An upgrade for your mind
by Andrew Bryant
Executive Coach and Leadership Trainer
Software has gotten so smart these days; sometimes when I am formatting something in MS Word the software thinks it knows what I want and makes the changes. Occasionally this feature can be a real pain, usually when the software makes the wrong choice and if this has happened to you, then you will know how frustrating it is to have to go searching through the options settings to turn off the feature.
Some years ago I discovered that the way we use our mind is very much like the way we use software - if we don't know what options are available we keep on using it the same old way.
I have been working with human performance since 1982 first as a sports physiotherapist and then in the fields of business, training and coaching. It had always facinated me why some people succeed and others don't and then in the early 90's I read a book called 'Using Your Brain for a Change.' The author of the book had been a computer student who had the chance to model three masters of human communication and together with his linguistic professor created a model that explains how language is the 'software of the mind'.
This new model of how we think and communicate is called Neuro Linguistic Programming or NLP for short. NLP was a revolutionary discovery because it demonstrated that by changing how you think you could change your habitual behaviours and therefore your results. In short you could upgrade your software or change the defaults.
After reading 'Using Your Brain for a Change' (which is out of print now) I studied this new science of the mind and became a certified trainer of the technology. To speak plainly and without exaggeration I have found NLP to be tremendously helpful for myself, my students and my clients in identifying the thinking patterns that create problems and designing new thinking and behaviours that create positive change. Perhaps this is why major corporations, teachers, therapists and interested individuals are learning and using NLP.
Neuro (mind and body) Linguistic (language) Programming (the ability to execute an action) has many applications. Here are just a few:
NLP for Communication - Without effective communication business, families, and relationships cannot function. Communication is dependant on the mental maps and filters of the two or more people communicating. NLP teaches how to recognise the filters and mental maps to create crystal clear communication.
NLP for Persuasion - Our success is often dependant on our ability to persuade others, either to buy our ideas or our products. NLP makes influencing with integrity a science that anyone can learn.
NLP for Health - It is now an established medical fact that our thoughts influence our physiology. NLP has many health applications from overcoming fears and phobias to learning to positively influence your immune system.
NLP for Success - The basis of NLP is the ability to model the mental and behavioural strategies that have created results for others. If you know what you want to achieve, NLP can assist you to realise that dream by modelling the thinking and actions required to facilitate success.
In 1996 there was a new development in NLP, which opened up even more possibilities for coaching the mind and body. The new development is called Neuro-Semantics (NS). NS makes NLP even more effective by allowing us to understand and choose our higher frames of mind (beliefs about beliefs, values, attitude etc.).
Most of my time is spent training and coaching leadership skills for multi-national companies but each year I enjoy presenting a few NS and NLP trainings so that more people can enjoy learning the new technology of achievement.
So if you are in business, a trainer, a coach, a therapist, a student, a parent or anybody who want to upgrade the software of their mind, then check out the schedule below. We even have a special program for teenagers.