Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) is an epistemology – a model of how we know what we know. Co-founded by a Professor of Linguistics and a computer scientist in the late 70’s, NLP found its roots in psychotherapy.
More recently, corporates have begun to realise the power of conducting NLP certification courses in the workplace. Comprising a series of models, an NLP course would typically be most impactful for the higher echelons of a corporate.
This is understandably so, as senior leadership teams understand models and the big picture of how things connect with each other. Hence NLP Practitioner programs would largely be offered within a corporate to senior leadership, Human Resource and those responsible for teams.
Imagine if you could understand the leverage points to change behaviour and know how to influence others for better results? Wouldn’t that take the pain out of the day?
Well, the entire toolbox of NLP consists of hundreds of processes, geared towards specific problems. So whether it is resolving team conflict, deepening rapport with clients, managing a state of mind to win a deal or understanding how values drive motivation, an NLP course is worth every cent you spend.
Seen as an investment rather than an expense, an NLP course gears the mindset of employees towards the corporate mission which in turn drives engagement and eventually bottom line results.
The first level of NLP certification is the NLP Practitioner program. It is here that mindsets shift to gain perspective of working with context rather than content.
As an example if you knew the Language of Influence and used it’s patterns and structure to negotiate, engage your client and have good conversations with your teams, this would take the stress out of life. So working with context (language structure & patterns) rather than content (the actual conversation) yields faster and better results.
Some hints of what I observed about the successful companies I worked with over the years;
- Smart corporates skill their people in downtime and ready to hit the ground running in good times
- They do a modular-style NLP course which is phased over months to allow for immersion of the technology and gives employees time to integrate learnings in small chunks
- Corporate wide initiatives like NLP courses are launched throughout the whole company to create a common language that opens communication and transparency
Designing a dream team would be easy to do if senior leadership were certified in NLP. It is here that leaders would understand the true meaning of working together as a team and what it is to be a leader.
The first step of certifying each member as a Neuro Linguistic Programming Practitioner only serves to make the corporate a better culture one that would attract talent easily. Especially with the younger generation who look for inspirational leaders today, this would be a drawcard to hire only the best.
A CEO I worked with, hired me to “make his people happy”. He felt if they were happy, they would be happy at work and home. The rest would fall in place naturally and the corporate he ran would benefit. He was 100% spot on. Within 6 months of conducting Neuro Linguistic Programming courses, bottom line results started to spike and once the momentum began, there was no turning back.
This corporate’s Return on Investment was high as they went from strength to strength. A big decision that led to even bigger success. They were the envy of the industry for having made the right decision.
About Sylvia Fernandes
Sylvia is Founder, CEO & Master Trainer at VIA Frontiers Pte Ltd. She trained with many of the best in NLP including the co-founders John Grinder & Richard Bandler. Certified by 4 NLP organizations as a Trainer Sylvia reviewed many NLP organizations to see how they deliver the body of knowledge. She created her own description and today her focus is mainly on consulting and training to individuals and in the corporate world. With applications like mindset change, aligning cultures, building leadership teams and establishing corporate coaching infrastructures, Sylvia has a unique offering merging her past corporate experience of more than 20 years with NLP today.
