Imagine you’re in a conversation with one of your friends, and she says, “I can’t do this task; it’s too hard.”
Simple, direct, but oh, so misleading. In NLP, we call this surface language.
Beneath this seemingly straightforward statement lies a labyrinth of beliefs, experiences, and hidden meanings.
But why should you care? Because understanding this deeper structure is akin to having a key to human behavior. It allows you to connect and communicate more effectively. As your mentor, I encourage you to not just listen to what's said in surface, but to pay attention to the echoes of the story concealed underneath. It's in these depths that true understanding and change can occur.
This is where NLP’s Meta Model becomes your torchlight in the dark.
The Meta Model, one of the core components of NLP, is like a linguistic detective tool. It helps you uncover the unsaid, the implied, and the omitted. It's not just about what is said, but about peeling back layers to reveal what is meant. Think of it as a bridge connecting the spoken word to the unspoken thought.
One of the core precepts of NLP is that the map is not the territory. The map is the surface language, while the territory is the deep meaning that remains unspoken. The Meta Model helps us build a bridge between the map and the territory.
As your guide on this journey, I assure you, learning to discern between surface language and deeper communication is not just an academic exercise. It's absolutely fundamental to richer interactions.
It allows you to be not just a participant in conversations but a sculptor of realities.
Martin Messier
December 26, 2023