WHY NLP is essential for you to be an effective “Coach”

What is NLP?

NLP as defined by Dr. Richard Bandler the co-creator of NLP is “a model of interpersonal communication chiefly concerned with the relationship between successful patterns of behavior and the subjective experiences (esp. patterns of thought) underlying them” Simply put Neuro Linguistic Programming or NLP is an understanding of behavioral approaches and how to work with techniques and tools to change behaviors, perceptions and patterns. It is a broader study of human behavior and how individuals learn and respond.

What is Coaching?

Coaching is essentially guiding strategies and methodologies to help an individual understand the situation and then take appropriate actions and decisions.

Who is a life coach? As per Merriam-Webster – “A Life coach is an advisor who helps people make decisions, set and reach goals, or deal with problems”

A life coach is there to guide and inspire his or her client to bring about a clearer understanding of their aspirations, goals and life purpose and to effect the necessary changes in their current and future behavior to ensure the realization of those goals and aspirations.

Seems simple enough – but the question is – how?

The premise and the structure that is needed to be able to deal with issues which are :

Professional and personal
Situation based or belief based
Goal oriented or emotion oriented
is something that NLP through experiential learning helps a coach develop.

How are NLP and Coaching similar?

An individual looks for coaching as an option primarily because they are looking to change and adapt so that they may handle situations they are faced with differently. This willingness to change provides a canvas for the coach to explore and identify the change areas and facilitate the client towards it.

NLP as a science is also deep rooted in the understanding of positive human behavioral techniques and how individuals respond to their stimuli. NLP’s extensively researched and tried and tested tools provide a coach with the know how to guide their clients through the change process and overcome the obstacles which stand in the way.

The similarity and core principles of both Coaching and NLP are rooted in behavioral change and hence they complement each other perfectly.

NLP also identifies the replicability effect – if a behavior can be learned by one individual then the same behavior can also be learned by another. It provides a structured approach to the learning and the change that follows.

Synergies that NLP brings to a coaching session

Enhanced Learning

“Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them” – Tim Gallwey

To be able to facilitate a client to learn better, a coach must know how effective learning happens and what can be the hindrances to it. NLP sheds light on all these aspects and more.

Broader understanding of Behavior

As a life coach if you do not have an in depth understanding of behavior, communication and language models which NLP provides, you may find that the standardized methodology of coaching does not work effectively with all clients.

If you were to look at it in simpler terms, while life coaching is the dish served to a client, NLP is the recipe and the understanding of the fundamentals of the ingredients which make up that dish. This is why the same dish prepared by different individuals may be starkly different in taste.

Variety of tool and techniques

As a life coach once you understand NLP – you get a tool box of techniques which you can use as you guide your client through various scenarios and situations they are faced with. NLP also gives you a very good handle on which technique and what kind of messaging will work in specific situations. By understanding behavior and language patterns your communication and the client’s response become effortless and seamless, leading to a high impact coaching relationship.

Aspects of the subconscious or unconscious mind

As a life or a business coach – the focus is to help your client be able to take logical and well-rounded decisions. But sometimes irrational fears or a past trauma may be holding them back and a result may lead to a breakdown in communication. This is where NLP techniques empower you as a coach to also be able to deal with this aspect of the human mind. NLP focuses on resolving issues which are not even known to the conscious mind of the individual; hence they cannot present them as issues at all. Using NLP techniques to identify this kind of an issue and working through it can make coaching sessions effective and relevant.

Overcoming roadblocks and obstacles

Using the subconscious mind to bring about behavioral change and also an understanding of self is another value addition which NLP brings to a coaching session. By using subconscious techniques facilitating a client becomes much easier and can help overcome any limiting beliefs the client has and lead to them realizing their full potential.

Development happens beyond the set goal

While coaching maybe situational and focus on the goals and objectives at hand, NLP techniques when added into the mix actually give the clients a deeper understanding of themselves and empowers them to use these techniques beyond just the present situation and address many personal concerns also.

NLP is a body of knowledge and research and provides the fundamental learning to a coach to be able to execute their coaching strategies. The quality of coaching sessions which you will experience once NLP is included will be extremely satisfying and rewarding.

Kusum Gandhi Vig – Founder Director, Mind Matrix Website

Counseling Psychologist, NLP Master Coach & DMIT Consultant

To Contact for Personal Coaching Session : call @ 9823770352, write to her at mindmatrix.pune@gmail.com