Before you read the text, try this activity to test how much you know about Neuro-linguistic processing.

Now read the text and then try the activities that follow it.

1

Neuro-Linguistic Programming is a cognitive and behavioural science that emerged in the mid-1970s. It aims to enhance your personal or professional life by making profound changes to who you are and how you behave. Words often associated with NLP include growth and transformation. A person who has studied NLPshould be in tune with their emotions and in control of how they feel, as NLP is about making better use of your brain and knowing how to manipulate it.

2

Companies are more and more asking their employees to attend courses on NLP as there is growing evidence of the enormous potential to develop skills through NLP. It’s now used for:

•improving sales, performance, management skills

•increasing awareness of how you learn best

•having a better understanding of ourselves and how we think

•developing communication skills

•building self-confidence

3

There are now hundreds of specially qualified trainers who can teach you how to use NLP. They don’t all use exactly the same methods as it’s a fairly subjective field but there are often recurring threads running through the method. Trainers often encourage:

•the use of hypnosis.

•observing models of behaviour and copying the attitudes behind them.

•looking not at what people do but how they perceive themselves doing it. Then trying to reproduce the same attitudes.

•watching people’s eye movement patterns as this can often indicate how a person is thinking although it doesn’t tell us what they are thinking about.

•using every life experience to eliminate or introduce certain behaviours

4

Subconsciously when we think of a person or object we conjure up images that dictate how we feel about them. Making these images smaller and less threatening to eradicate fears of insects or your boss.

5

If getting to sleep is a problem for you are probably filling your head with bright, large and noisy images. Instead, visualise a calm, silent place instead and see how quickly you fall asleep.

6

When you see someone doing something well,  there’s no reason why you too can’t do the same thing. Duplicate their behaviour to become more confident. Remember, though, to concentrate not on what they do but how they represent the task in their minds.

7

Observe people’s body language to be able to decipher what they are really trying to say.

Match these headings to the numbered paragraphs in the text.

Decide whether the following statements about NLP are true or false.