NLP or Neuro Linguistic Programming has both supporters and detractors. Some of the problems associated with NLP revolve around the claims made on its behalf, lack of a clear definition and some people being wary about what appears to be “New Age” snake oil.
NLP does suffer from the lack of a single unifying theory that has been scientifically tested. Instead it is a collection of techniques which have a pragmatic approach to producing results. NLP is used for therapy, to improve communication, to improve performance and to influence people. Its success, as with most techniques, depends on the skill of the practitioner and the selection of the most effective NLP technique for a specific problem.
NLP in business is potentially a very powerful tool. My personal opinion is that NLP should be a compulsory subject in all business education because of the improvement to an individual’s performance. I might even be persuaded to recommend it as a subject for everyone to study from a very early age.
So, what proven, practical use is NLP? Here I will only discuss those things of which I have personal experience and leave some of the wilder claims to others. In a business context NLP has the following benefits:-
• It will help you focus on what needs to be achieved
• It will help you to understand what someone else is really saying to you by understanding their language patterns, tone and body language
• It will help you communicate with other people in a manner that is acceptable to them
• It will help you to understand why you sometimes receive an unexpected response to your communication and why you get a variety of responses
• It will help you to re-energise and re-motivate yourself and others when things are going wrong or going on for too long
• It will help you to allow others to make their best contribution to a joint activity
• It will help you to avoid conflict or to turn conflict into cooperation
This list is by no means complete. Please note I have repeatedly stated it will help you, I have not said it will do it for you. NLP is not a miracle cure despite some claims but it can help to both resolve problems and to avoid problems occurring.
