NLP Clarity with Detail

This is one of the main NLP applications with language.

"They don't believe this works."

Who specifically doesn't believe?

How specifically do they think it doesn't work?

These are the classic NLP responses to such a comment. Please don't overuse them. Endeavor to become at least a little creative and flexible with your patterns.

This is very effective in uncovering beliefs that are held to a shallow level or are based on inappropriate information. At times this can be a life changing experience. How deep do you go? The question is not can you get more detail and clarity, but to what extent is it worth pursuing?

They don't like me?

Exactly how do you know this?

In particular what did they do?

Who specifically are you referring to?

As you generate movement through this search for more detail you will usually find some criteria that you can redirect in a more positive direction.

They didn't speak to me!

Have you ever been distracted enough to not speak to anyone?

Again keep in mind that we are planting seeds often with the redirections and reframes. As with all NLP the test for effectiveness is not necessarily right in the moment.

An added advantage of drilling down to detail is the person will often become much more sensory oriented. This usually exposes their filters (Metaprograms), any working metaphors and the sensory sub-modality combination that they operate from.

This enables the skilled Practitioner to really fine tune their communication.

This stage will often be revealed by more animated gesticulating and as such we pay special attention to our anchoring strategies.

At times you will notice you have uncovered important belief structures and values. This can be a revealing moment for a person as they realize how they have been structuring their beliefs.

Well, anything worth doing is bound to be difficult .......

Interesting how you come to that belief. Exactly how do you allow this to become so difficult?

At this stage also remember the concept of 'planting seeds'. The moment of self reflective revelation may not occur in the instant of you offering this insight but may percolate within them for any given period of time.

Every statement that you could make will be unclear to a degree. This is the nature of language. It is a secondary representation of experience or reality. In and of itself, this is not a problem, in fact it is an advantage. It allows our intuitive insights to develop and inform us. Many nuances can be communicated beyond the semantic rigidity of the written of spoken word.

Keep in mind though, that problem under some circumstances - this is when we use our language patterns to good effect.

Of particular importance is to pay attention when jargon words are flying around as well as proposals, commitments and action statements.

I will finish the job.

For one person this means they will actually write it up and send it to the printer and see that it gets published and distributed. For another person this means they will delegate it. For someone else it means they will only do the writing up.

Make sure you get down to recognizable detail that everyone recognizes and understands.

So what does that look like? Does that mean you will actually get the printing done as well or what?

This may seem pedantic and obvious but it is often in the environments where we are most familiar that this type of misunderstanding can occur. Be on guard and use your skills effectively.

Be careful with the overuse of this pattern. It doesn't take much to become nit picking and annoyingly pedantic. Even when there is an obvious statement to delve further into, sometimes it is wiser to wait a few moments and let the conversation meander a little first.

When you mentioned earlier that you would finish the job, did you mean the printing as well?

Without care this pattern can quickly become an interrogation.

No one likes being nit-picked.

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