Neuro-Linguistic Programming

The value of understanding meta programs

There are many advantages to be gained from understanding our own and other people's Meta Programs. Not least of these is developing self-awareness which, if acted upon can be applied in many different ways. Understanding Meta Programs:

improves our ability to establish rapport - being able to recognize other people's thinking patterns allows you to match their language and communicate more effectively

enhances our influencing skills - when you recognize how other people think, you can present ideas to them in a way they're likely to buy into

helps us make good recruitment decisions - some companies use Meta Programs when interviewing candidates for jobs so they don't end up with round pegs in square holes.

Meta programs and change

Meta Programs don't of course operate in isolation from one another. We're unconsciously running these filters all of the time and together they create a complex mix with one pattern working alongside and affecting another.

Our Meta Programs, though, are not fixed. You can't say someone is a towards, options, specific, mismatcher - though it may sometimes seem like that. We are not our filters. The Meta Program patterns we have can be changed if we're not happy with the outcomes they're producing.

The starting point for change is being aware of your own patterns and the alternatives that are available. For instance, if you know one of your patterns in a work context is general and you have some detailed jobs to do it would be useful to be able to switch to specific for a while.

You may simply be able to decide to work that way. Some people can, others find it difficult. If so, one way of bringing about change is to work with submodalities because Meta Programs are made up of sensory-based representations. Carry out a contrastive analysis between how you code General and Specific. This may mean finding an example of specific in another context. Once you're aware of the difference between them you'll be able to choose a different way to experience completing the task.