What is NLP?

Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) was created in the 1970s by two US Academics - Richard Bandler & John Grinder as a method of personal change and communication. They modelled top class performers and constructed a set of formalised techniques to investigate how the brain categorises experience through the senses and how a person relates to these categories in order to establish meaning. These categories represent the nature & structure of thought & memory, which can be identified through verbal and non-verbal communication.

Recent work by neuroscientists using Cognitive Neuroimaging, Functional MRI and EEG data has served to underpin much of their pragmatic understanding of the unconscious functions of the mind. NLP is now used throughout the world in personal development and in commercial life. Many of the largest companies in the world use it to assist their everyday sales operations, communication & business influence.

With many years of commercial success behind us, Holis Associates has now created its BCI Programme™ and raised the commercial effectiveness of NLP to a much higher level of effectiveness than before.

What does that mean in practice?

The formal definition is ‘a set of practices that make people more aware of the connections between their thinking, sensory perception, physiology, language and daily actions. It is a way of exploring and improving the complex integration of attention, intention, conscious awareness and unconscious processes that make up the communication and influence process’.

OK, so that’s the technical definition, but what does that mean to you and me and how can I use it in business? Well….. all of us are already unconsciously competent (and often at a low level of skill) in understanding these human connections and how to use them…..and when communication goes wrong, we get used to just cussing a little and move on with our lives. In business this is not so easy, there are other people involved, money, deadlines, management.   The BCI Programme™ provides a series of frameworks and tools that expand your conscious ability in the communication areas in which they are involved so that these problems become manageable. Through a series of practical exercises that can be used in normal life, our workshops provide the tools to remove the ‘element of chance’ from everyday work and personal communication.  Most importantly of all, the linguistic patterns we teach are not just extremely effective to use, but so simple anyone can use them.

Throughout our lives, we unconsciously distort, delete and generalise all of the many sensory inputs that we receive through our eyes, ears and body. There’s nothing wrong with this; in fact it’s the only way our brain can survive the deluge of information with which we’re bombarded. The ‘model of the world’ that we each create to carry out this filtration is determined by the experiences, beliefs, values and education in each of our lives. However, these filters do not always give us the correct information and are almost always not the same information as the person with whom we are communicating.

When we’re confronted by a confused prospect, an upset project manager, an angry supplier or a difficult boss, we do not always act in a way that creates the best outcome. When we’re trying to convey information to others, we are often working at a completely different level to them. When we’re selling a product or service, we may feel we’re explaining the benefits but how often is the person on the other end hearing the same message? And if they are, is it the right message to achieve the outcome that you wish?

The best influence & communication tool we could have is an understanding of why this happens, and the techniques to make it work properly for both parties - and that’s what NLP provides us with.  The modules in the BCI Programme™ combine NLP’s structures & disciplines with commercial best practice and years of experience.  The resultant workshops can progressively and permanently change the way you do business - for the better and for ever.

It’s not enough to read about it or even take one of our courses in it.
It needs to be practiced….

• Practiced well, it builds results through understanding, focus and integrity - Financial Success
• You don’t have to sell your soul to do what you want to or get what you want - Personal Happiness
• It builds connections between human beings for the purpose of moving forward together - Satisfaction
• It is best practiced precisely when you need it most - unconsciously, ‘on the fly’ and in the thick of the moment
• Practiced ethically, it makes you feel great by making the people around you feel great, too - Everyone Wins
• It bridges the common ground between work and play - there is no rigid line between how people think.