019 - What Is the NLP Meta Model

The NLP Meta model is a linguistic process that was developed back in the 70s by Richard Bandler and John Grinder. The Meta model gives you a set of questions that allow you to gain some high-quality information. By now, you probably understand that each of us represents the world very differently. We have our own map. The Meta model allows you to question a person's map to discover more detail and more of what is real.

Starting from the fact that we all experience life differently through our senses. And each of us distorts, generalise and delete lots of information at any given time. Each of our maps is completely different because of our internal representations are different. The Meta model allows us to explore a person's map in more detail.

The NLP Meta model has three distinct categories

1. Distortions
2. Generalisations
3. Deletions

Distortions

Distortion is the process that allows you to take an experience and change it. Whenever we bring in information through our senses, we hold that in our memory in a way that is right for us at that time. If we don't talk about that event, we generally blur the lines between fact and fiction and we use our own language to describe what happened.

We often use distortions when we recall conversations, explain what happened and describe what and why we want something for example.

Generalisations

Generalisations are essential in our life. We use generalisations to garner information from one area to allow us to learn or understand another area. for example, if I was to show you a stool that you'd never seen before, you would know that that was a stool. It has three legs and a top, therefore, it must be a stool.

Generalisations can also work against you. Just because your last two bosses were horrible to you, doesn't necessarily mean all bosses are horrible. Our ability to generalise helps us massively. also, our ability to generalise can also lead us to make unhelpful connections generally.

Deletions

We are deletion machines. It is said that there are over 2 billion pieces of information bombarding our senses at any one time. yet, we are only able to process between five and nine pieces of information at any one time.

it's simply not possible to pay attention to all of the information around us at any one time. Whatever you choose to be aware of will normally be picked up by your attention. You can select what it is you want to focus on and your senses will begin to notice those things. But think of how many processes are happening outside of your conscious awareness. That time a wasp was chasing you around the garden, did you notice how nice the flower smelt?

What we notice and what we focus on generally become real for us. This is why it's important to understand our usual structure of how we delete things. Imagine having a mindset where you consciously look for things to be appreciative for and things that go right. They are the things that you will notice and that will become real to you.

Big corporations often focus on areas that can be improved. this is fine from a constructive point of view in most cases, however, the people involved will find it difficult to see the successes and the enjoyment of the work that they are doing.

Check out the Reticular activating system and what you focus on increases for more on how our own radar works.