Nigel Heath.
Innovation in Action.
More than just a summary of the year.
As the group organiser I attend every meeting. Even if I wasn’t the organiser I would still do my best to be there every month, because every session contains at least one new learning or personal Aha!
So how have I, as an NLP Therapist and Coach, used the learnings from the year?
There is so much! We could spend a whole week exploring the Goodies served up to us by this year’s speakers.
I began by sharing the list of evenings and the speakers who have graced us with their presence (presents)! Our theme for 2005, after much discussion amongst the Management (me) was Innovation.
Who had asked us to be innovative this year?
Marian; Nancy & Emma; Jonathan & Doug; Carol & Sue; Gavin.
Who had shown us the way with their own innovation?
Peter; Pam; Graham; Carol & Sue; Marian; Gavin; Kevin; Dianne; Jonathan.
We spent a few moments recalling the sessions we remembered or thought we remembered. Then to prove I can structure an evening almost as well as I can disrupt others we moved into our first exercise. The P.C. Game. This brought together our session in February with Peter Young and our session in October with Kevin Cherry. P.C. standing here for “premature closure”. A game loosely based on a Two Ronnies sketch. Played in pairs. A says to B “Have you seen my er ...” in the pregnant pause B attempts to finish A’s sentence. A keeps saying “No!” until B either guesses or gives up. When A finishes his/her sentence. Then B says “Today I bumped into um ...” A’s turn to find creative things or people for B to have bumped into. Got the hang of this? Find someone to play with and go for it! We played this game for a while and then regrouped to find out what had happened.
We found that ‘space’ is valuable. Its not always helpful to have someone else close it down. State management in this case becomes important. The game was devised for Premature Closure by the listener but one person in the group shared their own way of closure as the speaker. As I recall the explanation went thus:- “Someone asked me the other day what I was doing for Xmas. Well I’ve been thinking a lot about it in here (gestures to head) but as soon as I began to talk about it and was thinking out here (gestures out in front) it became obvious to me that many of the things I’d been thinking about in here (head) were just not viable. So I knew what I was going to do at Xmas and didn’t need to continue answering the question.”
So.. are you nodding wisely in complete understanding?
Or has your mouth dropped open as your eyes cross and glaze in perplexity?
It was a privilege to be stood in front of the group watching just this mix of reactions and we spent some time in a small digression as a result of this.
Which I think took us to the break and Mince Pies.
Time for another game / exercise. “Spot the meta-program”. (May, June, November) Beautifully illustrated by cartoons (April)
Another game for two. Spookily A & B. But you could always be X & Z if that works for you. A tells B about something A finds interesting that has happened recently. E.g. a holiday. As A speaks A runs through some meta-programs (away from - towards), (Big picture - detail), (sameness - difference). As A is talking A also notices B’s reaction and attempts to calibrate the preferred meta-programs of B. B’s role is to listen and respond as naturally as any NLPer can.
This game can be enhanced / complicated by adding in the representational systems (VAKOG). An additional twist for the very experienced NLPer. So A is doing all the work. Not only talking but watching the response and changing the language to match B’s preferred way of ‘hearing’ / understanding / enjoyment of the subject.
The ‘wash up’ for this produced some interesting insights for people and our discussion once again strayed. It strayed so interestingly that I was reluctant to stop the flow.
We talked about the future direction of NLP, the spirituality of NLP, the energy flow of NLP. Then it was time for the last exercise / game.
The Story Generator.
I asked the group to call out random words, which I wrote on the flip chart. Such interesting things as ..
Spatial awareness; Onomatopoeia; Mince pies; Hat; Fish; Spreadsheets; Italian cat: Brain; Penguin; Centipede; Swimming; Graveyards; Mobile phones.
Use the words to make a story.
“A centipede was drawing fishes on a spreadsheet with fifty of its feet whilst holding its hat on with the other fifty when it mince pied a penguin swimming past talking on a mobile phone and frying its brain in the process. The penguin was talking to its friend the italian cat who was in the graveyard using his spatial awareness to find a mat to pee on!
Go on make up your own story.
I asked for feedback but I’m too modest to reveal it to you lot. Thank you to all who have come along to the group in 2005 and I hope you will make even more sessions as we explore the KISS of NLP in 2006.

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