NLP Practitioner Notes 
       NLP Practitioner Course presented by  
       Micheal Goodman 
       NLP Master Practitioner (ABNLP) and NLP Trainer (NLPEA) 
       2018 
        
        
        
                     
        
        
        Contents 
        The legs of NLP ..................................................................................................................... 1 
         Activity The legs of NLP ................................................................................................................. 2 
        At cause and at effect .......................................................................................................... 3 
        What is NLP? ........................................................................................................................ 4 
         Activity Your definition of NLP ...................................................................................................... 4 
        A (very brief) history of NLP ................................................................................................. 5 
        The NLP Communication model ........................................................................................... 8 
         Overview ....................................................................................................................................... 8 
         Filters ............................................................................................................................................ 8 
         Processes....................................................................................................................................... 9 
          Generalisation ......................................................................................................................................... 9 
          Deletion ................................................................................................................................................. 10 
          Distortion .............................................................................................................................................. 10 
         Physiology ................................................................................................................................... 10 
         State ............................................................................................................................................ 10 
         Map of the world ........................................................................................................................ 11 
        Perception is projection ...................................................................................................... 12 
         Where can we see perception is projection in our lives? ............................................................ 12 
         Activity Is perception projection? ............................................................................................... 13 
        Body-Mind Connection ....................................................................................................... 14 
         Activity A body-mind connection? .............................................................................................. 14 
        Conscious and unconscious mind ....................................................................................... 15 
         What is the conscious mind? ....................................................................................................... 16 
         What is the unconscious mind? ................................................................................................... 16 
         Comparing the Conscious and Unconscious Minds ..................................................................... 16 
         Prime directives of the unconscious mind ................................................................................... 17 
         
         
          The unconscious mind has a “blueprint” of and runs the body. ............................................................... 17 
          The unconscious mind is a highly moral being. ....................................................................................... 17 
          The unconscious mind makes associations and learns quickly. ................................................................ 18 
          The unconscious mind enjoys taking direction and following orders. ...................................................... 18 
          The unconscious mind responds with instinct and habit. ........................................................................ 18 
          The unconscious mind requires repetition to install new behaviours and therefore habits. ..................... 18 
          The unconscious mind is the domain of the emotions. ........................................................................... 18 
          The unconscious mind stores our memories. .......................................................................................... 18 
          The unconscious mind organises our memories. .................................................................................... 18 
          The unconscious mind may keep repressed emotions repressed for our protection. ............................... 19 
          The unconscious mind represses memories with unresolved negative emotion. ..................................... 19 
          The unconscious mind presents repressed memories for resolution. ...................................................... 19 
          The unconscious mind controls and maintains all perceptions. ............................................................... 19 
          The unconscious mind is programmed to continually seek more. ........................................................... 19 
          The unconscious mind functions at its best as a whole integrated unit. .................................................. 20 
          The unconscious mind utilises symbols. ................................................................................................. 20 
          The unconscious mind only sees fact. ..................................................................................................... 20 
          The unconscious mind takes everything personally. ............................................................................... 20 
          The unconscious mind does not process negatives. ................................................................................ 20 
          The unconscious mind is in charge of the energy of the body. ................................................................ 20 
          The unconscious mind operates on the principles of minimum effort and conservation of energy. ......... 21 
         Activity The Prime Directives of the Unconscious Mind .............................................................. 21 
        Outcomes and states .......................................................................................................... 22 
         A comparison of states and outcomes ........................................................................................ 22 
         Activity Your outcome for this course ......................................................................................... 23 
        Keys to an achievable outcome .......................................................................................... 24 
         Well-formedness conditions ....................................................................................................... 24 
         SMART ........................................................................................................................................ 24 
         PURE ........................................................................................................................................... 24 
         Activity Reworking your outcome for the course and writing another........................................ 25 
        4 Steps to learning.............................................................................................................. 26 
         1.Unconscious Incompetence ...................................................................................................... 26 
         2.Conscious Incompetence .......................................................................................................... 26 
         
         
         3.Conscious Competence ............................................................................................................ 26 
         4. Unconscious Competence ....................................................................................................... 27 
         Using the 4 steps to learning in coaching .................................................................................... 27 
         Activity The 4 steps to learning ................................................................................................... 27 
        Presuppositions of NLP ....................................................................................................... 28 
          Have respect for the other person’s model of the world. ........................................................................ 28 
          The meaning of your communication is the response you get. ................................................................ 28 
          We are always communicating. .............................................................................................................. 28 
          There are no resistant clients, only inflexible communicators. ................................................................ 28 
          Mind and body form a linked system and therefore affect each other. ................................................... 28 
          The map is not the territory. .................................................................................................................. 29 
          Every behaviour has a positive intention. Everyone is doing the best that they can with the resources they 
          have available. People make the best choice they can at the time. ......................................................... 29 
          We already have all the resources we need or we can create them.  For these reasons, we can say that 
          there are no unresourceful people, only unresourceful states of mind. .................................................. 29 
          The system (person) with the most flexibility (choices) of behaviour will have the most influence on the 
          system. (The Law of Requisite Variety) ................................................................................................... 30 
          People work perfectly. ........................................................................................................................... 30 
          Accept the person; change the behaviour. ............................................................................................. 30 
          There is no failure, only feedback. .......................................................................................................... 30 
          Choice is better than no choice. ............................................................................................................. 30 
          All processes should lead to integration and wholeness. ........................................................................ 31 
          If you want to understand – Act. ............................................................................................................ 31 
          Possible in the world and possible for me is only a matter of how. ......................................................... 31 
         Activity The Presuppositions of NLP ............................................................................................ 31 
        Ecology ............................................................................................................................... 32 
         When to do an ecology check...................................................................................................... 32 
         Internal ecology check................................................................................................................. 32 
          How to spot incongruence ..................................................................................................................... 32 
          Why do internal ecology checks? ........................................................................................................... 33 
          Internal ecology check questions ........................................................................................................... 33 
         External Ecology .......................................................................................................................... 33 
          External ecology check questions ........................................................................................................... 33