Thread: NLP Training 2 - NLP coaching Part A

Transcript - Draft

Liam : So Michael, what is the significence of NLP to things like coaching and mentoring?

Michael : I think that NLP is one of the best disciplines for both coaching and mentoring - for lots of reasons - because we're dealing with real people and real emotions, real issues - we have a heap of techniques and skills that are really excellent for coaching and mentoring.

Liam : OK. So you've come up with a training framework, could you just take us through it?

Michael : I think that framework is incredibly useful, especially when you're learning, and to fall back on. The purpose of the framework is really to give you all of the things that you could do during a session. And normally I'll use it because I plan to take everybody through it, but in reality if the answer comes up then I won't worry about the rest of the stuff. But I start off with the framework because it gives me a map of where I want to go.

Liam : And here what do you mean by the term "A Frame"?

Michael : A Frame is almost setting up the meeting. If I'm coaching you at the start I'll establish a frame, which is the rules that we will be working to as part of the coaching session. And curiously enough having set the frame can make the difference between having it working really well and it not working at all.

Like for example if I were coaching you I would say up front that as part of what I do as coaching I may ask you to do some things that appear very unusual. They'll be safe, but they'll be very unusual. And I'd want your agreement up front that you're happy with that - and I wouldnt neceassarily explain what they were. The reason we'd do it is that I've done it a thousand times and I've got really good results from it. But I wouldn't want you to question it, because it's important that you do the stuff, and not think about it too much.

So that would be a frame that we'd agree upfront. And if you take it strongly enought that if you were to disagree with the frame, then I probably wouldn't agree to coach you.

Liam : And what do you mean by the terms 'State and Belief'?

Michael : State and Beliefs are, again, things that are almost in the background that influence everything. State is whether I'm happy, or I'm sad, if I'm positive - because my state will influence you - and if I'm coaching you working with you, it's very important that I take you in a positive direction rather than by mistakes taking you somewhere els.

Similarly my beliefs about you are important. I don't know if you remember being at school and having and being in a situation where you had one teacher that thought you were really good and one teacher that thought you were crap. Because I'm pretty sure the teacher that thought that you were really good had a much more positive impact on you than the other one. So my beliefs about you are very important because they - a bit like osmosis - they do seep through. They do influence what you will take through the session.

Liam : Could you tell us what the term rapport is about?

Michael : In simpe terms, rapport is about opening a pure communications channel. It's that I can influence you and that you can influence me. And in a lot of times it's useful, but in a lot of times it's not useful. But in a proper coaching session, there are definately times that is useful to be in rapport with people.

Liam : When do you set outcomes?

Michael : Outcomes is really when you set what you want or what you think that you want. In these days outcomes are very much about setting a direction. The object is to make your outcomes as big bold, dynamic, exciting, so that they are exciting enough to make you want to get up in the morning. So the purpose of the outomce isn't so much that you'll get to the goal in the end, althoguh you may do so - but that it is exciting enough that you may take action. Because if you're excited and motivated to take action, you will get lots of value out of it.

Liam : What is a strategy in NLP?

Continued on: NLP Training 2 - NLP coaching Part B