NLP five fundamental areas

There are five fundamental areas that you can incorporate on a daily basis are:

1. Breathing:

The breathing pattern speaks volumes about the person and his state of mind. A change in the rate of breathing indicated a change in the mental state of the person. When you begin to notice a variation in the breathing rate of a person, try to observe from where the person is breathing. Notice whether the person is breathing from the stomach or the chest. You will also be able to detect a difference in the tempo and pattern of the person’s breathing. If during a conversation, you notice a change in the breathing style, try to figure out what part of the conversation triggered a change in feelings or thought for the person. Once you start to understand the breathing shifts of the person, and calibrate these shifts to their internal state of mind, you will be able to find an answer to your question even before the person responds verbally, as mentioned in Neuro-linguistic courses.

It is advisable however to observe the top of the shoulder of a person for capturing their breathing patterns, mostly to avoid offending the person by staring. By noticing the movement of the shoulders, you can understand a shift in breathing pattern. This will also help you concentrate and observe the expressions on the face as well. You can also practice these Neuro-linguistic skills by observing breathing patterns of actors on the television by muting the volume and looking at their shoulders. Another method is to observe the pulse rate of the person, looking at the artery in the neck or the pulse rate of the vein in the temple.

2. Changes in Color:

It might seem too impossible, but the unconscious mind is already capable of picking up color changes. All you need to do is consciously practice this Neuro-linguistic skill by increasing your color awareness. You will need to start seeing things in terms of contrast. Contrast can help you notice the differences in color. A person’s face is not of just one color, but has shades of pink, brown, cream, yellow etc. The colors on the face change during the conversation, and with different emotions. Once you start noticing these color changes, you can include different emotions in the conversation and calibrate these emotions against the person’s color responses.

3. Minute muscle changes:

The muscles of the face also change with different internal emotions. The facial muscles can get tense or relax according to the internal states. Try to watch the small muscles near the jaw line, around the mouth, and around the outer corner of the eye. As per Neuro-linguistic programming, when a person gets tense, the muscles in the forehead will get tense and the muscles around the eyes will be creased. You can try to predict these characteristics in the person by initiating a conflicting topic, and then attuning your interpretation to the muscle tones and emotions of the person. Over time, you will become adept at capturing these muscles contractions and relaxations of muscles.

4. Lower lip changes:

This technique if not performed properly might get you in trouble. You can get a lot of Neuro-linguistic information about the person’s inner feelings by observing the lower lip, which is a bit difficult to control consciously. By observing the shape, color, size, texture, edges, stretching and movement, you can learn to interpret the emotions behind the action. You can start by observing the minute changes and creating a map of the emotion with the state of the lower lip. By taking a mental picture of this association, you can then use it to calibrate the emotions, and compare with other people as well.

5. Voice sounds or tones:

Tone of our voice is probably the most significant cue for nonverbal communication. An expert communicator is well trained in understanding the sound quality of the person’s voice and picking up the minute tone variations.

The voice sound and the tones are strong indications of the person’s internal state of mind. Start practicing by listening to the voice pitch, volume, tempo, rhythm, resonance and clarity, as given in Neuro-linguistic courses. An effective tool for practice is the television or radio. Here the content of the topic is not important, but the shift in pitch and tone. Changes to these aspects will portray the internal image of the person. With increased focus and practice, you will be able to calibrate voice and tone effectively and get deeper insight into the person’s mental world.