Traditionally, NLP trainers teach the Meta Model to their students using the "Meta Model violation" and "Meta Model challenge" formats.

While this paradigm may work sometimes in therapeutic encounters, it usually does not in the real world and everyday life.

Try to use a Meta Model challenge when you're talking to someone you barely know. They might just punch you in the face -- even if they don't, they'd probably want to.

It's a terrible structure to use in other contexts.

When you shift the intonation of your question, you move from a challenge to an inquisitive question.

And when you do, you completely change the ball game.

This weekend, play with your intonation.

Go up. Go flat. Go down.

Play your voice like a Stradivarius.

Same words. Different sounds.

Have a good weekend, and I'll talk to you on Monday.

Most people listen to what Tony says.

I listen to how he says it and how it's structured.

I've spent countless hours transcribing material to be able to get how it's sequenced.

To spot hidden embedded commands.

Identify covert frames and presuppositions.

Let's just say I've run a fine comb through a lot of material.

One of the cool nuggets I picked up on (and believe me, there are loads of them) is a key frame that Tony uses to perform all of his strategic interventions.

It's so powerful that he quickly brings it up in his seminars.

I'll reveal this to you within the next two days, and for you to better understand it, I want to talk to you about frames.

Imagine a wrapper that you could put around people that has a specific color.

Let's say pink.

From the moment you wrapped them in it, it would tint everything they looked at.

You could call it a color filter.

Instantly, these people would experience a change in perception.

Now, imagine you put the wrapper around them AND THEY COULDN'T TELL THAT THE WRAPPER WAS THERE.

That would change the game completely.

If they knew there were a wrapper, they might want to take it off.

If they didn't, they would come to filter the world through the wrapper without resistance.

Now, being able to set a frame so that it's accepted is useful...

But being able to set a frame that's undetected is nothing short of a superpower.

And I've seen Tony pull it off, over and over and over.

In fact, he sets that frame in his famous TED Talk.

See if you can spot it.

If you're curious, leave a comment or send me an email and I'll give you the answer.

He enters the know-nothing state and the pattern emerges.

You can do it too and you can get the blonde.

In the original NLP modeling protocol, according to John Grinder, the first step of a modeling session is to enter a know-nothing state.

It's a state in which the Practitioner experiences no internal dialogue. In which (s)he's focused on his or her senses, in the present. In which (s)he is COM-PLETE-LY available.

Carlos Castañeda refers to this state as "stopping the world" in his books.

According to Grinder, that's when the Practitioner is available for true learning.

Entering a know-nothing state, or stopping the world, means shutting out internal dialogue and, with it, all your baggage, background and personal history.

Castañeda taught it with wisdom.

Grinder picked up on it.

That's the difference that makes the difference in NLP modeling versus other forms of cognitive modeling.

It's not about observing and recording what you "think" is happening.

There is no thinking. It's all doing.

Some coaching clients come to me with huge plans of what they will accomplish.

It's very impressive.

However, they present one problem: these plans don't move them forward.

Stop for a second and consider your to-do list.

Do you feel psyched about working it? Are you excited about what's before you today?

If not, you need to tweak the plan.

You have to wordsmith it in a way that directly connects and taps into your primal motivation. You also have to structure it following your natural work tendencies.

For instance, if you like to connect with others, your work plan MUST involve that. Otherwise, the work plan will feel like pulling nails.

Do that exercise today. Evaluate your to-do list emotionally.

Does it thrill you?

If not, reformulate it so it does.

In the early 1980's, when he was just getting started in his career, Tony started learning NLP from John Grinder.

When he concluded the program, he walked up to Grinder and said:

"I understand that modeling is the core activity of NLP and want to demonstrate my commitment to that practice. Where do you suggest I begin?"

John Grinder casually said: "How about firewalking?"

The rest, of course, is history.

Tony has then gone on to model outstanding performers in every area of human activity and took it to the bank for half a billion dollars.

This just goes to show you the power of modeling — the cornerstone contribution of NLP.

I love recursive operations and words.

GNU = Gnu's Not Unix

Using the Milton Model to teach the Milton Model.

Using my Straight Line Results Formula to create the Straight Line Results Formula (which I no longer sell, but use exclusively with my coaching clients).

Nerdy, I know.

Recursive operations enable us to teach patterns to the unconscious while the conscious mind is busy.

At any point in time, you're following two tracks at once: a conscious track and an unconscious track.

A skilled trainer will construct learning experiences in two tracks.

What might appear to you as trivial or pointless may be operating at a level you're not expecting.

In order to perceive it all, you can train yourself to follow both tracks.