Modeling with NLP

by Robert B. Dilts

Thomas Jefferson once said, “If two individuals get together and exchange a dollar, they each walk away with one dollar. If the same individuals get together and exchange an idea, they both walk away with two ideas.” In many ways, this statement expresses the vastly generative potential or “economics” of modeling.

Modeling is the process of taking a complex event or phenomenon and breaking it into small enough chunks so that it can be recapitulated or applied in some way. Behavioral modeling involves observing and mapping the successful processes which underlie an exceptional performance of some type. The purpose of behavior modeling is to create a pragmatic map or ‘model’ of a particular behavior which can be used to reproduce or simulate some aspect of that performance by anyone who is motivated to do so.

The ability to model effectively opens the door to many possibilities that have previously been unavailable to humankind. In addition to providing a methodology which can be used to make ideas more explicit and easier to communicate, modeling can transform the way we view and perceive one another. If we see someone who does something better than ourselves, for example, instead of looking at that person and feeling inadequate, jealous, or suspicious, we can go out and model how they do what they do. Then, we too can have the capability that the other person possesses.

The field of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) has developed out of the modeling of the behaviors and thinking processes of exceptional people from many fields. NLP modeling procedures involve finding out about the mental strategies (“Neuro”) a person is using by analyzing that person’s language patterns (“Linguistic”) and non-verbal responses. The results of this analysis are then put into step-by-step strategies or procedures (“Programming”) that may be used to transfer the skill to other people, and apply it to other contexts. The purpose of NLP modeling is to put what ha with which to identify and describe specific, reproducible patterns in the language and behavior of effective role models. The purpose of NLP modeling is to put what has been observed and described into action in a way that is productive and enriching. In fact, the worldwide success of NLP as a technology for creating and managing change comes from its foundation in the modeling process.

This book is about the NLP modeling process and its applications. The first part of this book is devoted to defining the principles and tools necessary for effective modeling (the “epistemology,” methodology and technology of NLP). The second part of the book illustrates the application of NLP modeling procedures to the study of effective leadership. It provides examples of how NLP was applied to identify specific cognitive, linguistic and behavioral skills used by leaders to address challenging situations involving problem solving, delegation and training on the job. The results define the key communication and relational skills employed by effective leaders to achieve practical results in their working reality, in order to “create a world to which people want to belong.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction

333 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 1998

About the author

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_D...

Robert Dilts has been a developer, author, trainer and consultant in the field of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) since its creation in 1975 by John Grinder and Richard Bandler.

Dilts has made many personal contributions to the field of NLP including the authorship of the Encyclopedia of Systemic NLP. He is best known for his work on beliefs and strategies.

He founded behavioral engineering – a software company with William Hanley as Director in 1981. There he developed numerous education software programs. Math and Spelling Strategy were licensed by Apple Computer as part of its Special Delivery Software.

Reviews

[Otter57 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first five chapters of the book deal well with the process of NLP modeling. In fact, they form the clearest description of modeling that I have seen anywhere. Robert Dilts tends to write in a very cognitive style and the analytical description of modeling does not quite match John Grinder's focus on unconscious processes in modeling. In addition, the use of Dilts' Logical Levels (Environment, Behaviours, Capabilities, Beliefs and Values, Identity) is not necessarily in agreement with Grinder's view of modeling. Grinder has specifically questioned how these levels constitute NLP. With this caveat, these five chapters are an extremely useful guide for anyone interested in carrying out NLP modeling, especially because there is such a dearth of published material for this important area, and the writings of John Grinder tend to be very metaphorical which can sometimes get in the way of learning the process.

[Robert Gistvik · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book covers a really interesting topic and describes how to go about creating models in depth. There are however som downsides. I think it would have been hard for me to follow the content if I already wasn’t very familiar with NLP before reading this. That might be due to the dull presentation of graphs and models. Looks like they haven’t changed since the original modeling was done in the early 90s.
Despite that - this will probably be a go-to book when taking on larger and more complex modeling tasks.

[Yusup Maulana]

good