NLP Courses: Why You Should Study Neuro-Linguistic Programming

Do you want to develop better social skills? Are you terrified of public speaking? Do you want to up your sales numbers? Perhaps you are finding it hard to get motivated on that project. If you study Neuro-Linguistic Programming, there are few areas of your life that won’t benefit in some way. NLP courses take a holistic approach to developing a personalised toolkit of communication techniques. This can help you can deal with problems, connect with people more efficiently or even assist you reaching the next stage of your career.

Where does NLP come from?

Drawing upon a range of techniques in therapy and psychology, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a dynamic approach to professional and personal development. NLP has been around in some form since the 1970s and originated in Santa Cruz, California. This discipline was founded by Richard Bandler, a psychology student at the University of California at the time, and Dr. John Grinder, an associate professor of linguistics.

Together, the pair began to examine the principles that governed the language structure of gestalt therapy. Bandler and Grinder were also inspired by the work of hypnotist Milton Erickson. His thoughts on building rapport and meeting a person in their ‘model’ remain a main staple of NLP’s teachings today.
After publishing a number of books on related topics, they developed a seminar in the late ’70s.

Over the years, Bandler and Grinder have developed and expanded on their original concepts, with the help of many contributors.  Across the globe more and more people continue to learn and ulaltise NLP’s techniques.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming: the Basics

The teaching of Neuro-Linguistic Programming is rooted in understanding the processes by which we dissect information. The clue is all in the title; the ‘Neuro’ refers to the neurological system. In NLP the senses play a major role. It’s through sensory information that information is filtered into our thought processes. The ‘Linguistic’ refers to how we internally and externally use words when we communicate, while the ‘Programming’ refers to the processes themselves, especially when it comes to learning.

Modeling is a core focus of most NLP courses. This refers to understanding a person’s belief system, including their physiology, then using their mental strategies the help emulate positive behaviours. Alternatively, if you understand the modeling behind an unhelpful behaviour, you can help change it.

One commonly used model is T.O.T.E. This stands for ‘test’, ‘operate’, ‘test’, and ‘exit’. In NLP, this explains how people process information and create complex behaviours. If, say, a person had a goal, or wanted something specific to happen, this model would see them run strategies until they achieve that goal. They would check (Test) to see whether a strategy works. If this strategy works, great! They move on to the next strategy (Exit). If the strategy doesn’t work, they refine that behaviour (Operate). This loop continues around and around until each goal has been realised.

Why Study NLP?

NLP isn’t a science and is certainly not something that can replace the role of therapy or medicine. However, there’s intrinsic value in the level of understanding and empathy this discipline can provide to the people who study it. A main function of NLP is assisting learners in becoming more aware of other people’s internal experience as well as correct their own negative behavioural patterns. This, in turn, can not only make someone better and more dynamic at their job, but also a better family member, spouse, friend or customer. The one relationship that can also vastly improve is a person’s relationship with themselves. Utilising modeling strategies, an NLP practitioner can tackle negative internal dialogue and become more productive. Search NLP Courses online now.

NLP Courses: Which Should I Choose?

Presently, there are many different types of courses across a host of levels. Students can undergo coaching, NLP Practitioner Training, Master Practitioner NLP Courses or even an ongoing mentorship scheme. There are online courses available for as little as 20 euro as well as short weekend courses; seminars; evening courses, leading all the way up to a 5000 euro programme studying under Bandler himself. One thing to bear in mind is that there are a lot of techniques you will need to practice on another person. So if you do want to study one of the self-led NLP courses, make sure you grab yourself a volunteer in the form of a friend or family member.