I am a Master Practitioner and Master Coach in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Time Line Therapy™ and Hypnosis. I utilise these skills in two ways: coaching individuals who wish to re-evaluate their thinking process in order to find positive solutions to problems and maintain mental health and; using the tools of NLP in my music teaching. This page is primarily concerned with giving a brief explanation of NLP and how it may be used in teaching.
Back In Tune Coaching - Cognitive Hypnotherapy & NLP
Coaching can be useful in the following areas:
Please visit my website Back In Tune Coaching for further information about NLP, Hypnotherapy and Performance and Personal Development Coaching.
- Performance
- Goal setting
- Motivation
- Anxiety
- Phobia
- Stress relief
- Learning strategies
- Exam preparation
- Decision making
- and much more...
Please visit my website Back In Tune Coaching for further information about NLP, Hypnotherapy and Performance and Personal Development Coaching.
What is NLP?
NLP stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming; Neuro meaning the study and understanding of how the brain works, Linguistic referring to the language that we use to communicate with each other and Programming, meaning how we use that knowledge to install strategies for our own success. NLP is essentially a set of tools that when used, can bring about positive change and response in ourselves and others.
How do you apply NLP in your teaching?
The Neuroscience
Having a basic understanding of the brain, its chemical reactions and how the mind processes and filters information is useful in setting up a successful learning environment. Knowing that ones amygdala must be in a state of calm before the rest of the brain can learn anything at all is essential knowledge!
Setting up a positive environment
In NLP there are set of presuppositions that the practitioner assumes about their client. As a teacher working with a student, these concepts are useful to hold in mind. Amongst the fourteen are the following:
- There is no failure, only feedback.
Students learning an instrument will ‘fail’ many many times before they learn how to do something well. For students who are self-critical and perfectionist this can be frustrating and disheartening, so teaching them that ‘FAIL’ is only the ‘First Attempt In Learning’ is a useful re-frame that builds resilience. Understanding the four levels of competence as shown in the diagram below is essential for all teachers and learners. - People are doing the best they can with the resources they have.
It is important to remember that every child is doing their best with what they know. Coupled with the presupposition that people are not their behaviours (there are no naughty children, there is only naughty behaviour) teachers must be patient with their students. - People have all the resources they need to succeed and achieve.
Setting up an atmosphere and an expectation in which the teacher believes that the student will succeed, can only lead to positive results. Scientific experiments have proven that expressing dis/belief in a student's success has an effect on the outcome; those that believe in their students ability to succeed are rewarded with higher levels of achievement. (Robert Rosenthal, Harvard 1976)
Michelle has taught our daughter since she was five. She is a great teacher; kind but with high expectations and always moving A. forward in her violin playing.”
Mother of Grade 3 violinist
Teacher talk
Paying attention to how the student talks and which words they use is key to understanding the way in which they process information internally. Most teachers are familiar with the concept of “learning styles”, those being visual, kinaesthetic and auditory. Teachers are encouraged to set tasks in formats that engage all types of learning preference, yet seemingly little attention is given to the language in which that information is given. For students who say “I see what you mean”, feeding back information and instructions using visual language will enable the listener to more easily understand the meaning of the communication. NLP Practitioners are trained to listen to language predicates. If you think of a time when you really “clicked” with another person, you may or may not have noticed it was because they were “speaking your language”.
In the context of teaching, understanding language patterns and the thought processes they can produce inside a person, is a useful tool. Consider the student who constantly says to you (and to themselves), “I can’t do it, it’s too difficult”. Knowing how to break them out of this negative loop and bring them into a more useful positive state is a boon. Good teachers will intuitively do this, whilst NLP practitioners know how to do this, understanding the structure of the language, so they can produce that change time after time.
If you are interested in speaking to me about teacher training sessions, around how to use language predicates and NLP in your interactions with students, I have several programmes that can be delivered online or face-to-face as part of in service training. For further information, please get in touch.
Paying attention to how the student talks and which words they use is key to understanding the way in which they process information internally. Most teachers are familiar with the concept of “learning styles”, those being visual, kinaesthetic and auditory. Teachers are encouraged to set tasks in formats that engage all types of learning preference, yet seemingly little attention is given to the language in which that information is given. For students who say “I see what you mean”, feeding back information and instructions using visual language will enable the listener to more easily understand the meaning of the communication. NLP Practitioners are trained to listen to language predicates. If you think of a time when you really “clicked” with another person, you may or may not have noticed it was because they were “speaking your language”.
In the context of teaching, understanding language patterns and the thought processes they can produce inside a person, is a useful tool. Consider the student who constantly says to you (and to themselves), “I can’t do it, it’s too difficult”. Knowing how to break them out of this negative loop and bring them into a more useful positive state is a boon. Good teachers will intuitively do this, whilst NLP practitioners know how to do this, understanding the structure of the language, so they can produce that change time after time.
If you are interested in speaking to me about teacher training sessions, around how to use language predicates and NLP in your interactions with students, I have several programmes that can be delivered online or face-to-face as part of in service training. For further information, please get in touch.
Non-verbal communication
The use of language is a relatively new evolutionary phenomenon. According to Professor Mehrabian only 7% of communication is verbal whilst the rest is non-verbal, made up of 55% body language and 38% tone of voice. Non-verbal signals allow us to tell when someone is lying or saying one thing whilst meaning another. We can feel the projected energy and emotion of another person, see tension in their body and hear the intonation of their voice when speaking. As an NLP practitioner trained in the art of observation, it is possible to develop greater sensory acuity in awareness of others and to become more empathetic.
In the context of teaching students, actively practising these skills brings the non-verbal signals into consciousness; occasions of pupil tension and unease can be addressed. When a student is tripping up on notes it becomes possible to notice their physiology and breathing through sensory acuity. Often it is the management of the body as a whole (or lack of it) that interrupts the flow of technical achievement.
By having conscious awareness of how and when to use the tools of NLP means that teachers can utilise their skills to gain the most positive outcomes for their students.
Performance Practice
One of the most significant musical areas in which to apply NLP is in performance practice. Students prone to negative self-talk and performance anxiety can be coached through a series of strategies and techniques which enable positive change.
The use of language is a relatively new evolutionary phenomenon. According to Professor Mehrabian only 7% of communication is verbal whilst the rest is non-verbal, made up of 55% body language and 38% tone of voice. Non-verbal signals allow us to tell when someone is lying or saying one thing whilst meaning another. We can feel the projected energy and emotion of another person, see tension in their body and hear the intonation of their voice when speaking. As an NLP practitioner trained in the art of observation, it is possible to develop greater sensory acuity in awareness of others and to become more empathetic.
In the context of teaching students, actively practising these skills brings the non-verbal signals into consciousness; occasions of pupil tension and unease can be addressed. When a student is tripping up on notes it becomes possible to notice their physiology and breathing through sensory acuity. Often it is the management of the body as a whole (or lack of it) that interrupts the flow of technical achievement.
By having conscious awareness of how and when to use the tools of NLP means that teachers can utilise their skills to gain the most positive outcomes for their students.
Performance Practice
One of the most significant musical areas in which to apply NLP is in performance practice. Students prone to negative self-talk and performance anxiety can be coached through a series of strategies and techniques which enable positive change.
