For any NLP technique to work effectively, the NLP Practitioner needs NLP rapport and sensory acuity to connect with the client and notice subtle shifts in the physiology which provides clues on where the client is within the process of change.

The NLP Practitioner calibrates the non-verbal portions of communication for congruency with the linguistic output.

Face to face communication is a continual loop of both verbal and non verbal messages between two people. The NLP Practitioner to be effective in her own communication seeks to ensure the three elements of their message are congruent, i.e their words are supported by appropriate tonal qualities and body language. In turn the NLP trained person continually listens and observes the people who (s)he is communicating with.

In NLP, sensory acuity enables the practitioner to stop 'mind reading' and start to have more accuracy in calibrating  (determining by criteria, not guessing) what the body language (including facial muscles and tones of voices) is telling them.

🅹 Levels of Awareness

Whenever an internal representation shifts something will also shift in a person’s external behaviour.

• Internal shifts

• Change in sensory representation

• Images, sounds and feelings

• Externally shifts

• Facial changes

• Body language

• Tonal shifts

In NLP courses, participants learn to develop their own sensory awareness by detecting the subtle movements in another person’s physiology and voice tone. In NLP this is known as calibration which means detecting differences.

The larger movements are easy to detect.

It’s the finer shifts that require a high level of awareness. If you are naturally good at reading people, i.e. knowing when they are lying, hiding emotions etc, you have probably developed the skill of calibration unconsciously. Some people have their attention orientated internally which is fine for self awareness, however to detect change in others it is important to also have your attention oriented externally.