Análisis de las encuestas

Before we start, don’t think of a pink elephant, don’t notice that itch and whatever you do, don’t make a mistake.

Our brains are analogue computers. In practice, this means that, like Roman numerals, we cannot represent zero. We can only represent the absence of something within a framework of the thing that is missing.

Here is an empty box. What was in it?

Here is another empty box. What was in it?

So, hopefully you get the idea.

Oranges

Computers work digitally, so computers can quite happily cope with “not zero”, which is most definitely the number one. Analogue computers struggle to understand “not zero” as it essentially means “anything at all except zero” – for example one, two, a hundred, a tomato, a goldfish or an itch. Are you starting to understand the problem with the word don’t? Well, don’t worry about it too much if you’re not.

Have you ever said something like that in a learning context? Don’t worry, don’t try too hard or maybe even “don’t do that.”

There are two fundamental problems with the word don’t. The first is that our brains cannot make sense of the language without first representing that thing that the word “don’t” applies to. In order to decode the language “don’t drop the glass” your brain first has to have a representation of what dropping the glass is like in order to know what not dropping it means. That thought alone leads to tiny, involuntary relaxation of the muscles in your hand as you make a picture of the glass dropping. The result? You drop the glass.

NLP – Skills for Learning

105

Whatever you do, don’t The second problem is that telling someone what you don’t want them to do gives them absolutely no useful information about what you do want them to do. Ask a decorator to paint your bedroom “not blue” if you want to test this out. At best, you will create confusion. At worst, you’ll get a punch on the nose. Of course, your objective may be to create confusion, in which case don’t think about applying any of the information in this chapter.

Whilst our brains are analogue computers, they do operate within rules of context. If you tell someone “don’t use a red pen” then they will create a list of alternative behaviours constrained by the context of the language. They will guess that you either mean use a green/blue/black pen or that you mean use a red pencil/crayon. If you say, “don’t do that” then they will search for a meaning based on “what am I doing right now?”

If you ask someone to stop an annoying habit by saying, “don’t do that” then they will have no context on which to base alternative behaviour. The habit is unconscious – that’s what makes it a habit – so they may have no awareness of what they are doing. On the other hand, they might just be deliberately trying to annoy you. It’s always worth checking.

Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more Click on the ad to read more

NLP – Skills for Learning

106

Whatever you do, don’t If you catch yourself saying “don’t”, quickly backtrack inside your head to figure out how you have decided on this course of action. Usually, you will have made a picture, sound, voice or feeling inside your head of how things may turn out for the worst. Go back to that worry state and pick a more useful, specific outcome. Now follow up your “don’t” command with a “do” command.

Here’s an example:

• Watch people working on a lively exercise dangerously close to the projector

• Make a picture in your head of them knocking it over

• Say “don’t knock the projector over”

• Realise you said “don’t”

• Backtrack to the picture in your head

• Choose an alternative, positive outcome

• Make a picture in your head of that outcome

• Describe the picture – for example, “move away from the projector” So you avoid the usual “What projector?”…Bang…“Oh, that projector…”

Now, once you get the hang of telling people what you want you can start being more creative with your use of the word “don’t”. For example, if you tell someone “don’t forget”, you can imagine the result you might get. You could have some fun with this, and it’s an interesting way to experiment with motivating people, but don’t start thinking about all the ways you’ll use what you’ve learned just yet.

NLP – Skills for Learning

107

Putting it all together