On this page, you will find 113 NLP techniques that I've been compiling over the years — in alphabetical orders.

Eventually, all of these NLP techniques will be linked to descriptive pages on this site and the rest of the internet.

However, before we get into them, in the spirit of being thorough, let me begin with a...

Disclaimer

"NLP techniques" is kind of a weird term.

First, for purists, NLP offers no technique. It offers a modeling methodology and code. Whatever patterns a practitioner distills from his or her modeling activities pertain to their native field — not to the field of NLP.

Second, most of these so-called NLP techniques are really protocols of change — sets of step-by-step instructions that an individual can follow to assist another in creating change in his or her life.

As such, it's useful to distinguish the term "technique" from the term "protocol."

Third, some of these "NLP techniques" are really skills. Anchoring, calibration and analogue marking, just to mention a few examples, are competencies that a practitioner has to practice. They are not a technique that someone can simply follow and apply.

So, with these caveats out of the way...

1. Aligning Perceptual Positions
2. Analogue Marking
3. Anchoring
4. Belief Chaining
5. Calibration
6. Cause and Effect Distortions
7. Chaining States
8. Changing Personal History
9. Chunking Down
10. Chunking Up
11. Circle Of Excellence
12. Collapsing Anchors
13. Comparative Deletions
14. Complex Equivalence
15. Compulsion Blow-Out
16. Conflict Resolution
17. Conflicting Beliefs Integration
18. Congruence
19. Conscious And Subconscious
20. Conversational Hypnosis
21. Conversational Postulate
22. Core Transformation
23. Criteria Installation
24. Decision Destroyer
25. Deletions
26. Denominalization
27. Disjunction
28. Distortions
29. Double Binds
30. Downtime
31. Ecology Check
32. Elicitation Of Learning Strategies
33. Eliciting Subconscious Responses
34. Embedded Commands
35. Emotional Pain Management
36. Extended Quotes
37. Generalizations
38. Hierarchy Of Criteria
39. Hypnosis
40. Implied Causes
41. Inducing Amnesia
42. Interrupting Limiting Associations
43. Intonation
44. Kinesthetic Criteria
45. Lack of Referential Index
46. Linguistic Ambiguities
47. Linking Words
48. Logical Levels
49. Lost Performatives
50. Meta Model
51. Meta Programs
52. Meta Transformation
53. Meta-Model Challenging
54. Meta-Model Intentional Usage
55. Meta-Model Violations
56. Metaphors
57. Meta-Programs Identification
58. Meta-states
59. Milton Model
60. Milton Model
61. Mind Reading
62. Mirroring
63. Modal Operators
64. Modeling: Second Position
65. Modeling: States Of Excellence
66. Modeling: Third Position
67. Nested Loops
68. Nesting
69. New Behavior Generator
70. Nominalization
71. Non-Verbal Cues Recognition
72. Parts Conflict Integration
73. Parts Negotiation
74. Pattern Interrupt
75. Perceptual Positions
76. Phobia Cure
77. Phonological Ambiguities
78. Presuppositions
79. Punctuation Ambiguities
80. Quotes pattern
81. Rapport: How To Create And Sustain Rapport
82. Rapport: Pacing & Matching
83. Rapport: Pacing and Leading
84. Re-Imprinting
85. Resolving Internal Conflicts
86. Resourceful States
87. Scope Ambiguities
88. Selectional Restriction Violations
89. Self Anchoring
90. Sensory Acuity
91. Six Steps Reframing
92. Sleight Of Mouth: Content Reframing
93. Sleight Of Mouth: Context Reframing
94. Sleight Of Mouth: Outframing
95. Sliding anchors
96. State Induction
97. State Of Consciousness Awareness
98. Stimulating Representational Systems: Auditory
99. Stimulating Representational Systems: Kinesthetic
100. Stimulating Representational Systems: Visual
101. Subliminal Persuasion
102. Submodalities: Digital Vs. Analogue
103. Submodality Overlapping
104. Swish Pattern
105. Syntactic Ambiguities
106. Tag Questions
107. Transderivational Search
108. Universal Quantifiers
109. Using Rep Systems
110. Utilization
111. Values Hierarchy Identification
112. Visual Squash
113. Well Defined Outcomes

Marijn Tulp works as a Quality Manager in the Netherlands. He recently participated in an introductory NLP program and, to continue learning more, subscribed to dailyNLP.

A few weeks ago, he reached out to me to share his brand new NLP blog. As I went through his first entries, I instantly noticed that he's cut from the same cloth I am when it comes to learning and practicing NLP.

You can visit his blog, NLP In Practice, at https://nlpinpractice.home.blog/blog/

I invited him for a conversation about NLP, his first steps in the field and his roadmap to deepen his learning. We also touched on how your personal metaphors and models impact common activities, such as goal-setting. You will find Marijn's goal drawing under the video.

Marijn says:

I hope people learn from my experiences and will be motivated to apply NLP techniques as well. The more people share with each other, the more we learn from one another.

It's practical and refreshing! I hope you enjoy Marijn's insights as much as I did.

Here is Marijn's drawing of his goal-setting...

The Tony Robbins NLP style has introduced more people to Neurolinguistic Programming than any other NLP teacher I can think of.

While many practitioners frequently dismiss him as being no more than a showman, a businessman or a “disco” NLPer, we can still learn much from him. I for one have participated in almost all of his trainings, for reasons I’ll explain in greater details in this article.

1. Model.

Anthony Robbins achieved what he achieved because he understood and practices constantly the core discipline of Neurolinguistic Programming: modeling.

In an interview, John Grinder retells of the days when Anthony Robbins was his student. He recounts that once the seminar ended, Tony approached him and said he understood that modeling lied at the heart of the field and that he was committed to modeling. He then asked Grinder what project he could undertake to prove his commitment. John Grinder suggested firewalking. “The rest,” as Grinder puts it, “is history.”

Anthony Robbins is primarily a modeler and you must adopt this identity.

2. Do what works.

In his seminars, Anthony Robbins amply demonstrates his change techniques.

The advanced student can pinpoint NLP therapeutic patterns in his interventions, but also other patterns that he created or incorporated from other fields into his work. The most important trait he demonstrates during his intervention is his absolute commitment to getting the result that he’s after, notably to move another human being into a place of greater access to inner resources.

He’s a master at doing this.

3. Involve physiology at all times.

In his seminars, Anthony Robbins amply demonstrates his change techniques.

The advanced student can pinpoint NLP therapeutic patterns in his interventions, but also other patterns that he created or incorporated from other fields into his work. The most important trait he demonstrates during his intervention is his absolute commitment to getting the result that he’s after, notably to move another human being into a place of greater access to inner resources.

He’s a master at doing this.

3. Involve physiology at all times.

Few if any other trainers focus on physiology as fiercely and intensely as Anthony Robbins does.

The only one I’ve come across who focuses as intently on physiology was his teacher: John Grinder. To him, physiology defines the limits of a person’s access to his or her resources. That’s why he pushes and stretches all participants in his seminars to get to their physical edge.

Tony Robbins understands that, on account of the mind-body connection, you can only go as far as your physiology permits.

4. Learn from and pay attention to John Grinder.

Richard Bandler enjoys the greater popularity of the two co-founders. The term “Richard Bandler” receives more than 10,000 searches a month, while “John Grinder” receives less than 2,000. His creativity and mastery of language keeps seminar participants spellbound during days. I acknowledge Bandler as the creative force behind NLP. Yet, Bandler lacks the health, discipline and vitality that I’d expect from someone who has mastered NLP.

That’s where John Grinder shows up. Well in his sixties, he actively involves himself in challenging physical activities such as climbing and scuba diving, constantly pushing his edge. And while I’ve never heard or seen him display the verbal prowesses that Bandler displays, he is a much more inspiring model overall to aspire to. I recognize him to be the organizing, disciplined and directive force behind NLP. And this distinction is absolutely fundamental. Anthony Robbins has benefitted from this.

What Anthony Robbins Can Teach You

If you’re new to NLP, don’t be too quick to judge Anthony Robbins. Many people in the field trash him day in day out. The most important thing to keep in mind is to learn from Anthony Robbins by watching him, as opposed to listening to what he teaches. Observe how he works. Observe his movements. Observe his posture. Feel his intensity. Hear his tonality. In other words, model him. Just as Grinder and Bandler paid little attention to what Milton Erickson had to say about hypnosis and a lot of attention to what he did to produce results.

Anthony Robbins is a genius at producing change within people (and also marketing himself and his products) and for that reason, you’ll find it worth your time to model him.

The neat thing about his work is that it has a specific structure — and you can learn to emulate it.

What determines whether or not you can sell?

What will make you successful at business so you can achieve the income level you desire?

The strategies we use definitely have an impact. However, the #1 driver that determines whether or not someone will learn how to sell is their BELIEFS about selling.

Our beliefs, which are the feelings, thoughts and ideas that we associate to sales, typically determine whether or not we will be able to become effective at selling.

Our "Sales Blueprint" guides us and pulls us towards our actions.

This Sales Blueprint (our beliefs about selling) controls every decision we make and every one of our actions in our business. Many of us have "inner conflicts" or "disempowering beliefs" that limit our ability to communicate what we have to offer.