By Andrea Szabados ACC (Hungary)
Even without solid background in NLP, you can enhance the effectiveness of your coaching relationships by applying the key elements of Neuro-linguistic Programming, including building rapport and using advanced communication techniques. Actually, NLP is already a tool in itself that is indispensable in coaching.In this article, we introduce a few coaching tools that are based on the concepts and models rooted in NLP. For a whole range of useful coaching tools, please see the Toolful Coach book (www.toolfulcoach.com).
Positive visualization
As a coach, you have probably experienced that people have very different ways of describing and experiencing the world. This is related to the representational systems through which we remember and communicate our experiences, thoughts and emotions. According to NLP, mental processing of events and memories can be treated as if performed by the five senses.
When setting a goal in a coaching relationship, the coach should assist the coachee in viewing the goal very precisely. Prior to setting the goals, the coach should train the coachee to consider things from a different vantage point. The coachee should verbally describe their goal, with as much detail as possible. They should draw each goal and imagine what they will feel, hear, and see upon achieving it.
In NLP, the acronym VAKOG stands for visual, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory, and gustatory, and refers to the various representational systems people use to describe their worlds.
