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Neuro-Linguistic Programming

Achieving excellence in communication

Do you want to improve your relationships and engage with others more elegantly; or be better able to use language to influence, motivate and generate creative ideas?

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) can help you to achieve this - and more. This article gives you a flavor of what NLP is about, and a few different examples of how you can use it.

What is Neuro-Linguistic Programming?

NLP is a set of advanced communication skills. These have been identified through the study of top performers - those who are excellent at what they do. By understanding and replicating (modeling) their thinking and behavior patterns, this approach argues that you can achieve the same positive results.

The tools, techniques and strategies derived from these studies help you to understand yourself and others; how you act and react in the world; how you and others communicate; and how you can easily gain rapport with others to realize positive outcomes.

To better understand NLP, remember the last time your boss called you into his office after you finished a difficult project. Or, recall how you felt when you stepped on a stage or delivered a presentation. Or think about how a child reacts to a parent's angry or frustrated tone of voice.

In such situations, reactions are often automatic and can occur without conscious thought. These instinctive reactions may be positive and useful, but they can also be negative and unhelpful. Through NLP, you become more aware of your...(Sign in to read more.)

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New Articles (Not included in the Mind Tools E-book.)
* Shows articles available in full only to Career Excellence Club members

Empathic Listening - Going beyond active listening*
Assertiveness - Working WITH people not against them*
Delivering Great Presentations - Communicating effectively*
Managing Presentation Nerves - Coping with the fear within
Facilitation - Guiding an event through to a successful conclusion
Giving and Receiving Feedback - Keeping team member performance high*
360 Degree Feedback - Encourage teamwork and improve performance*
AIDA: Attention-Interest-Desire-Action - Inspiring action with your writing
Questioning Techniques - Asking questions effectively
Keep It Simple - Avoiding confusion and complexity*
Creating a Value Proposition - Clearly communicating benefits*
Dealing with Unfair Criticism - Responding rationally to unwarranted criticism*
Charts and Graphs - Choosing the right format
Chunking - Grouping information so it's more easily understood*
The Rhetorical Triangle - Making your writing credible, appealing and logical*
Role Playing - Preparing for difficult conversations and situations
Powers of Persuasion - Understanding the dos and don'ts of persuading*
Communicating in a Crisis - Don't shut down communication*
Communicating Internationally*
Cross Culture Communication - Collaborative efforts a must!*
Communicating in Your Organization
Communications Planning - Getting the right message over, in the right way*
Concept Attainment - Reaching a shared understanding of important ideas*
Jargon Busting - Communicating without creating barriers*
Delivering Bad News*

A full list of Mind Tools articles is available here.

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