Modelling
Modelling Others
Modelling others involves noticing their behaviour, listening to what they say and asking questions. In this way we build up our model of their reality.
In classic NLP behavioural modelling, we build a model of someone’s pattern of excellence. We want to get the most accurate model possible, to construct a more generalised model for passing on to others.
When we are modelling someone else, as far as possible we want to keep our own stuff out of the model so that it is a faithful representation of how that person does what they do. We call this being ‘clean’.
Self-Modelling
Being clean is even more important when facilitating a client to self-model. Here the client is building a model of their own experience. They are both the modeller and the person being modelled. We are just facilitating that process. Inevitably we are producing our own model of their stuff but the purpose is for the person to build their own model of their process.
Modelling for Change
Modelling is a great way to work respectfully with someone who wants to change something in their map. The difference between modelling and modelling for change is that the client expresses a desire for you to work with them to help them to achieve something that they want. These conditions form the contract between the facilitator and client.
As facilitators we need to be particularly vigilant when change is in the air, because it is so ingrained in us to want to make things right for people, and to make suggestions that we know work every time… in our map. But if change isn’t going to come from our brilliant suggestions, then where is it going to come from? The answer is that it is going to emerge organically from the client’s own self-modelling process. The change that emerges from their system will ‘fit’ their system perfectly.
[...] Clean and Spirituality by Judy Rees, Resource Magazine, February 2008 The Model Clean Special Edition, January 2007 Successful resolutions with Clean Language by Judy Rees Whose Map Is It Anyway? by Wendy Sullivan and Phil Swallow [...]