When I first considered studying Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) what drew me in was the consistency between some basic premises in this field and the philosophy of communication I already possessed, both from earning my B.S. in Communication at Cornell University and also years of advocacy journalism (a combination of community organizing and creating media for the purpose of delivering those results).

Topping the list of similarities was one of NLP’s core presuppositions: the meaning of the message is the result it gets. This is congruent with the academic idea I was taught of owning responsibility for confirming that other people have taken from my communication the meaning I intended them to get. For example, if I ask you to take out the garbage, and you place the contents of the kitchen trash outside in the pail beside the house without dragging it all to the curb, then I can’t really fault you when none of it is removed by the garbage truck the next morning. You would have done what I asked, and my lack of specificity and confirmation that you understood my intention would be responsible for the outcome – the meaning of my original message was the result that it produced.

A result can also be thought of as an outcome, distinguished in NLP as more specific than a goal or direction. Let me be clear about this. It is good to have a direction, and to be headed in the direction of your goal by keeping your attention on what you want (recommended by various schools of thought). To be best prepared to get what you want, it is useful to know in advance what evidence your senses will experience as proof that you’ve got it. This is one of several parts of what NLP calls a well-formed outcome.

In my previous work as an advocacy journalist, I frequently wrote about strategies for social change, including what I called the “3 principles of a well chosen goal.” More recently I’ve learned my old theories in this area contained kernels of the much more thorough NLP conditions of a well-formed outcome.

• Whereas I used to focus on “what would be better,” NLP calls for outcomes to be stated in the positive (always identifying what is wanted, rather than what to avoid or eliminate).
• My earlier emphasis on “identifying the least you can do, and committing to doing at least that much” is akin to NLP’s focus on the process and context of change efforts, as well as finding the appropriate “chunk” size for next steps.
• As an organizer I often favored tactics and strategies aimed at shifting the relationship of power between the People and the institutions asserting control over us. Such ideas were in contrast to protesting, lobbying or even demanding change from those in authority, and correspond to NLP’s principle that a well-formed outcome requires steps started and managed by the person or people pursuing the result.

Influential NLP trainer and author Robert Dilts offers the following summary of when a goal is considered well-formed. It will be: stated in positive terms; defined and evaluated according to sensory based evidence; initiated and maintained by the person or group who desires the goal; made to preserve the positive by-products of the present state; and appropriately contextualized to fit the ecology of the surrounding system.

These parameters apply whether the outcome is for an individual, a relationship, a business, or a social change organization. If you want to set a new direction, clarify goals, or sharpen your tactics, the well-formed outcome and other NLP principles are valuable tools I can help you to apply.

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Dave Berman is a Life Coach and Certified Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). He offers private and confidential sessions in his Arcata, CA office and remotely via Skype. Learn more at www.ManifestPositivity.com or call (707) 845-3749 for a free consultation. Subscribe to future articles from Manifest Positivity:

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Posted 1/16/11
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