[Neurons] 2010 Meta Reflections #1

[L. Michael Hall]

From: L. Michael Hall

Meta-Coach Reflections #1

January 4, 2009

                                    

IS COLLABORATION POSSIBLE

IN THE NLP WORLD?

 

 

 

Since I've been writing some Reflections about NLP, misunderstandings, hype,
the Cult Model, etc. I've received not a few emails essentially asking the
question of the title, "Is collaboration even possible in the NLP world?"  A
few writers have taken me to task about it saying that I'm dreaming and not
realistic and holding on to a hope that's long gone.  A couple people wrote
to ask "How would it happen?" and "What can we do?" to encourage more
collaboration in this field of individualists?

 

As I've reflected on this feedback, one thing I've become aware of is that
if we do not collaborate, the field will not cohere sufficiently to continue
as a field.  That happened to the Human Potential Movement-a movement that
once had 400 "Growth Centers" around the world and by Carl Rogers' estimate
over five million trained in the model.  And while individuals persist to
this day who remember "the movement," the original flame of the HPM has long
been put out and all of those original Growth Centers have long closed their
doors.

 

So yes, maybe I am unrealistic and naive and over-optimistic about
collaboration, yet without it NLP as we know it today has a strong
possibility of not making it.  And I think that would be tragic- more than
tragic, a tremendous loss to the human spirit and condition.

 

So what can we do?  If you share with me these convictions about the value
of NLP (and Neuro-Semantic NLP), then what can we do?  Well, first and
foremost we can operate in a cooperative and collaborative way to
demonstrate what our words about working together mean.  In our attitude and
talk we can develop a fully congruent inclusiveness of language and we can
extend ourselves to invite others for collaborative projects and join those
projects that are underway.

 

Along that line, I'd recommend that you take every advantage of every
opportunity to go to Conferences, Congresses, and Events put on by the NLP
community.  Demonstrate your good will and cooperative spirit.  That's one
thing I attempt to do and have done every year for many years.

 

Then there is the importance of dialogue- of staying in communication.  It
is far, far too easy to step aside and avoid the "conversation" that's
occurring in the NLP field.  And that's especially true for those groups
that are so exclusive and judgment, who do "pure" NLP in contrast to all the
rest of us who don't meet their levels of "purity."  I engaged some of that
camp recently at the NLP Conference in London.  The first half hour, I just
listened.  I listened to one guy's judgments of the field, his judgment
against any so-called "NLP" person who had not studied in their camp and
against people like myself "contaminating" NLP with new stuff not sanctioned
by their guru.  I listened respectfully for over 30 minutes.

 

When he had pretty much got all of that off his chest, I asked if I could
ask some questions.  When I got the green light, I began asking for about
the when and what of his criteria for what made up "pure" NLP.  I asked who
appointed so-and-so the guru who made those decisions?  I asked if he
conferred with the other co-developers about assuming that right.  With each
question, I had to do more listening, which I did.  And that led to new
questions which I asked.

 

It took 90 minutes, but after that the guys began to relax and we began
laughing together about some of the silly things we were talking about.  And
at the end, I told them to pass on my regards to so-and-so and then wished
them well.  They both said they were surprised by me, that I was more
likeable than they expected (! which made me wonder what they had been
told!), and that I had made "some points that they would think about." 

 

Now who knows what good may come out of that.  Maybe none.  But I felt that
at least there was a human touch, there was some dialogue, there was some
decent conversation.  I invited them to read some of the critiques I had
written on the subject (which they didn't even know existed). 

 

A spirit of cooperation cannot emerge when people are in isolation of each
other.  If we isolate ourselves, there will be no conversation and without
conversation, no dialogue.  So that's at least one beginning place.

 

Another is to more authentically operate from abundance.  If we act as if
there's scarcity and fight over "my" clients, "my" people, "my"
participants, we deny one of the basic tenets of NLP and Self-Actualization
Psychology.  Now I think I know the key reason some trainers will work hard
to actually hide the fact that there are other NLP trainers out there-they
are afraid that they will be compared and will fall short in terms of skills
and competence!

 

So, operating out of a sense of their own inferiority, they boaster
themselves as "the best," the "purest," the "special," and don't encourage
their participants to get training by others.  Conversely, if you're good,
if you know what you're doing- the excellence of someone else takes nothing
away from you.  Their skill adds to NLP and what we can do with NLP.  After
all, don't we encourage differences, the unique gifts of each person?
Another person's unique skills enriches me and this field.  And unless I'm
suffering from a paranoid inferiority, I will be proud to recommend others
even if they do not agree entirely with me.  Surely it's time to outgrow
that childish attitude, isn't it?

 

Collaboration is a possibility and an essential one.  Make we all do what we
can to move this field to one of increasing collaboration!

 

 

 

 

--- Meta-Coach Trainings coming 2009 - 2010

                        

 

 

China --- 2010

      Meta-Coaching in two parts --   January 17-22 and May 9-14  (6 days
each time): 

Includes also Module II (Coaching Genius).  

            Guangzhou, China:  Sponsor: Team Huang --- supported by
Neuro-Semantic Trainers: 

Mandy Chai and Wilkie Choi   For Chinese---   yeshow at 163.net .  For English
speakers: 

Mandy Chai: chaimansun at yahoo.com.hk 

 

 

Mexico --- 2010

     In two parts --- March 4-7 (March 3 for Team Leaders) and April 15-18
(April 14 for Team Leaders). 

     Sponsor: Salom Change Dynamics-  www.salomchd.com  (55) 30930687 ---
emilia at salomchd.com

 

Trainers Training --- in NLP and NS --- NSTT

1)    January and June --- Hong Kong:  January 25-31 and June 4-11.
Contact Mandy Chai: chaimansun at yahoo.com.uk 




2)    June --- Grand Junction Colorado:  June 19-July 3.  Contact Dr. Hall:
meta at acsol.net 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.  Michael Hall, Ph.D.

(ISNS) International Society of Neuro-Semantics

The International Meta-Coach System

P.O. Box 8

Clifton, CO.  81520 USA

1 970-523-7877

      <http://www.neurosemantics.com/> www.neurosemantics.com 

       <http://www.neuro-semantics-trainings.com/>
www.neuro-semantics-trainings.com 

       <http://www.self-actualizing.org/> www.self-actualizing.org

       <http://www.meta-coaching.org/> www.meta-coaching.org

       <http://www.ns-video.com/> www.ns-video.com 

 

To sign up for a free subscription to the egroup of Neuro-Semantics
(Neurons) go to  <http://www.neurosemantics.com/> www.neurosemantics.com ---
you can  subscribe and unsubscribe there.   Meta Reflection articles by Dr.
Hall are sent out every Monday and meta-Coach Reflections sent out every
Wednesdday to the Meta-Coaches egroup.  Contact Dr. Hall at  meta@ acsol.net


 

 

 

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