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Renowned psychiatrist and writer Iain McGilchrist explains how the ‘divided brain’ has profoundly altered human behaviour, culture and society (with the visual assistance of RSA Animate).

Join us for ‘Exploring the Divided Brain’ with Iain McGilchrist on the 19-22 August 2016. Click here to find out more.

Workshop with Iain McGilchrist - The Master and His Emissary and The Divided Brain

To talk to us call 01865 600 725 or use our contact form.

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If you have ever suffered from stress then you will find this video fascinating. It’s a classic example of how we frame the meaning of events in our minds can fundamentally change its impact.

Kelly McGonical explores the most recent research on stress and discusses how much of our thinking of stress might be wrong. In short it’s not stress that is the problem as such but how we view stress that creates the problem. If you find stress can be debilitating (or know someone who does) and want to put more years on your life by reducing its impact then take a look at this video.

To find out more about understanding your relationship with stress then  you might like to start with our 4-day residential NLP Diploma in The Cotswolds, UK. This highly practical and enjoyable course will give you a fundamental insight in to what stresses you and what you can do to reduce it’s impact. You’ll also a great deal more including how to improve your personal and professional relationships, understanding and appreciating difference, state management, eliminating habits and much, much more.

If you liked this post you might like:

Or for something completely different try:

Find out more about what makes you tick on our NLP Diploma programme.

To talk to us call 01865 600 725 or use our contact form.

You’ll find more free information down the right-hand side of this page and you can also follow us on FaceBook.

 

 

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If you have an interest in the MBTI™ profiling system or how the function of the brain fundamentally effects personality then we think you’ll find this video fascinating. Professor Dario Nardi of UCLA presents his recent research on how our innate preferences (as recorded by MBTI™) effect how our brain works. Dario has a particular interest in Creative Flow (something close to our hearts also) but the video is full of intriguing insights regarding behavioural preference. The bottom line is that MBTI™ is a predictor of how our brains work and is remarkably consistent – something we know to be true from practical experience on our workshops. Dario also emphasises how his work shows we are all uniquely different – something we also know to be true.

This video will make more sense to you if you have some experience of MBTI™ but that isn’t entirely necessary. Keep in mind that Dario is illustrating that we all have preferences in the way we deal with the world and MBTI™ is a good predictor of these preferences – both in theory and in practice. MBTI™ is also a good predictor of how different ‘types’ of people achieve a sense of ‘Flow’ – something of interest to anyone who wants to achieve greater success and satisfaction in life. Thanks to Google for sponsoring this talk and making it public.

To find out more about MBTI™ and behavioural preference you might like to start with our 4-day residential NLP Diploma in The Cotswolds, UK.

If you liked this post you might like:

Or for something completely different try:

Find out more about what makes you tick on our NLP Diploma programme.

To talk to us call 01865 600 725 or use our contact form.

You’ll find more free information down the right-hand side of this page and you can also follow us on FaceBook.

 

 

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The mind-body connection is fascinating and an integral part of many of our workshops and training courses. Amy Cuddy’s research on body language reveals that we can change other people’s perceptions — and even our own body chemistry — simply by changing body positions. Amy illustrates how just a simple physical change can affect testosterone and cortisol levels in the brain and literally change who you are.

To find out more about mind-body connection you might like to start with our 4-day residential NLP Diploma in The Cotswolds, UK.

If you liked this post you might like:

Or for something completely different try:

Find out more about what makes you tick on our NLP Diploma programme.

To talk to us call 01865 600 725 or use our contact form.

You’ll find more free information down the right-hand side of this page and you can also follow us on FaceBook.

 

 

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We include a great deal of the latest neuroscience in our constantly updated courses and the differences between the left and right hemisphere are particularly fascinating. In this extraordinary TED video the neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: one morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding. She studied and remembered every moment. Jill tells this story in a truly compelling and gripping way and provides an unprecedented insight to the differences between left and right hemispheres.

To find out more about how your brain works you might like to start with our 4-day residential NLP Diploma in The Cotswolds, UK.

If you liked this post you might like:

Or for something completely different try:

Find out more about what makes you tick on our NLP Diploma programme.

To talk to us call 01865 600 725 or use our contact form.

You’ll find more free information down the right-hand side of this page and you can also follow us on FaceBook.

 

 

To find out more about Field & Field and what we do sign up to our monthly newsletter below:

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In helping people deal with difficult relationships, whether working or personal relationships, there is always a basic issue that has to be tackled. Difficulties are symptomatic of differences and to truly learn and grow one has to ultimately ask, “Are you the problem?”

A useful assumption that we often make, and simply have to live by much of the time, is that everyone is essentially having a similar kind of experience of life. Shared experiences bind people together and unite our communities. Common values, beliefs and rules give us order and guidance in life. It makes sense to assume that people essentially think the same. This is a useful assumption but in reality is wrong all the time. Everyone experiences life differently and the beliefs, values, rules and preferences that we live by are uniquely individual. When you encounter a ‘difficult’ person in your life then you have hit upon a difference that can’t be ignored. You have met a different perception of the world that is in conflict with yours. Who is right?

A conflict with someone else is essentially a battle over who has the right map of the world. Here are some of the most common conflicting maps that we encounter in our coaching and training work:

Introverts and Extroverts

Introverts tend to be energised by the world of ideas and taking time to reflect. Extroverts are generally energised by interactions with others. A stereotypical introvert will often have really thought things through before talking about them. In contrast an extrovert may not have a clear idea of what they are going to say until they open their mouths. Extroverts literally need to talk to think. The extroverts preference for interaction can of course be very useful. However it can also be very disruptive to an introverts well thought out idea. While the extrovert is jabbering away the introvert can feel disrespected and unheard which isn’t a recipe for a great relationship. In fact introverts often find themselves retreating to the world of the written word while the extrovert can feel like the introvert is impossible to get to know. Both introverted and extroverted behaviour have their time and place and we all need a mix of both. I’m sure everyone can think of a time when they were too introverted or overly extrovert.

Towards and Away

Someone who has a ‘Towards’ way of thinking is always looking forward to what’s next and what they want to move towards. The ‘Away’ thinker has a tendency to focus their thoughts on what they don’t want and moving away from it. These different types of thinking can make planning the future a challenge. While one person is focused on what they want to happen the other may be determined to make sure past mistakes aren’t repeated. It can be tempting to think of ‘Towards’ thinking as a more effective or ‘positive’ attitude. However ‘Away’ thinking also helps to keep things grounded and helps us learn from the past.

Details and Big Picture thinking

Do you enjoy focusing on the facts? Are you more comfortable with going with what you can be certain about and what you have experienced before? Or perhaps you like the uncertainty and excitement of what the future will bring? Maybe you prefer to see what might emerge from combining things together? In other words do you focus on the concrete information you can rely on or do you prefer to thing about the possibilities of what could be? You need both. For any plan to be successful you need to be realistic about where you are starting from. Focusing only on what you can be certain about restricts creativity. Only focusing on what you would like to happen in the future can cause chaos and frustration because you may not be building on a solid foundation.

Planning and Options

Some people love to plan and then work that plan. These are the kind of people who love list making and ticking things off their list as they work through them. Others like to keep things open and to go with the flow; responding in the moment and enjoying uncertainty. Both behaviours are appropriate in specific contexts but we all have a natural preference. Often this preference is home or work specific, i.e., some people like to be more options orientated at work but like more order in their personal life and vice versa. There is an interesting preference overlap here that demonstrates how both are needed. Options-orientated people are usually quite good at writing procedures because they are good at thinking through all the possibilities of what might go wrong. People with a ‘Planning’ preference tend to be good at following procedures, unlike the Options-people who find it hard to stick to anyone’s instructions because they distracted by ‘how else’ they might do it.

These are of course stereotypes and our suggestion is that ideally we all need to learn to be flexible. Where the problem arises is where we become inflexible in our approach and believe people ‘should’ or ‘must’ do it our way.

So how do you get a better idea of where the other person is coming from so that you can be more flexible and consequently more influential? Here’s the framework of a basic approach:

  • Learn to notice and appreciate difference. If you can learn to see the world from your own and other’s point of view then you ultimately have a richer and more complete view of the world.
  • Be prepared to compromise and recognise that flexibility in our own behaviour often gives us more choices and influence. It isn’t a failing or a personal loss to give up on our preferred way of doing something. Being flexible and trying different approaches is when we learn the most.
  • Find common ground when approaches differ and take time to negotiate and discuss what you can and can’t be flexible on.

If you’re interested in how to be better at appreciating difference and developing your personal flexibility then you’ll enjoy our all-inclusive NLP Diploma course in The Cotswolds.  Dealing with people that have a totally different view of things, either in the workplace or within personal relationships, can feel exhausting at times. Our aim is to make that easier for you as a life skill. To find out more click here.

If you liked this post you might also like:

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When we take on a new role or enter a new environment for the first time we can find ourselves acting out perceived expectations of how we should be. This is a trap and we can find ourselves unconsciously creating discomfort and awkwardness. The problem is that we are not behaving like ourselves and instead we are acting like we think others want us to be. The end result is that we can end up playing a role we are not familiar with hoping that it will fit what others want from us. The end result is confusion and incongruence.

If you read any recent book on leadership or entrepreneurship that takes a case study approach you will find that they all essentially reach the same conclusion. The bottom line is that anyone who is successful is very self-aware and extremely conscious of their own strengths and weaknesses. Another way of putting it is that they have an accurate and resilient self-concept which is open to feedback and very firmly connected to the reality of what is happening around them. This is not new. The eastern philosophy of ‘start from where you are’ expressed in Buddhism has been around for a long time.

Here’s a simple model for considering self-concept and how this relates to self-esteem.

High self-esteem occurs when your actions, values and self-concept are in alignment

Self-esteem is the result of the evaluation of your self-concept in comparison with your actual behaviour and your values. If you think you are a certain type of person, act in that way and also value how you behave then you can be said to have high self-esteem. However if your actions, in your own evaluation, suggest otherwise and/or you don’t value your way of being then you have low self-esteem.

For example, take the quality of being a determined person. If you value being ‘determined’ and your actions match this value then this will tend to lead to high self-esteem (of course ‘determined’ is a generalisation and will mean something different to everyone). If you find yourself being determined, but not actually valuing this quality, i.e., you might be living up to someone else’s expectations, then this will lead to frustration and lower self-esteem. Conversely if you find yourself not being determined, but truly value this quality, then this will also lead to low self-esteem.

So in summary high self-esteem occurs when your actions, values and self-concept are in alignment.

What about people who have too much self-esteem? People who appear to be over-confident or arrogant actually may be suffering from a rather insecure self-concept, i.e., they need reassurance from others or need to dominate in order to feel valued. A person whose actions are in line with their values and self-concept has little need to mention to others how great they are. They just ‘are’ and happy about it.

The first step to any personal change should always be self-awareness. This is the core frame for all our training and coaching work at Field & Field. In our NLP Diploma course, for example, the underlying theme is ‘relationships’, the most important relationship being the relationship you have with yourself. If you are up for greater self-awareness leading to more success and greater personal happiness then take a look at our fully-residential NLP Diploma course in The Cotswolds.

If you liked this post you might also like:

To talk to us call 01865 600 725 or use our contact form.

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Sometimes it can feel like the world is in chaos and perhaps it’s better to just hang tight and wait. The reality is that this is hardly ever an effective strategy for an organisation, team or individual. The world moves on and staying put will mean that you are in effect going backwards.

The most successful are either moving or preparing to move based on what they perceive the future will be. And when the future isn’t certain then the long-term winners are proactively speculating to prepare themselves for different scenarios that might be. They are getting ready so they can more effectively respond rather than react.

How are you preparing for what’s next? How are you managing your mental state to most aware of the opportunities in front of you? How do you perceive the world in order to prepare and move to action?

To think about this more and to turn those thoughts in to action you might like to review some of our past posts with ‘preparing for what’s next’ in mind:

To create more in your life you might like to take a look at our popular NLP Diploma programme; a 4-day residential course in the inspiring Cotswolds exploring how your mind works with a great bunch of friendly people.

To talk to us call 01865 600 725 or use our contact form.

You’ll find more free information down the right-hand side of this page and you can also follow us on FaceBook.

 

 

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It’s good to have goals isn’t it? Of course it is. As coaches and trainers we are also acutely aware that many people have goals, love telling others all about them but they never seem to quite manage to get there. What’s going on? Well the reality is that by talking out our goals we may be unintentionally diluting the energy needed to start and maintain the action required to achieving them. However of course we need to share our goals in order to get much needed support, encouragement and essential information. There is an answer to this paradox but you first might like to take a look at Derek Sivers short TED video. Just click on the image below to do so.

The bottom line is that talking about a goal doesn’t make it happen – in fact spreading the joy may indeed be counter productive. Making it happen makes it happen.

You should discuss goals with the key people in your life that can influence your success. In fact you are going to have to. However, to be most effective, only tell them what you need to.

There is another angle to goal setting. Did you know that some of your friends, family and colleagues secretly don’t want you to achieve your goals, no matter how enthusiastic they appear to be? They don’t consciously mean to thwart you and it simply is just part of human nature. You see many people have goals they want to achieve in life but also struggle to achieve them. Their level of satisfaction and happiness in life is unconsciously drawn from comparing themselves to others. If you struggle and deviate from your goal then it makes it ok for others to struggle with their goals. If you fail then it makes their failure easier to deal with.

If you change something in your life it often imposes a change on others because they are part of the system. If you don’t make a change then they also don’t feel the need to change anything either. You staying as you are makes it ok for them to stay the way they are. The danger is that you reach the end of your life and are still talking about all the things you could have done.

So why do so many successful people use professional coaches or mentors in their life to ensure their success? Talking a goal through with an experienced coach is very different from telling friends, colleagues and family about your bright new future. A good coach will:

  • Ensure your goal is well structured and in line with your values and sense of who you are.
  • Help you identify specific actions you are willing to commit to take and when.
  • Keep you on track and help you navigate difficulties on your path to achieving your end goal.
  • In the most appropriate way, remind you that you haven’t finished until you are finished.

So if you really want to make things happen, get focused on what is realistic, take action and be very careful about how and when you involve others. Use a coach or mentor to help keep you on track. Then watch and enjoy how this also inspires others to take action and make their own goals happen – but don’t ask them to tell you all about it. Who are the most inspirational people in your life? Is it because they talk about what they are going to do or is it because of what they’ve done?

To find out more about effective goal setting and how to create the life you want take a look at our NLP Diploma programme.

If you liked this post you might like:

Find out how to help yourself and others set great goals on the Field & Field NLP Diploma programme.

To talk to us call 01865 600 725 or use our contact form.

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Some NLP techniques are unbelievably simple and straightforward. In fact it’s the simplicity of NLP that many people find so attractive. Here’s one such concept that anyone can use to create a better experience of life.

We all have self-talk. Some of it very negative. Have you found yourself saying to yourself something like:

“I can’t do that”
“I know I’m going to screw it up”
“I don’t deserve this”
“Who do you think you are?”

The things we say to ourselves are often expressions of inner beliefs or self-limiting behaviours. They can also be like a recording of something we’ve heard someone else say to us; perhaps a parent or teacher. In the moment this inner dialogue can feel very real and has the effect of limiting our choices and/or shattering our confidence. It can catch us out, just at the wrong moment, and be a trigger for anxiety and panic.

There is a value to this type of self-talk. It can stop us being too confident, arrogant or simply reckless. However it can also be disabling and unhelpful. Often we speak to people who we know are very capable and the only thing holding them back is a lack of self-belief that is expressed through a negative internal dialogue. For example we’ve worked with many people that have an excellent track record of presenting confidently but sometimes this inner voice catches them out. They’ve learned to avoid it by avoiding presenting, despite the fact they have had plenty of experience of presenting well. Interviews, first dates, difficult conversations and many other scenario’s, where the person can’t have complete control of the situation, are all potential situations where their ‘voice of doom’ can hold people back.

This can be very simple to deal with and can be handled in minutes. Within NLP there is the concept of submodalities. Simply put, we represent experiences in our minds and how we represent these experiences effects how we relate to them. Our minds are incredibly flexible and we have much more choice over how we code these inner representations than most people realise. By simply changing how we represent our inner world we can change our state of mind and give ourselves much more choice in our behaviour. Dealing with negative self-talk is a straightforward example of this kind of change in action.

Move it

The first option is to move it. Firstly tune in to where the voice is coming from. Often there is sense that it comes from just behind you on one side or the other but it could come from anywhere. Try moving it and notice how you relationship to the voice changes as you move it’s apparent location.

Change it

Notice that we haven’t suggested changing what the voices say. We’ve left the words as they are. This is deliberate as changing the words can often result in a less effective change. NLP can be thought of as creating more choice in the way we respond to both internal and external influences. It’s not about changing the influence but changing the meaning we make of it.

Some ways to change a negative voice (other than moving it):

Speed it up
Slow it down
Lower or raise the tone
Add background music

It’s remarkable how flexible our minds can be and how quickly you can make a change sometimes. This I also a simple example of just how straightforward an NLP approach can be and how easy it is to add greater choices in our lives. And of course you still have the choice to keep the negative voice as it was originally – but then again you now know you can respond to it just how you want to.

To create more choice in your life you might like to take a look at our popular NLP Diploma programme. A 4-day residential course in the inspiring Cotswolds exploring how your mind works with a great bunch of friendly people – what does your inner voice say about that?

If you liked this post you might like:

Find out more about giving yourself a good talking to on our NLP Diploma programme.

To talk to us call 01865 600 725 or use our contact form.

You’ll find more free information down the right-hand side of this page and you can also follow us on FaceBook.

 

 

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