Background Information :

About NLP

Choosing a provider

Features :

Competitions
NLP Articles
NLP Exercises
Newsletters
Top Tips
Podcasts

Learner's Resources :

Members discussion forum

NLP Practitioner Quizzes

NLP Master Practitioner Quizzes

Poetry and Metaphor

NLP Book Reviews

Useful links

May Exercise of the Month Developed by Fran Burgess May 2005

Box 9 is a framework for discovering where your greatest comfort and discomfort lies in the Unknown. It is based on work by John McWhirter in his From To In model.

Many people hold back from going into the Unknown because it is too frightening and full of unexpected undesirable surprises. However not all of it is dangerous. Some of it is positively enhancing. The key is know where for you the most challenging areas lie.

Exploring and staying in the Unknown, so that you can learn, grow and develop, requires being comfortably uncomfortable. Box 9 allows you to discover for yourself where your acceptable/unacceptable comfort/discomfort areas are.

You can use it in various ways.

1. IDENTIFYING PATTERNS to let you know where you can shine, where you are likely to become demoralised or frightened, where you are bored, and possibly where you just put your faith in the universe. Find out for yourself which Box or Boxes are the ones to watch.
2. USING PAST EXPERIENCES to identify resources to help you in the future - and in the process remind you that you survived before and gained all the benefits that went with that.
3. EXPLORING A NEW SITUATION to establish just where you need to pay attention, identify necessary resources and prepare in advance. You could work with shifting submodalities, applying metaphors, or consulting mentors.

Different people pay attention to different things within a situation - their levels of knowledge and experience, the effect they are having on others, and their position and standing in the eyes of others. When conditions are favourable, they will gain a sense of connection, achievement or impact respectively. Conversely they will become stressed if these conditions are not met.

• The Context refers to the situation or scenario that you are in. This relates to the impact you can have, and the position you create.
  
• The Objects refers to the people, equipment, organisations who are involved in the situation.
  
• The Knowledge refers to your own knowledge, skills and experience base.
  

So off you go and enjoy!

Box 7 context familiar don't have knowledge don't know objects	Box 8 context faintly familiar don't have knowledge don't know objects	Box 9 context unfamiliar don't have knowledge don't know objects
Box 4 context familiar have knowledge know some objects	Box 5 context faintly familiar have some knowledge know some objects	Box 6 context unfamiliar don't have knowledge know some objects
Box 1 context familiar have knowledge know objects	Box 2 context faintly familiar have knowledge know objects	Box 3 context unfamiliar have knowledge know objects

Fran Burgess
Director of Training