline was developed in the 1970s by a group of scientists,
most prominent among whom were John Grinder and Richard Bandler.
The technique uses concepts from neuropsychology, linguistics (that’s the study of languages),
and behavioral pattern establishments to help understand human behavior.
But the clincher here is this: using NLP, you don’t just understand human behavior;
you can alter and control it too.
How Does NLP Work?
Suppose you’re a sales professional interacting with a client,
and you need to judge whether the client is really interested in your product or services.
Sure, they’re saying that they’ll “think about it…,”
but you notice their eyes repeatedly straying to the brochure you’ve handed them.
That’s a sure sign that they’re interested in what you have to offer.
The above is an example of NLP-based analysis in its simplest form.
According to the NLP theory,
our behaviors and decisions are products of our neural patterns.
And these patterns find expression in verbal and non-verbal cues.
It’s these patterns that are the “programs” or everyday habits that drive us.
But the most exciting aspect of the theory is that you can use an understanding of NLP
to modify these programs and influence the behaviors of others (or yourself).
Using NLP successfully, you can promote your self-confidence,
develop better learning and communication skills
and even achieve higher productivity levels at the workplace.
Sounds interesting, right?
How You Too Can Use NLP In Daily Life
We’re sure that by this time, you’ve understood why NLP is such an enticing technique.
It can help you influence others according to your thought patterns
and get the desired results in business, education, or personal relationships.
Even more important, you can use NLP to reprogram yourself
and replace harmful habits (such as smoking) with good ones.
How can you do this?
Well, any technical literature on NLP will pepper you with terms such as “Subjective and Objective Consciousness,”
the T.O.T.E model,
“Dissociation,”
and “Cognitive Reframing,” among others.
We’re not going to go into such heavy stuff, at least not at this stage.
Suffice to say that to use NLP, you need to have the following three qualities:
A keen sense of observation
The ability to understand non-verbal cues in communication
Be able to empathize with another’s situation,
which is to put yourself in the other person’s boots and see things from their point of view
Once you’ve got a sense of the other person’s standing,
you can then use NLP techniques such as “Rapport Building” and “Counter Arguments” to alter their programming.
As we’ve already mentioned before,
you can apply the same techniques successfully to yourself.
Whether you’re suffering from a severe lack of motivation
or just the weekly bout of Monday blues, NLP can help you overcome them.
Benefits of NLP In Business
Needless to say, the applications and potential benefits of NLP are boundless.
Different practitioners use the theories of this discipline in different ways and situations,
but the general benefits of this neuro-psychological tool help to:
Get rid of stress and anxiety in daily life
Improve creativity levels
Overcome severe phobias
Enhance personal relationships
Apart from the above, one of the most interesting (and profitable!)
NLP applications are in the field of business.
Entrepreneurs have been using NLP techniques for boosting employee morale
and getting things done for quite some time now.
To better understand how, let’s look at Steve Jobs and his now-famous “Reality Distortion Field.”
The term is most popularly associated with the Apple co-founder,
and refers to his ability to convince himself and those associated with him to conform to his sense of reality.
Using a mix of bravado, charisma, and thoughtful persistence,
Jobs convinced his co-workers to stick to impossible deadlines
and get things done faster than they thought possible.
This is one of the classic applications of NLP,
where a single individual can bend the perceived reality of others and make them bend to his own reality.
Jobs was a master at this technique,
though we can’t say for sure whether he knew it as NLP or not.
When applied the right way, NLP can work wonders for your life and career.
So, the next time you’re looking for that promotion or raise,
make sure you master these techniques before going in to meet the manager.
And also before that next big argument with your partner!