Neuro-Linguistic Programming is a personal development system that applies to a very wide spectrum of components. NLP strives to help people improve the way that an individual interprets the world. Neuro-Linguistic Programming operates under a series of assumptions, or presuppositions. One of the main ones is that there is that objective reality exists. Meaning, multiple people can interpret the same event in many different ways. Just look at the conflicting reports of multiple witnesses to an automobile accident. One person sees one thing, somebody else sees something completely different. Therefore, each person’s reality is unique to themselves and lies within the range of events they can control.
By doing NLP training and gaining certification you will develop a wide array of skills. Depending on the NLP trainer or organization that you work with, different skills may be reinforced over others. For instance, many sales professionals have worked very successfully with NLP. If you were to attend a training the focuses on the sales aspect of NLP, then you will be focusing on a couple specific skills that center on communication. For instance, you would probably spend most of your time working on building rapport and the different strategies that are involved with that.
Another skillet that you will more than likely focus on during NLP training is “learning how to learn.” NLP was first developed out of observing excellent psychotherapists and noticing how they interacted with their patients. Another one of the presuppositions of NLP is that any behavior that is exhibited by one person can be taught to another. Therefore, you will spend time learning how to adopt the skills and behaviors of those people who are examples of excellence in their various domains. This skill is very important because it is obviously widely applicable and useful in your own life. Learning how to do anything better can pay huge dividends later on.
Other skills that will be developed during NLP training and certification include identifying and utilizing the power of language. Many of the different models that NLP practitioners use to help people work through problems deal with the way we interact and use language. For example, the Meta model is a system wherein a coach will use very specific and detailed questions to get at the root of the true issue. Much of the language we use during communication is very general or unclear. By using the Meta model we can begin to uncover what we are truly talking about when we communicate. Another model, the Milton model is essentially the opposite of the Meta model. The Milton model uses deliberately vague and general questions or language to not exclude anything from the realm of possibilities. By asking specific questions it is possible to remove an aspect from the a person’s understanding or experience. Essentially, you will develop the ability to see through language and get to the core meaning of anybody, and your own, speech.
Lastly, NLP will help you develop skills of relaxation, improved self-esteem, reduced stress and many other important skills. Because NLP is such a broad approach to self-improvement and self-discovery it can affect almost every aspect of your life. One of the best metaphors to understand NLP and the impact it is likely to have on your life is that of an instruction manual for your brain. An instruction manual for a complex piece of machinery explains how to use all of its features so that you get the most value out of it. Much the same, NLP can be thought of as an instruction manual that will help you get more and better use out of your mind.
