This is a multi Part series of articles on How You Do What You Do. In NLP jargon, this is called “Strategy Elicitation”, and this is # 3 of 3 parts. If there is something you don’t understand, then go back and re-read part #1. Or you could look at the Glossary of NLP. If you’re still not sure, then call the office nearest you and talk to a coach. We are here to help and make NLP more useable.
Here we’ll talk about how to elicit a strategy and specifically we’ll attend to …
The Keys to Specific Details about the Strategy
Now, we can also elicit the SubModalities of each of the major parts of this strategy, and I am not going to do a complete elicitation of SubModalities, now. When you are doing it, you will want to get out our chart of possible SubModalities. For finding out what are SubModalities please see the NLP Glossary.
So, Bill, what was it about what you saw that caused you to be motivated?
“What do you mean?”
In what you saw, what was the important thing that made it motivating to you? Was the color important?
“No, not really.”
Was the size?
“Yes, well, if it had been smaller, I’m sure I wouldn’t have been as motivated.”
So size was important. Was how close you were to it important?
“I don’t think so. Just so I could see.”
Now when you made the picture inside that you made when you were motivated, was that picture a memory or did you make it up in your head?
“I made-up a picture of me doing something new.”
Was that picture near or far?
“It was really close-up.”
And could you see yourself in the picture or were you looking through your own eyes?
“I was looking through my own eyes.”
And what did you say to yourself?
“I said, ‘Wow’.”
Thank you, Bill.
“Thank you.”
Listen to the predicates, and watch the eye patterns and the other non-verbal cues. Pay attention to the finer distinctions. Since strategies can be elicited either informally or formally, if you do nothing else except just talk to the person, they will tell you exactly how they do whatever they do, and all you have to do is just watch them and listen to them.
In business many times, it’s a little easier to discover somebody’s strategy without doing it formally, so we’re going to also cover several ways of doing strategy elicitation without being particularly formal or overt about it in the next article.
We have used Strategies in selling for 29 years now, and it works. Clients are happier and more motivated and the results are better. Strategy elicitation, which is very important in selling, in management and in communicating your ideas, is taught regularly at the NLP Coaching Practitioner Training. Our NLP Practitioners learn and master using Strategies. If you have questions about any of these articles, call the office nearest to you and one of our coaches will be happy to help.