There are far and few resources available to understand Modeling, the discipline that gave us NLP. Here are three resources I recommend you read through to deepend your understanding.
WARNING: I don’t agree with all of them. I don’t agree with any of them that the modeling methodology they describe was the one used by the co-founders. And yet what they’re writing is worth reading. Each offers juicy little nuggets that will improve your perspective on the field.
Without further chit-chat, here they are:
How To Do A Modeling Project – Penny Tompkins and James Lawley
This article addresses the modeling project in a very well-defined and structured way. It will show you, step by step, how you can identify your modeling outcomes, map out the results you want to achieve, plan your project, execute it and transfer your newly acquired competence to a learner.
A fantastic resource.
My caveat is that they focus almost exclusively on 3rd person modeling, or observer modeling. In Whispering In The Wind, John Grinder details that the key characteristic that distinguishes the modeling that gave birth to NLP was the unconscious acquisition of the patterning by the modeler. I’ve detailed those defining steps at length in The 6 Master Steps of NLP Modeling.
Expanding Your World – David Gordon and Graham Dawes
David Gordon has been involved in the world of NLP as long as human beings have had two feet. He’s responsible for developing the Emprint Method, one of the earliest NLP change models, which I still use to this day because of its elegance.
Their new book, Expand Your World, focuses on modeling. On their website, they offer an introduction to modeling. Have a look at it. They describe the advantages and benefits you will draw from learning how to model.
Pay close attention to the stages of modeling they propose in their introduction and how those differ from the ones I list in The 6 Master Steps of NLP Modeling.
Remodeling Modeling – John McWhirter
In this fantastic article (and you might want to read his entire series), John McWhirter describes at length the various types of modeling available, the advantages of each and how they tie into NLP.
If I were you, I’d take the time to study his website and the treasure of articles he has written on DBM (Developmental Behavior Modeling), a discipline he developed to improve and further structure NLP.
Once again, I think the modeling methodology used by the co-founders is much simpler and straight-forward than the scope he addresses in his article. Yet, reading the distinctions he puts forth will enrich your modeling experience and your appreciation of the nuances of your model’s behavior.
Going Beyond The Marketing
When learning how to model, you have to go beyond the beaten trail. Modeling actually requires work. That’s the truth. It’s a discipline like Kung-Fu. Entering the know-nothing state is not like eating an ice cream cone on a hot sunday.
And it takes time. It took Bandler and Grinder months to model Perls, Satir and Erickson. In the latter case, if I remember correctly John Grinder’s account in Whispering In The Wind, it took at least 8 months.
So go past the fluff and into the real stuff. Modeling is not something you’ll pick up at a seminar. You’ll participate in a quick intro, but the real work will happen on your own, practicing.
Kind of like Michael Jordan shooting free throws thousands of times in a row.
And it’s worth it. Every second of it.
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