NLP stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming and can be described in a variety of ways. The formal definition of NLP is ‘the study of the structure of your subjective experience’ (source: Romilla Ready. Neuro-linguistic Programming For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons; 2nd Edition, 2010). It focuses on:
- one’s thinking process (the way we use senses to understand things happening around us – ‘neuro’)
- one’s language (the way we use language and how it influences ourselves and people around us – ‘linguistic’), and
- one’s behaviour (the way we organise ideas and actions which produce expected and unexpected results – ‘programming’).
NLP can help to encourage new thinking and choice making, and acknowledges the positive intentions underlying all actions. It can be utilised as a tool for changing paradigms (or ways of thinking), understanding others and building social cohesion.