Swift Changes PGPE - Emotional Intelligence and NLP

Emotional Intelligence and NLP

How often have you, in formal or informal settings, met people who have wonderful minds, but who are let down by their emotional states or who sabotage themselves? In the same way that the best sound system is only as good as its speakers, if Intelligence is the ability to handle and manipulate information, Emotional Intelligence is the ability to best put this into application across a range of contexts. It involves an ability to communicate effectively, not only with other people, but also with ourselves, so that, at the very least not only do we not let ourselves down but we are also able to develop and sustain mutually satisfying and enriching relationships with other people on a variety of levels (professional and/or personal), and in which we do ourselves proud.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming, (NLP) is the practical discipline which applies the ongoing interaction, or ‘Programming’, between our Nervous system, our ‘hardware’, and our Language, our ‘software’, to exercise our Emotional Intelligence in order to achieve and reproduce excellence in all contexts. It is a “synthetic” discipline, “a discipline of disciplines”, which brings together the components of other disciplines which have shown to make a difference. As such, it is the ideal tool to enrich and enhance our emotional intelligence so that not only can we resourcefully cope with change in an accelerating world but we also trust ourselves to “surf” this wave of change so that it takes us where we want to go.

Since its origins at Santa Cruz University, in the early 1970s, NLP has found many applications, not just in the field of therapy, where it arose, but increasingly also in the world of business, management, coaching, consultancy, education, law, sports, etc. Enabling you to educate and optimise your communicating skills, it gives you the means to achieve your goals and outcomes with confidence, whatever your course in life.

At its highest level NLP is a philosophy, a frame of mind, an attitude, supported by a rigorous methodology and a series of techniques which outsiders to the field may be most familiar with. Its conclusions are increasingly validated by the fields of Neuroscience, Psycho-Neuro-Immunology, Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Consciousness Studies.

NLP has 4 fundamental pillars, which all practitioners seek to recognise and apply:

RAPPORT, or how to communicate effectively;
ACUITY OF PERCEPTION, or how to make the most of the information we receive, both from others and from ourselves;
ORIENTATION TOWARDS OUTCOME, or correctly identifying what we want and acting upon this knowledge;
FLEXIBILITY OF BEHAVIOUR, or being able to easily adapt to changing circumstances.

Derived, among other fields, from SYSTEMS THEORY, NLP acknowledges that we operate systemically: we have systems within ourselves and we form systems with other people. For such operating to occur effectively, we need to be mindful of the structure of these systems, ignoring it at our peril, to ensure that communication flows effectively between all their components (this is known as Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Intelligence).

One implication of this is the concept of ECOLOGY, which means becoming aware of the consequences of our own behaviour, both short-term and long-term, not only in relation to all aspects of our own life (Professional / Personal / Family / Health / Sex Life / Self-Development / Spirituality / etc.), but also in relation to other people, and to learn to respond with integrity to all situations in a manner which only optimises these consequences.

Another implication of this approach is CONGRUENCE: this means seeking and reaching consensus, harmony, agreement between all the components of a given system, so that desired outcomes are met between all parts of this system, for the benefit of all and at the expense of none, thus enabling true 'win-win' situations. Indeed, NLP has amply been demonstrating such effectiveness in – among others – the areas of team building, management, mediation, partnership guidance and conflict resolution for the past 25 years. This makes it the ideal tool of choice in all professions where communicating effectively is at a premium.

So, if you honestly intend to put your New Year resolutions into practice instead of dreaming forever of pie in the sky, if you want to learn to run your own brain to make the difference which makes the difference in your life, NLP is for you.

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