A to Z of NLP Meanings
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Accessing Cues
Shifts in breathing, posture, gestures and eye movements that indicate internal mental processing such as visualisation, auditory and kinaesthetic activity.
Having official recognition by a national government through a government body, government department, Act of Parliament or Royal Charter with reference to a set of government approved standards. In the case of educational or vocational courses, accreditation confers recognition of the qualification offered and an assurance of adherence to a government approved set of standards for quality.
A term coined by Connirae Andreas to describe the process she developed to achieve clearly well sorted perceptual positions. When in First Position, seeing out of your own eyes, hearing with your ears at their location, and feeling in your own body, with only your feelings. When in Third Position, seeing self and other, hearing both of them, and only experiencing feelings about the interaction. When in Second Position, seeing, hearing and feeling as if the other. See perceptual positions. Each perceptual position has a particular organisation as a means of accessing high quality information.
Continuous change over time: continuous movement. An example is the light dimmer switch in contrast to an ordinary light switch which is either on or off (digital).
Shaping the body posture, breathing and movements of the subject.
Applying a gesture, touch, or sound just before a state peaks, either in oneself or someone else, so that the anchored state can be re-activated by reapplying that gesture, touch or sound. A smell can also be used as an anchor. Eg. as you remember the smell of a rose, you may find a memory of some experience that involved roses coming to mind. Psychologists recognise the pattern of anchoring as stimulus response conditioning.
The study of man in his / her various environments.
A way of shifting into a different perceptual framework, and thus obtaining another quality of information. This can be especially useful if the content you are thinking about involves a stuck feeling. To use an "as if" frame, think of what it would be like As if you had the needed resource.
Experiencing the present with all your attention; seeing, hearing and feeling the living action that is taking place in the moment. For referring to memory or imagination, living a past or future experience from your viewpoint of the time; seeing, hearing and feeling as if you are present in that moment.
The use of external senses and internal representational systems to identify and choose the content of thoughts and activities. Attention can be conscious or unconscious or a combination of both. Where one places one's conscious or unconscious attention has an effect on cognitive processes. First attention or the attention of the conscious mind is limited. (See conscious awareness). Second attention refers to the processes and organisation of the unconscious mind.
The processing of sounds, this could be in the form of language, music or noise. Includes the ability to have internal dialogue, recalled information such as remembering someone's voice, recall of music or the construction of words, or composition of music.
Backtrack
A review, both verbal and non-verbal, of the last portion of a discussion, presentation or set of instructions.
Any human activity, this includes internal thought processes, such as visual, auditory or kinaesthetic processing and involuntary as well as involuntary movement such as blinking or heart beat.
A school of psychology which deletes internal cognitive processes from its descriptions of psychology. An example of Western society's predilection for first attention.
Systems and models of psychology orientated to changing and extending human behaviour.
Subjective ideas about what is true and not true for ourselves and the world, developed through exposure to experience, and modified by perceptual filters of distortion, generalisation and deletion. A configuaration of submodalities that lets a person who holds content in those submodalities know that content is true for them.
Learning to recognise visible, auditory and kinaesthetic clues to an individual's use of their mental processes. Defining that individual's expressions by comparing their present behaviour with their previously observed behaviour.
A context specific skill that can be broken down to its component behaviours.
An essential element of the New Code of NLP developed by John Grinder. The Chain of Excellence has four stages.
Moments of subjective experience which generate significant consequences thereafter.
Grouping information by class and sub-class, especially useful when combined with the principles of logical typing order. Chunking develops meaning and thereby facilitates memory. (See logical levels).
The conscious elicitation of the components of the skills of an expert. May include verbal descriptions of beliefs, values, outcomes, intentions, sequences and processes used by the expert. This form of modelling is outside the scope of NLP as it is of a different logical type from the patterns of excellence that make up the field. Analytical modelling depends on conscious recognition of elements of expertise by the expert and the person modelling and on conscious uptake by the modeller. See NLP Modelling.
Cognition is defined by Strobe, Codol and Stephenson in their book Introducing Social Psychology as "The activity by which information is received, selected, transformed and organised by human perceivers so as to construct representations of reality and to build knowledge".
A multi-disciplinary field of inquiry into the perceptions of the mind. Cognitive science draws on methodology and learning from linguistics, psychology, philosophy, artificial intelligence and computer science.
The individual's cognitive map or sensory representation of a particular word, label or expression; the meaning they assign to an abstract form of words. A different experience or action that has the same meaning for an individual as the experience they are considering. Misunderstanding occurs when two individuals each assign meaning to an abstract word or phrase and then act as if they were using a shared, defined meaning.
The match of a person's body language (gestures, posture and voice patterns) with their verbal output (auditory digital) while they are communicating. Congruence in communication is one of the patterns found in charismatic people. Note though, when a person is communicating with congruency, this is not necessarily an indicator of truth, rationality or sensibility in terms of the content communicated. It means that in the moment, they believe what they are saying. Eg. Hitler communicated congruently, yet many of his ideas (content), were unecological in their effect on third parties.
The conscious mind is limited in terms of the amount of information that can be held at any one moment in time to seven plus or minus two chunks. The size of the chunks is variable. A metaphoric description is the experience of shining a torch around a darkened room. As the light beam moves from one place to another, you notice different items. You can never see the entire contents of the room with the torch light. Like the torch, conscious attention shifts from one experience to another.
Can be of two forms; either changing the response to an experience by changing the meaning of the experience in that context, (meaning reframe), or leaving the meaning of the behaviour the same and placing the behaviour in a different context (context reframing).
The situation, time and place within which designated activity takes place.
An individual's or organisation's definition of what is important to them in terms of their particular standards and values.
Taking any repetitive behaviour on the part of the subject, and matching that behaviour through a different communication channel. You could speak in time to the subjects breathing. If the person is blinking, you could tap a pencil in time to their blink rate. Cross-pacing builds rapport with the person's unconscious mind and is a subtle, less noticeable approach to building or maintaining rapport than mirroring the subject's behaviour directly.
The assimilation of beliefs, values and ways of one's culture of upbringing is sometimes referred to as cultural conditioning. We have all been shaped to a greater or lesser extent by the social context in which we grew-up, and by the social, political, economic and cultural contexts in which we live subsequently. One of the benefits of the models Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Ericksonian hypnosis is the capability to evaluate the various belief systems that one adopted, and to update, change and enrich those maps of reality if so desired. This process brings added flexibility and choice into one's life.
The generally agreed upon maps within a particular community of people which guide behaviour. These agreed upon maps form collectively a consensus reality for the group and generally operate outside conscious awareness.
An orientation to pattern and the relationship between parts of a system, rather than usingquantification, and reductionism as in Newtonian physics. Cybernetic epistemology is based on the premise that living systems such as a person, family or ecology function on different rules to the world of physics. (See Epistemology and Systems Thinking).
The study of communication systems in both man and machines. Cybernetics has been traditionally applied to machines, computer systems and computer software. Cybernetics can also be applied to the individual, the family (as in the family systems models) and social systems such as communities and societies.
A hypnotic process where the subject enters a profoundly altered state and makes arrangements through his or her unconscious mind, in trance, to model specific or general patterns displayed by the model of excellence.
The process of excluding portions of experience of the world from one's internal representations, and one's speech.
An internal representation that we have that guides our behaviour. Primarily we have sensory representational systems, that is, we represent the world in mental images, sound tracks and sensation. There is also secondary representation, language. ie. we can represent our internal pictures, sounds and feelings in language.
Sudden change in state. A standard light switch is digital, it can only be on or off.
Involves a psychological state, (see State) and an attitude in terms of perception. Expectation, judgement and desire are suspended for the duration of the exercise in order to discover what happens to one's perceptions and ideas as a result of participating in it. That subjective state and attitude in relation to the wider world. ie. the expert being modelled and / or the world at large.
The process of stepping outside the point of view of experiencing the world from one's physical position; seeing oneself from outside the self and, for internal representations, from outside the image and separate from the sounds.
Inaccurate reproduction of events in any recording medium, including human representation. Distortion in language refers to demonstrably inaccurate comments on any subject.
Two or more parties' outcomes, in which the achievement of one facilitates achievement of the other(s). The first step in negotiating anything is to elicit all parties' outcomes, then derive a common set of outcomes by chunking up to a higher logical level. At this point the outcomes are said to be dovetailed.
The process of putting one's attention to internal processes and representations within one's mind.
The process of considering the effects of any change in behaviour across a number of time frames, situations and places for self and others. What are the consequences now, in the future, for oneself, for significant others, in various contexts such as home, career, lifestyle, as well as possible effects on the physical environment. The use of the answers to these questions is determined by the values held important by that individual.
In NLP elegance describes the performance of a particular pattern in a streamlined, efficient, and natural way. Elegance denotes the minimum activity that is necessary and sufficient to produce the desired outcome with acceptable and ecological consequences. "The minimal number of distinctions necessary to provide an effective replication of the talent" (Grinder, DeLozier and Bandler, 1977).
The art through communication of getting a particular response or piece of information from someone. As practitioners of Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Ericksonian hypnosis, we are involved in eliciting from clients the resources they need to take themselves from the present state to their desired outcome.
A sequence of internal representations and external sensory input, usually ending with a kinaesthetic (hence the colloquial term "feeling"). An emotion may occur in response to sensory input or internal representation, whether these activities are conscious or unconscious. Compare with "Thought; a sequence of internal representations and external sensory input".
It is possible to unpack and define the structure of emotional states, whether experienced as enhancing or limiting to the individual. Once a particular emotion has been mapped out, the structure of the state in question can be altered if desired, to create something more useful for oneself.
A statement of recognition or approval from a non-official and non-government body or individual. Can be a signal honour and provide a boost to credibility when given by a credible or knowledgeable person. Endorsement does not denote or confer offical recognition nor accreditation.
The study of how we know what we know, how creatures or groups of creatures, including humans, from families to cultures, societies and the global living system, think, and decide. It reveals the premises underlying outer behaviour and inner thinking. These premises may be based on the history of society and the individual, and they set filters which allow or limit the passage of new information of difference into the mind. Sub-systems such as an individual, or a family may have a particular epistemology. Systems such as an extended family, culture or society may have a dominant epistemology, and the greater system of interconnected life has a number of epistemology's. The dominant epistemology of the West is still based on Cartesian mind-body dualism, although some thinkers perceive this to be in error. They believe it to be a major contribution to the present imbalance and damage to the greater system of life on earth.
Communication models developed from studies of the innovative psychiatrist Dr Milton H. Erickson, for working with an individual's subjective experience. In contrast to traditional Hypnosis, which uses ritual inductions and direct suggestion, Ericksonian hypnosis stresses the importance of respecting the uniqueness of each individual and the development of trance states shaped for that person. Subsequently, an Ericksonian approach to hypnosis involves calibration, the use of context and indirect suggestion to facilitate learning within the individual. In Ericksonian hypnosis the relationship between guide and subject is important, and therefore attention is given to rapport, communication, high quality information gathering and feedback.
The comparative study of the behaviour of creatures, which include humans, living in their natural environment. Used to be known as 'natural history' before humans were included in the study.
The directional movements of the eyes which indicate the accessing of different modes of thinking, or representational systems. These are visual recall and construction, auditory recall and construction, kinaesthetic (feeling, proprioception, sensation), and internal dialogue or auditory digital.
A chosen distinction that one attends to while observing the model expressing the target capability. Some of the features Neuro Linguistic Pogrammers traditionally attend to are eye accessing cues, changes in skin colour, muscle tone, voice tonality, and voice rhythm. Through careful observation one may detect a new feature that operates in some sort of pattern. Within the NLP community the term distinctions is used interchangably with features.
The set of mechanisms that let you know whether or not you are moving towards your desired outcome.
A system of movement re-education developed by the nuclear physicist Moshe Feldenkrais. The Feldenkrais method works with the patterns of movement, breathing and posture and re-imprints new, more functional patterns into the nervous system. The Feldenkrais technology has been referred to as the NLP of the body because of its 'systemic thinking' approach. See systemic thinking.
Change occurring on the same logical level as the problem state. Eg acting on behaviour to obtain a change in behaviour.
The act of looking out of one's own eyes, hearing with one's ears, feeling, tasting and scenting, using one's own organs within one's body, and making one's own internal representations.
An extended range of behavioural responses that can be drawn upon. Each sensory channel has an extended range of ways of recalling and constructing representations. Also an extended range of emotional responses which can be elicited, created and expressed for each situation encountered by the individual. At a more complex level of processing, flexibility describes access to an extended range of perceptual filters. The use of flexibility is in its application to any given context, such that the individual can use behaviour which serves them in that context, whether conventionally accepted or otherwise, with reference to their own ecology.
The context surrounding a given set of events and behaviour, imparting meaning to those interactions by its presence.
The process of placing new or desired behaviours, capabilities and or perceptual filters into the future for use in appropriate times and places. (See Simulation Programming).
The act of taking a specific incident or behaviour and generalising the content across contexts, as if it were a generic pattern. Eg "people always do that", or "if it works at all, it will work everywhere".
A change that creates the possibility of further change ensuing through time as a result of the initial change taking place. Eg. Feeding someone for a day provides three free meals only. Teaching them to fish enables them to provide their own food, earn their living, and teach others. That is a generative change.
An up-time resource state in which an individual's attention is directed outwards, into the environment. Often it includes long distance and peripheral vision, an absence of internal dialogue, and optimal physiological posture and movement. It often includes awareness of well formed outcomes, how to act as if, the ability to construct pictures and sounds, to use multiple perceptual positions, different logical levels, and conscious/unconscious interface.
The totality of an experience at all logical levels and in all senses.
A school of psychology.
Pertaining to taste.
Literally, the stillness of sameness. A state of stability.
The art of altering another person's state, usually applied to deliberate trance induction and utilisation.
The conventional concepts of self image, self esteem and self concept are examples of identity. In this work the construct of identity includes the way we see, hear and feel about ourselves. An identity representation of this type, aligned and matching in all senses is a significant pattern found in individuals who are able to bring their dreams to fruition.
In most animals imprinting is the triggering of an innate instinctive behaviour, such as attachment to parents or parent substitutes, during a critical or sensitive time period. With most animals imprinting is irreversible. In humans imprinting is reversible, and takes place in many formative situations in which beliefs and values are learned.
A partial or divided response which is indicative of uncertainty in the mind of the respondent. An incongruent response can be elicited in someone by offering them incongruent communication (mixed messages) or insufficient information with which to operate. Where internal conflict is already apparent, there is a shortage of information in the individual's own system. Incongruence can be simultaneous, as described, or sequential, in which case the subject appears to be congruent in favour of an action while in a given state and equally congruently against the same action when in a different state.
Gregory Bateson describes information as "news of difference" (Mind and Nature; A necessary unity, 1979). Our sensory apparatus and neurology responds to difference in the world as information.
Integration is the act of embodying learned material, and is mediated through the vestibular apparatus. This specialised sense enables us to live in the whole of ourselves, experience states of pleasure and is involved with spatial orientation and movement towards our outcomes in the external world.
The reason or purpose behind a specific piece of behaviour. The answer to the question, "What did you do that for?". Intention is not always apparent from behaviour, and is deemed to be positive, at least for the person doing the behaviour, according to their model of the world.
The act of separating out different parts of oneself which appear to want different and conflicting outcomes for the whole person. Having elicited each part's outcome, one can ascertain the function of each outcome, and chunk up through logical levels to a point where each part shares beliefs, values and a common outcome. It is then possible to align the parts to the common cause, and sometimes integrate them into each other.
The pictures, sounds and feelings that we make on the inside; our thoughts. Our internal representations, also known as mental maps, govern our behaviour in the world.
A state in which the individual perceives the passage of time as continuous in the present, where the future has limited importance, and the past is no longer relevant.
The formal study of body language.
Pertaining to feeling, touching, proprioception, sensation.
Using verbal and non-verbal communication to elicit a desired response from another person. Usually preceded by pacing, to establish rapport prior to leading.
The first sensory system to take in information from the outside. Can be outside conscious awareness. The lead system was once thought to be relatively constant in an individual, but according to Grinder (Boulder; Pattern Detection 1996) the lead system is subject to change. The lead system is the first element in any strategy.
The formal study of languages. In English linguistics is broken into the following major areas of study; phonology, the study of phonemes the basic components of sound in spoken language, morphology, the smallest meaningful components of words, syntax, the rules or grammar of language and semantics, the meaning of language. Syntax is an important component of Neuro-Linguistic Programming as the order and sequence of utterances has a profound effect on the meaning of what is said.
A system for organising representations (information) into classes and sub-classes. eg. Apples are a member of the class fruit which belongs to the class food. Food occupies a higher logical level than apple. An example of the same logical level as apple is pear, and a specific (lower logical level) example of apple is Sturmer. Logical levels are useful for categorising and remembering information. Given the concept of seven plus or minus two chunks of information, one has a choice in this example of holding in conscious attention seven kinds of apples, seven kinds of fruit, seven kinds of food etc, according to the chunk size adopted.
An example of cognitive modelling. Constructing a model of the broader context (situation, time and place) where the expert successfully expresses the target capability, as well as using content categories such as Dilts Neurological levels. These activities all fall outside the scope of NLP being of different logical types.
Building descriptions of specific thought processes used by a model within a specific context. A series of micro models ,making up a complex capability. Another example of cognitive modelling.
In NLP map is a general term synonymous with description or subjective representation of reality.
Reference to NLP presupposition, "The map is not the territory". If everything a person senses is at one remove from external reality, then their representations constitute a map.
Thinking about one's thought processes from an outside perspective (meta-position).
A meta model is a model of a model. In the world of NLP the Meta Model refers to a language tool developed by John Grinder and Richard Bandler to enable users to verify, clarify and specify imprecise verbal and written communication. The Meta Model provides questions to elicit information which previously was distorted, generalised and deleted.
The process of building Models for describing models. see Strategies.
A description of a set of circumstances designed to replicate the patterns of a real set of circumstances, used to offer solutions and suggestions or learning. Often used to allow learning to occur directly through the unconscious mind. Includes allegory and simile.
Content descriptions of some of the ways in which people can and do place their attention. The first meta programs were described by John Grinder as a humourous method of showing the distinction between patterns and content models for his students at UCSC. The distinction is made by chunking up from a content example to the pattern that informs it. Meta programs were taken up by Leslie Cameron-Bandler and her colleagues and used for profiling people. Cameron-Bandler now identifies meta programs as content. As a content model, meta program categorisation and use has no place in the context of NLP.
A set of tools, techniques, procedures and investigative methods, used to collect, store, analyse and present information. Scientific methodology involves the development of hypotheses and predictions, investigating the manipulation of particular variables while maintaining all other variables constant, using measurable, objective measures and statistical analyses in order to come to conclusions about the topic under investigation.
The Milton Model is a reflection of the Meta Model, in that it has the exact opposite function. It was developed by John Grinder, Richard Bandler, and Judith DeLozier after they modelled the psychiatrist and hypnotist Dr. Milton H. Erickson. Instead of filling in the gaps in language left by distortion generalisation and deletion, the Milton Model deliberately distorts, generalises and deletes information to offer direction for thought with non-specific content. This allows each listener to construct or remember their own experience within the framework offered by the speaker or writer. Examples where the Milton Model is used include Hypnotic induction and utilisation, political speeches and religious ceremonial language.
Doing something differently from another person with the result that rapport is broken. For example, breathing at a different rate, speaking more quickly or slowly than the other. Can be conscious or unconscious.
A general statement of a vision in word form. It is important to have a rich representation of the vision in all the senses. Then the mission statement can be written in language which allows all parties to it to derive meaning from it, yet be precise enough to guide them towards achieving it. It is a general statement of intent, normally restricted to five or six lines of type.
The effective description, replication and transfer of human capabilities from one person to another. It includes the detection of patterns of behaviour, the relationship of those patterns to a particular context, and some intended outcome. When modelling, we elicit and describe a series of templates of the thinking patterns used by an expert in the course of their expertise. We develop models within the framework of elegance, that is using the minimal number of distinctions necessary to provide an effective replication of the talent (Grinder, DeLozier & Bandler, 1977). By removing any inessential features the capability is streamlined. A form of learning where a person is exposed to the behaviours and qualities of a significant other, which leads to the representation, internalising and later expression of those behaviours and or qualities. Examples include children modelling parents, students modelling a mentor or teacher, and the apprenticeship system. When done deliberately, modelling is the elicitation and replication of particular skills and expertise from a chosen expert in that field. Often the most valuable components of their skills were previously outside their conscious awareness.
Linguistic term referring to words which denote requirement or options. Cited in meta-model as modal operators of necessity (should, must, have to) and modal operators of possibility (might, could).
The sum total of an individual's beliefs and values, perceptual filters, desires and expectations, experiences and learning's about the world. Each person has an unique combination of the above. As human beings, our behaviour is governed by how we perceive, believe, and think about ourselves and the world. It is our internal representation of reality, and the processes we use to organise our internal representations that shape our actions. These internal maps and the relationships within our minds are referred to as our model of the world.
We act on and through our maps of reality rather than on the world directly. Having and using multiple maps of the world offer distinct advantages over any single map. Different descriptions for different circumstances, as well as multiple descriptions for a particular context add richness in terms of possible choices in how to act and be in the world. A minimum of three examples of any given skill, concept or activity, thus allowing the learner to cross refer and understand in depth. The purpose of creating multiple descriptions is to enable the individual to access a wider range of information, including that which may have been outside their awareness. That having and using multiple maps of the world offer distinct advantages over any single map. Different descriptions for different circumstances, as well as multiple descriptions for a particular context add richness in terms of possible choices in how to act and be in the world.
In this model it is presupposed that individuals in Western society are exposed to many different experiences, and that it is norm for an individual to develop different capabilities and mental strategies, expressed as multiple intelligences. These are commonly listed as visual, spatial, linguistic, musical, physical, and numerical, and they cover a broader range of activity than that which is measured in IQ tests.
Neuro Linguistic Programming
NLP models patterns of human excellence. This includes the way people of excellence take in information from the world, how they describe it to themselves with their senses, filter it with their beliefs and values, and act on the result. In summary there is a person, their descriptions and the world; and NLP studies the relationships between them.
NLP Application is the application of NLP modelled patterns to topics and contexts where they can contribute. NLP Training is the art of enabling others to learn the patterns of NLP and to distinguish patterns from content. NLP Training using the New Code methodology is the art of enabling others to learn the patterns of NLP accurately and generatively through discovery and unconscious uptake, before they become conscious of what they are doing.
Neuro-logical Levels
A list of specific content categories, developed by Robert Dilts to assist people to sort their ideas. Refers to environment, behaviour, capability, belief, identity, mission. Called "neuro-logical" levels because in Dilts' opinion, the further up the list, the more neurology is involved in the experience. Does not belong in the field of NLP being of a different logical type.
Neuroscience
A branch of psychology, also called physiological psychology. Neuroscience is the study of the functioning of the nervous system which includes the structures and functioning of the brain and its relationship to behaviour.
New Code
A description of NLP which uses a systemic approach to demonstrate and teach the patterns by providing a series of contexts in which they manifest spontaneously. In the New Code of NLP the unconscious of the client is explicitly assigned the responsibility for the selection of the critical elements-the desired state, the resource, or new behaviour. The unconscious is explicitly involved in all steps. There are precise constraints placed upon the selection of new behaviour, more specifically, the new behaviour must satisfy the original positive intention(s) of the behaviour to be changed. The manipulation occurs at the level of state and intention as opposed to that of behaviour. (Grinder, Bostic 2000).
NLP Modelling
A five step process described by Grinder and Bostic in "Whispering in the Wind" (2000). This is the form of modelling which is taught in NLP.
Identify one or more appropriate models of excellence in the skill to be modelled.
Model implicitly by unconscious uptake for as long as it takes, with explicit intent to refuse to allow conscious analysis, understanding or coding.
Continue implicit modelling until as competent as the model and performing at that level of competence and in the same time frame as the model. Continue to use the skill unconsciously. For practical purposes this is the last step in the process.
If there is a need to make the skill explicit, only do it after a period of practice with the skill after modelling is complete. Allow the patterns to become conscious and choose an appropriate form of coding for the explication of the model.
Teach the patterns you have identified and coded to someone else. The evidence of your accuracy will be in their behaviour.
Nominalisation
A verb which has been turned into an abstract noun. Ie the name of something which cannot be put in a wheel barrow, or described as an 'Ongoing X'. Eg decision, revision, opposition.
Olfactory
Pertaining to the sense of smell.
Other than conscious Mind
Another way of describing the unconscious mind. That which is outside conscious awareness.
Outcomes
In Neuro-Linguistic Programming a representation of what we want in a specific context, involving all representational systems. To be well-formed, an outcome is also stated in positive terms, has defined resources that the individual can get access to, is within the individual's control, has demonstrable evidence and is ecological.
Overlap
A language pattern for leading a person from a representational system which they are already using, into another representational system, either simultaneously or sequentially
Pacing
The act of matching breathing, posture, movement, voice tones and tempo with someone over time, in order to develop rapport.
Paradigm
The aggregate of beliefs and values out of which a culture, corporation or other group operates.
Parts
An imaginary division of an individual into separate segments, each motivated by an outcome the individual wants, and capable of generating behaviour designed to obtain their outcomes.
Pattern
Any sequence of features that repeats over time.
Perceptual filters (perceptual biases)
The socially and psychologically constructed bias through which we filter our perceptions of the world. Some perceptual filters remain the same regardless of the state a person is in, while others shift according to the state of the perceiver. It is useful to be able to access an extended range of perceptual filters, and change filters, or build new filters at will. This shifting of perceptual filters enables the user to obtain a greater range and quality of information about the world. The process of perceptual filter flexibility is a major component of a dynamic, balanced and creative personality. According to John Grinder " It is the Perceptual Filters that you set just before you begin a class of activities, that are the difference that make the difference ".
Perceptual Position
Any point of view taken by an individual at a given time. The most commonly cited perceptual positions are First Position, that of the performer in their own body, Second Position, that of the other, and Third Position, that of the performer observing themself and the other from outside, usually equidistant from First and Second. Other observer positions are known as Meta Positions, and can be anywhere, close or distant with a sight line to that which is being observed.
Personal Ecology
Ensuring that choices made and activities undertaken fit with one's beliefs and values in the context of life, the future and other people. We conduct this work in NLP within the frame work of personal ecology and personal safety. By organising our selves or parts of self with respect for ecology, it is possible to create balance in the way we function to attain our outcomes and accommodate important values.
Personal evolution
The interaction of pattern, communication and relationship in our ongoing experience leading to new learning and new choices in one's behavioral flexibility.
A word with different meaning and sometimes different spelling which sounds the same. eg. Heal and heel.
Matters pertaining to the physical body and its use. The general posture and breathing of the individual is highly correlated with psychological state and cognitive processes. Note for yourself the difference in 'physiology' when contrasting a resourceful and unresourceful state eg. excitement and interest compared to depression.
The way we hold and move our physical selves in space has a direct affect on our psychological and emotional states as well as on our patterns of thinking. Learning additional movement patterns through the Feldenkrais method or the Alexander Technique enables greater flexibility of thinking and behaviour. Conscious access to the posture and movement patterns which accompany resourceful states allows the individual to recreate those states at will.
Is a well formed vision represented in all the senses, placed in an appropriate position in the individual's future. This type of vision acts to set a direction and motivate an individual at both a conscious and unconscious level. To have the vision work effectively as a Practical Dream, it is essential to resolve any objections, especially those at the level of belief or identity.
The favoured representational system an individual uses in a particular situation or context. Used to be thought permanent but is now known to be too fleeting to label for use.
In NLP the present state is a description of the current cognitive and emotional state of an individual or group of individuals with reference to an outcome that they have selected. A Neuro-Linguistic Programmer may assist an individual or group to take an inventory of their Present State.
Anything which is assumed, not stated, and can be inferred by referring to the source of the presupposition, be it an utterance, a sentence, a model, book, etc. For example, in the sentence, 'you have knocked it over again,' the presupposition is that you have knocked it over before. Cultural presuppositions are the unstated shared beliefs and understandings found in a culture. Personal presuppositions include beliefs and values which are important to an individual, although often outside conscious awareness. A quick way to elicit conscious awareness of anyone's presuppositions is to expose the person to a context in which their presuppositions are not shared by others.
Emotional responses to any experience.
A verbal communication pattern of giving suggestions / commands in the form of a quote from a character within a story. eg. ...and Jane turned to him and said 'you can make the most of this learning situation'.
Rapport
The engagement and holding of the unconscious, willing attention. When individual people or animals, or groups synchronize their behaviour, whether deliberately or unconsciously, they are said to be in rapport. Rapport can be established either by design, in which case one person matches another's behaviour, or it can arise spontaneously in response to a person's interest in the other. In this case the person matches the other unconsciously, through expressing their interest.
That which the individual believes to be so in the external world. A state in which a person's map is a close enough approximation to the external world for the individual's impact on the world to produce evidence of well formed outcomes.
The act of making external checks periodically to ensure ecology is in place during internal processing.
A pattern found within some scientific models of the world, where everything is 'chunked down' into smaller elements during analysis.
Putting a different frame or perspective on one's thoughts about a situation or example of behaviour. Eg The half full/half empty glass. If you want more, it is half empty; if you have had enough, it is half full.
The reorganisation and alteration of primary, significant core representations from which individuals derived limiting beliefs, and which act as templates for behaviour within present contexts.
A basic principle of cybernetics which states that in any system of man or machines, the part of the system with the greatest range of variability in behaviour is the controlling element.
A picture, sound or feeling generated from within to represent a concept, or a historical or future event.
The internal use of the senses for thinking; we can represent the world in mental images, internal sounds and feelings.
A piece of knowledge, an understanding about the world, a belief, a behaviour, a skill, a person or an object, which contributes to the achievement of an outcome.
A psychological state that presupposes adequate information, choices, flexibility in behaviour and self reference in directing oneself in the world.
A stylised sequence of activity designed to anchor and elicit a particular state or series of states in the participants, with reference to the leader's beliefs and values. Eg the use of coloured pens, mind mapping and slow music to elicit optimal learning states is a ritual expression of the pattern of learning in all three main representational systems.
Second Attention
Another name for the Unconscious mind.
Any behaviour, capability or belief which has become automatic in a person's experience and is performed without conscious attention.
Any change which takes place at a higher logical level than the problem state. This allows the change to affect the system, thereby rendering the erstwhile problem harmless, irrelevant or useful.
The experience of taking a description through one's senses of another's psychological state, perception and viewpoint. A second position description can be obtained by matching the other's breathing, posture, movements, voice patterns and language patterns. It is a way of obtaining information of another's 'model of the world', and is useful as a precursor to bridging agreements and building understanding during negotiation. Although a second position description is by definition the individual's own representation of another's state, if done with care, it provides very accurate information about the other's processes, and can give clues to the subject matter they are considering.
The ability to make refined distinctions in what one see hears and feels. During a face to face communication, practitioners of Neuro-Linguistic Programming attend to changes or shifts in the other's skin colour, muscle tone, eye movements, breathing and posture, and to voice tonal patterns, rhythm and language used by the other. On the telephone, auditory information alone is available, and can be sufficient. This information is used to calibrate the other's internal state and cognitive processes. It is considered in the world of NLP that sensory acuity is a capability that can always be improved.
A description in terms of what one can see, hear and feel, either in the external world during an experience, or in the describer's internal experience.
The indicators we have through observation, listening and touch, of a subjects ongoing experience. These cues indicate that mental processing is taking place; they do not identify the content being processed.
Mental rehearsal of a future course of action with reference to a specific and expected situation, using internal representational systems to programme in the desired behaviours, capabilities and perceptual filters so that you can achieve the desired outcome in that situation. Also known as 'future pacing'.
This refers to the overall emotional physiological and psychological condition of an individual. It involves the beliefs, values, capabilities and behaviour within a context at a particular time. The concept of state can also be applied to a family, corporation or any social system.
In the NLP model referred to as state control. The act of choosing deliberately to construct and inhabit a particular state in a given context, with the intention of achieving one's chosen outcome in that context.
Any sequence of representations that leads to an outcome. The sequence and organization of representations (visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, olfactory and gustatory) which together comprise a thinking pattern. An effective strategy includes a representation of an outcome, employs feedback from the environment, and takes the minimum number of steps in a choreographed sequence to achieve the particular outcome of the strategy. Example of strategies explored in NLP include decision making, motivation, convincer, reality, learning and creativity strategies.
The sensory components within each of the modalities of the senses. Eg the sensory modality of visualisation is made up of components such as brightness, colour, hue, size and whether the image is framed of unframed etc. The auditory sensory modality has components such as stereo or mono, loudness, tempo and timbre quality etc.
Thinking in terms of pattern recognition, recursive manifestation of patterns, relationship between parts of a system, relationship between systems, patterns at similar and different logical levels, and patterns between logical levels.
When a signal is received or represented in one sense and is re- represented immediately in another representational system. The experience of sight/feeling, hearing/feeling etc. The test for a synaesthesia is to remove the first representation. If the second representation disapears at the sames time as the first represenation is removed, it is a synaesthesia.
Any change in which the intervention is made two logical levels above that of the problem state. If first order is designed to be remedial, and second order generative, then third order is evolutionary.
This is an example of a meta position. Third specifically is the observer of the relationship dance between the same person in first position, and the other, with whom they are interacting. Third is sometimes described as the observer, or director position. It watches, it has opinions about something which is occurring.
A state in which the passage of time is perceived as being outside an individual, where they can see the past, present and future simultaneously. This is very good for planning, and activity which is enhanced by a dissociated state. This is the perception of the fixed duration appointment, and concepts of lateness, on time, lunch hours etc. Most western business uses a through time system.
The internal subjective organization of individual perceptions of the passage of time. A timeline is the representation, usually by location in chronological order, of events from the past and projections of the future as images, sounds and feelings.
Past, Present and Future: Individual preference for referencing one's perception of time. The past oriented person refers to history, enjoys nostalgia and relies on precedent to provide them with standards. Change has to be tried and tested before they will accept it. The present oriented person lives in the moment, likes instant gratification and does not make long term plans. The future oriented person plans, works and lives for the future, sometimes at the expense of ongoing experience. A combination of all three allows people to benefit from past experience, act in the present and plan for the future. They are also able to derive the most benefit from activities which relate to any one of the three orientations, eg a lawyer, who sails and invests in property.
Any state alteration from a pre-calibrated baseline state. Commonly used to refer to states induced by someone using hypnotic techniques, whether self or other.
Unconscious mind (other than conscious mind)
Those parts of one's mental processes currently outside conscious awareness. Given that the conscious mind can only hold 7 + or - 2 chunks of information simultaneously, and the unconscious mind holds the bulk of one's information, the unconscious mind is worth cultivating.
Words denoting totality of quantity, eg all, every, none.
Verbs which apply to generic activity.
In NLP a state where your attention is directed outward through your external senses with minimum attention to inner subjective experience. Often it includes long distance and peripheral vision, an absence of internal dialogue, and optimal physiological posture and movement. An 'up time' state is particularly useful for activities requiring constant input of high quality information, such as presenting to groups.
Values
Those tenets upon which an individual's life is founded, made up of beliefs and ideals arising from the person's culture and family of origin, combined with their understanding of their own life experience. Normally classified in a hierarchy of importance. Eg stealing may be unacceptable normally, but with no money, and hungry dependents, one might steal for food and remain true to one's values.
Originates from the Latin word vestibule, which means to contain or hold. The vestibular system is the sensory apparatus we use to orient our bodies in space, and to detect whole body movement. Its physical location is the semi-circular canals in the ear, and the whole nervous system. As a representation system, the vestibular system is involved in the integration of information in the other representational systems, synaesthesia patterns, and the ability to dissociate and associate. Use of the adjectives and verbs which predicate the vestibular system produces rapid induction of trance states in many subjects.
A representation of your desired future incorporating your most compelling submodalities. It can be literal or metaphorical. Can also refer to an internal visual representation that the seer believes is likely to happen either to themselves or to others.
Pertaining to sight or the act of seeing.
The recall or construction in the visual modality of a picture, movie or visible scene. Refers to internal pictorial representation.
Well-formedness Conditions
Those conditions which, when met provide for a strategy to be workable and ecological for its owner or those conditions which when met ensure that an outcome is well formed.
Well formed Outcome
An outcome that is stated in positive terms, has defined resources, is under the individuals control and respects positive by-products of the present state. see Present State.