For most of us, what we do as our work is how we earn money. That money allows us to meet our basic needs and provides the means to raise children, to learn and grow, and to have fun. Most of us spend a lot of time working. This makes what we do at work and how we do it very important. Therefore, finding some methodologies and techniques that makes us more effective is valuable. This is what Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) delivers to the world of business.
I have done half days, full days, and even complete NLP Practitioner trainings in business before, and I offer a business specific NLP Practitioner course too. So why is NLP so popular in business. The corporate world is highly competitive. Businesses are always looking for an edge, and one of the places to get that edge is with NLP. At the end of the day businesses are made of people, and NLP is about both understanding people and making them more effective. So, let’s break this down a little bit, in business NLP can –
- Improve sales performance.
- Influence marketing.
- Develop or train coaching skills.
- Improve management skills.
- Develop leadership potential.
- Reduce stress and as a result sickness.
- Teach storytelling, which is great in sales and leadership.
- Enhance negotiation skills.
- Improve Emotional Intelligence.
Why is NLP effective in so many areas of business? Have you ever come across a business that didn’t need better communication skills? If you learn how people create their experiences and learn about how to use language effectively, then you can communicate better. This alone will improve your effectiveness at work. But if you also discover more about or even release some of your negative emotions then that’s even better.
One of the mistakes most people make in their communication is believing that everyone else understands the world in the same way as they do. But the truth is that everyone sees the world slightly differently. This is because we all have our unique filters through which we experience the world. One of these is how we use our senses. Some people see the world, others hear it, whilst some feel it, and others think about it. Everyone has their own unique memories, beliefs, values, and preferences which filter what we experience too. All of this means that we don’t perceive the world the way it is, we perceive the world the way that we are. Moreover, we also use our language differently, even when we speak the same language. Gaining an appreciation of this for self and for others, facilitates better communication.
The sharp end of any business is selling, and selling is about influencing. To be effective as a salesperson you need to know how to build relationships with your customer. NLP teaches exactly how to do that by breaking down the art of building rapport. If you are in rapport with someone else, they will listen to what you say, and being in rapport makes agreement easier too.
On my most recent Just Two things podcast I discussed what constitutes effective leadership. One of the components of this is communication skills. As a leader you need to create a vision that your followers can buy into and communicate this to them in a way they understand. If you know how people create their own unique map of the world, then you are part way there. If you then layer on top of that a good appreciation of the structure of motivational language, then you’ve got a good chance that your vision will be both understood and accepted.
Becoming a master communicator is just the start though. If you add coaching skills to your management tool kit, then you will get the most out of your staff. And if you learn about how to manage your own emotions then your working life can become much less stressful too, and maybe even enjoyable! Which given that we spend so much time at work has to be a bonus.
“A lot of people quit looking for work as soon as they find a job.” Zig Ziglar
Recent Comments