What is NLP, many people ask me.
NLP is hard to explain, because it is something that needs to be experienced.
I give a different answer every time. The majority of responses you provide, which are detailed and accurate to a high degree, will be met with a blank stare and misunderstanding. Even if you do run the risk of being a little vague, I think it’s important to use terms that people can relate to and that aren’t the official terminology but are still accurate. It is more important for people to understand what NLP is in general than for them to not know what you are talking about.
Here are elements in your answer you could consider:
1. General explanation using known terms that most people can relate to.
Example:
NLP is a toolbox of techniques and communication tools, taken from 3 among the most succesful and capable American psychologists, years ahead of their time. They had an extraordinary high success rate, were extremely effective and created solutions or improvements much faster than their counterparts. This makes NLP the psychology of what works, and of advanced interpersonal communication.
I may throw in “working with unconscious processes of the mind” or “we all have a different subjective experience, this is what NLP works with.” Depends on the person.
If anyone asks about the 3 psychotherapists: Virginia Satir (renowned for her extraordinary skill and success in family therapy), Fritz Perls (father of gestalt therapy), Milton H. Erickson (father of modern day hypnotherapy and renowned psychotherapist.)
2. Where can NLP be applied:
Examples: coaching, therapy, education, business, interpersonal relationships, health, wellness, any areas where excellence and success are required.
3. Explain what NLP is not:
NLP works with processes of the unconscious mind, making it different from traditional (dare I say old fashioned) psychology where it is more about the conscious mind. Many (definitely not all) psychologists take a talk therapy approach, where you talk about your past and your problems. Though this can be cathardic for some people, for many people it takes a long time to feel better, to achieve success and talking about problems makes most people feel bad. For example in traditional talk therapy it takes more than 20 sessions (of mental anguish) to resolve a phobia, while NLP has a much higher success rate with doing so in 10 minutes or less. NLP is about directing the brain “here” instead of “there.” Where “here” is state of excitement, excellence, motivation, happiness, confidence, self love etc. And “there” are states that are the opposite of those. Instead of talking about problems, you talk about solutions, and use special patterns and techniques to change the way your brain codes subjective experience and information.
When someone asks about coding information in the brain, use as an example a bank robbery with 10 witnesses, each have a different account of what happened.
4. Using metaphors
Example:
The brain is a like big and complicated computer. Our mind is like software installed on that computer. Most of us have software installed of which the programming sometimes cause us to feel insecure, poor learners, incapable, unmotivated, afraid or even phobic. NLP helps you work upgrading this software, to feel confident, capable, motivated and help you achieve any goal strategically.
5. Using examples that people can relate to:
Example:
To someone with a fear of public speaking: for instance there are several NLP techniques, that will resolve your fear of public speaking, and feel confident, motivated and capable instead.
To a business person: You can become a master communicator, achieve a high level of understanding of verbal and nonverbal communication, set goals, achieve excellence, improve your skills, adopt the skills of people you admire, and become a master communicator with the assistance of NLP.
To someone with relationship problems: Understanding how people work and communicate differently is made easier with NLP. Knowing that will help you communicate more effectively with your partner. And communicating effectively together when you can understand each other is easier.
To a teacher: NLP understands what students do inside their head. How do they store information? What strategies do they use to for instance spell really well? And how can you teach a bad speller the same strategy or process a good speller uses? How do you teach and speak to a student in order for them to understand you better, understand and retain information.
Someone whose life needs to change: There are a number of techniques in NLP that can help you set goals, become more motivated, succeed in new projects, and develop additional skills. and shifts people’s perspective from the life’s effects to their causes. methods that help people move from a state in which they feel stuck to one in which they are not.
5. Mention techniques by name/outcome:
Fast phobia cure, trauma relief pattern, language for negotiation and getting a “”yes”, discovering root cause problems in someone’s past, technique where someone can learn to step in to feeling of excellence and confidence, technique that help you get rid of habits like nail biting or even smoking, techniques to motivate you to eat better and exercise more. Etc.
6. If you are an NLP Practitioner, let someone experience NLP. Or do a quick demonstration. Something simple like letting someone experience the difference is between association and dissociation.
There is no short answer really. If I have to give one, and I don’t want to get too many questions or dazed looks:
“NLP is a modern highly developed form of psychology. Psychological techniques that are highly effective, fast, and can be learned by anyone. It is the psychology of what works, and of advanced interpersonal communication.”
