[Neurons] 2025 Neurons #14 FOUR DISASTROUS NLP ERRORS

[Michael Hall]

From: L. Michael Hall

2025 Neurons #14

April 7, 2025

Updating NLP Series #2

 

FOUR DISASTROUS NLP ERRORS 

 

Error #1. Most communication is non-verbal: 55% visual, 38% auditory, and 7%
language.  

This is completely false and wrong-headed.  You cannot even say, "Dinner is
at 6 p.m." with visual facial expressions or auditory tones or tempo.  You
need words.  If 93% of communication was non-verbal, why can I not
understand the plot and story of a movie in a foreign language?  Why do I
need it to be translated into my native tongue?  The original research that
led to these numbers (55%, 38% and 7%) was based on one word utterances in a
study about incongruity. 

 

Dr. C. E. "Buzz" Johnson wrote an article in Anchor Point in 1994- "The 7%,
38%, 55% Myth" I have attached it to this post.  Since writing that article
I have included that article in our NLP Practitioner manual because it has
been such a pervasive myth in the field of NLP and for some strange reason,
even to this day, most NLP Trainers don't know about it. 

 

Error #2. You can depend more on body language than you can words.  If
there's a difference, trust the body language.

This is another major error in the field of NLP and it was constantly
promoted by John Grinder.  But it is wrong and wrong for several reasons.
First and foremost is the fact that there is actually no such thing as "body
language."  If it was a true language, we could create a dictionary of 'body
language,' and a syntax for body expressions, as well as establish the
meaning of any and every movement, gesture, tonality, muscle tone, etc. of
the body.  But we cannot.

 

When you sigh, cross your arms, wrinkle up your nose, look to the left or to
the right, etc., the meaning of that expression depends entirely on you.  It
depends on your thinking, emoting, and meaning-making.  It depends on the
context where you are, who you are with, what you are attempting to do, and
so on.  "Body language" falsely implies an universally distinct vocabulary,
syntax, and established meaning.  Now there is such a thing as body
movements, gestures, breathing, muscle tone, etc.  All of these are a part
of our non-verbal system and you have to get acquainted with the person, his
culture, her style, etc. in order to understand it.

                                           

Error #3. The unconscious mind is an entity which you should trust
implicitly. 

Again, actually there is no such a thing as "the unconscious mind" as a
separate entity apart from the conscious mind.  You and I have one mind, and
only one mind.  Some of that mind is conscious and most of it is
outside-of-conscious awareness.  Every nervous system that we have, and we
have at least 16, is an "intelligence" or mind and most are
outside-of-conscious awareness.  Your sympathetic nervous system, your
parasympathetic nervous system, your autonomic nervous system, your immune
nervous system, etc. are all aspects of your inner "mind" or intelligence.
We have a few NLP patterns that can affect them to some extent.  But many
aspects of neurology lie beyond being affected by the patterns that we have
today.

 

Error #4. You can't trust your conscious mind.  

Similar to the previous error is this one-an error perpetrated by both
Grinder and Bandler over the years.  Grinder frequently asserted that
"People depend too much on their conscious mind and understanding, they
should implicitly trust their unconscious mind."  Bandler was more direct
and vulgar, "The conscious mind is a dickhead."

 

What I find really strange about this is that NLP in the early days,
especially by Bandler, focused on enabling a person to "run your own brain."
One book is titled, Using Your Brain-for a Change (1985).  What creates
choice, personal empowerment, and control in any system depends on making
what's unconscious conscious.  Only then does a person have true choice.

 

That's four of the errors, more are to come in the next edition of Neurons.

 

[See the Attachment of the 7%, 38%, 55% Myth]

 




 

 

 



L. Michael Hall, Ph.D.

Executive Director, ISNS

738 Beaver Lodge

Grand Jct., CO. 81505 USA

meta at acsol.net

 

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