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As you can imagine, more thoughts came bubbling through as a result of my NLP Conference workshop – the Hidden Skills of Modelling. Here’s just one chain of thought that has emerged for me.

On a show of hands, the majority of the audience had experience of modelling and had a commitment to the process, implicit in their attendance. To start off the workshop, I asked the participants – ‘What do you believe about modelling?’. After much talk, people offered comments about what modelling is, what’s involved, what the results are, and one person said that to understand modelling you needed to model it. There was then a bit of spontaneous discussion about some specifics.

What didn’t come through was any comment about the processes involved, how modelling was managed, what skills were required, and the impact and effectiveness of the modeller. This was curious since NLP lives in the domain of the How, and arguably is the homeland of all modellers.

But more curious than that, no one referenced the ‘Why’ of it. No one commented on why they were interested in pursuing modelling, what they believed the process offered the community and the world, why making a difference through developing their skills was important to them. No one spoke of their mission that fuelled their passion, or at least their interest.

Now maybe, since it is said that we have to go to the level higher to understand the level we are at, being naturally in the How as a body of NLPers meant the beliefs about What automatically emerged. However the same thinking could be applied to understanding the How through connecting with the beliefs about the overall, all consuming Why.

For me, rallying to Grinder’s cry that unless new models were created, NLP would become a footnote in history is part of my why. For some reason, I am obsessively code congruent and need to find ways of walking my talk. However that is not the only reason, since mere compliance isn’t a strong motivator.

The more I pursue modelling as an approach in my 1:1 work, the more I realise that it is the only approach which fully honours the individual and gives themselves back to themselves – easily and honourably. For me as the modeller, it is the quickest and surest way to connect with the spirit of another, which is both awesome and humbling. And as a servant, using my talents and skills which have been gifted to me and worked upon by my, it is a spiritually healthy way of enabling others to become who they are here to be in this world.

And then when I mix with other modellers, I am instantly touched by their humanity, their lack of ego and their wonder of life and the human condition. Their lack of judgement, their instant openness and still listening, and their affirmation of others is something I want to emulate. True modellers live the contribution they are drawn to make.

So modelling is first and foremost an attitude, as Bandler says. I would also suggest that unless we know what could be the spiritual payoffs for ourselves, then we may continue to treat it as something to do to gain a certificate, or generate an improved service or product. And that would be missing the point, wouldn’t it?

© 2005 Fran Burgess November 2005