NLP and Teaching

Aurélie de Baudus is a teacher of communication in a business school (Espas, Lille) and also responsible for the Bachelor programme. She also teaches communication in an engineering school.

She writes "NLP has helped me adapt my presentations to different audiences and representation systems. I try to base my teaching on visual, auditory and kinesthetic exercises and try to take into account differing maps of the world. Before a course, I can also "choose the right state" by anchoring it. Shelle Rose Charvet's module on LAB Profile, part of the Master Practitioner course, is also helpful. I now know that some people can be "towards" and others "away from" focused.

I also coach students on their motivation, methodology and on occasion on personal issues when needed. In that respect, NLP is also very useful for active listening since it helps to focus both on verbal and non verbal and more specifically to decode non verbal signals.

Teaching can be stressful. I used to make mountains out of molehills. NLP helps me to be more focused on "here and now" and choose my states as mentioned above. I have noticed that when under stress/pressure, my rep system is very much visual and if in such moments I can concentrate on sensations, being more kinesthetic, this has an immediate soothing effect on me.

Generally, the Meta Mirror has helped me to manage stress in difficult relationships. Being able to disassociate in this case enables me to be more objective and efficient. As with maps and territories, the Meta Mirror can help to develop 'non-judgment' and be in other people's shoes. I often practice meditation.

To me, NLP has been a wonderful tool kit. I still need to practice and re-read my manuals if I want to improve myself. As for any serious personal development technique, there is nothing magic about NLP: the training is 50% of the trip and it's our own responsibility to "stay on the road" and enjoy the trip by incorporating NLP into our life. NLP has triggered many positive changes and helped me have a clearer vision of my values in life and at work and of want I want out of my work."