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NLP: Seeing Things Differently/Being Careful What You Wish For

The therapeutic techniques of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) grew out of the study of highly effective people. Thirty years on, it offers us an opportunity for change. Daragh Moller talks to Linda Sands, NLP practitioner and corporate communications expert.

It is no mystery that good communication is fundamental to all effective relationships and success in any field requires it. But, in reality, how easy is it to be a good communicator? Is it something you are born with or something you can learn, like riding a bicycle or perfecting a golf swing?

For specialists in the field such as Linda Sands, good communication comes down to understanding not just the language of the brain but the language of our own brains.

"Human beings have an extraordinary resource of untapped potential they almost always leave untouched," Sands said. Triggered by a desire for change, this resource can be harnessed to create a powerful new reality and bring about great personal transformation.

"It really is possible to learn how effective achievers set and accomplish their goals as well as become skilled at communicating in ways that encourage co-operation with others."

For Sands personal transformation is no theoretical mumbo-jumbo. A personal consultant from Christchurch, New Zealand, Sands is in Beijing this month giving lectures and workshops concerning keys to the practical application of NLP or Neuro Linguistic Programming.

An early morning workshop in Beijing began with an illustration of just how the process works.

"Imagine you're holding a lemon," she said to an audience of students and teachers.  "Now, lift it to your nose and really smell it." Around the room, participants mimed the actions she encouraged. They appeared to be immediately engaged.

"It has a strong, recognisable smell, doesn't it?" she asked. "Now, let's cut the lemon in half. Take one half; lick it!"

"Amazing how real it is, isn't it?"

At this point, readers of this page will likely notice their mouths are salivating, an effect of the power of suggestion on a brain. Enter NLP.

What is NLP?

Neuro Linguistic Programming is a concept involving the means of accessing superior language fields in each individual's communications repertoire. The concepts were developed from the work of John Grinder and Richard Bandler in the United States in the 1970s. NLP first became popular in the early 1990s. A kind of cousin of psychology, NLP shows that by accessing the various ways we use these language fields in the brain, we can learn to reprogram behaviour through our use of everyday language. These include transformation techniques that can replace negative thinking and negative behaviour patterns with positive ones. What follows, specialists like Sands tell us, can bring about positive emotional and physical changes.

"You can then apply these new skills and techniques in your personal and social lives, or in a professional setting," she said.

"Although NLP is loosely associated with psychology, it's different from psychology. Traditional psychologists [like Freud] based their research and conclusions on their studies of people with acute problems." But the developers of NLP did the opposite.  "They sought out successful individuals who achieved exceptional results in their specialist fields and studied them. We have been left with a trail of techniques we can now use to make dynamic changes for ourselves and others," Sands says.

It works

Based on the premise that the language we use to represent our thinking-our words or our actions-tends to reflect what we actually believe to be true, NLP practitioners aim to uncover what we actually "see" in our situation and to help us make changes if what we see does not work for us.

"A good example is the person who really wishes to succeed at something but for some reason constantly fails at it," Sands said. "NLP shows us that they are most likely telling themselves a different story through the internal language they use, even if it's not what they think they want. Therefore, NLP shows that the use of language is absolutely self-fulfilling."

By identifying the actual language a person uses to say describe a situation that troubles them or a problem they are having with another person, and showing them how to alter it, NLP can improve a whole range of fundamental experiences, according to Sands.

 "It helps to improve communication, heal emotional pain, cure phobias, set achievable goals and create resourceful states in situations that used to be stressful. It changes a person from using unhelpful habits to behaving purposefully."

Having taught the techniques of NLP to people from all walks of life, Sands says no one is immune from the therapeutic effect of NLP.  "As long as you're a human being with a functioning brain, you can reprogram yourself to get the results you want."

Kerena Lam of the Human Resources Department at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing agreed.

"It is very helpful and beneficial in all areas of life. I wish everyone knew about these skills!"

And NLP is just as effective in a corporate setting as with individuals as Sands has shown in her work with a diverse range of companies in China. These include ChinaHawk, the highly successful Beijing-based medical supplies joint venture, where Sands conducted an advanced Customer Service Skills seminar for Chinese sales staff and Small Steps (China) Limited and Band Consulting, tourism marketing consultant companies that benefited from tuning in to NLP.

Micheal Wix, director of the Band Consulting Company, said: "These are powerful, practical tools that can help you help yourself and others get what you and they really want in relationships."

Dalida Turkovic, general manager of Small Steps is equally effusive: "It has been a truly transforming experience. When I manage to implement knowledge from the Transforming Communication workshop, it becomes a very rewarding experience."

Other successful trainees include Gao Yanli, a Beijing university lecturer.

"The TC course is one of the most helpful and fascinating courses I've ever taken. It has helped me to have a better understanding of myself and the people around me. I feel more confident in whatever I do since the course." 

Sands said, "It is about feeling good about yourself while making the changes you want."

Linda Sands is offering the following training courses in Beijing:

Futurepace - [one day] assisting you to create your future the way you want it to be.

Transforming Communication - [4 days] covering all aspects of communication including win-win conflict resolution.

A Pocketful of Gems -A [one day] practical relationship enhancing skills workshop for use in day-to-day life.

Specialised Training's - trainings designed specifically to meet the needs of individual organizations, companies and groups.

For further information call: +86 13581726040; or e-mail: lindasands25@hotmail.com