This framework shows how we as individuals organise what we do on a daily basis and also the steps we take to develop ourselves and how we achieve what we do.
The Neurological Levels are sometimes referred to as a hierarchy of steps we go through when referring to an experience we have had or are going through. When people speak of an experience you can follow what they say and then how this links back to the different neurological levels.
Neurological levels and coaching
When you are coaching somebody having a full understanding of how the neurological levels work will help you to work with your client to make the changes they want in their lives. By really identifying which parts of the neurological levels their issue is in, you can focus on making the change in that one particular level. You may find that there is one aspect in one of the levels that is holding your client back from making the change and when you have uncovered that area you will be able to help your client make the change they need to move on and be the change they want to see.
When using neurological levels with a coaching client it will enable you to:
- Understand at which level the issues starts from, this then allows you to work at this level and base your sessions around solving this aspect
- Find out what the client is going through during the experience they want to change
- Understand at which level the change needs to take place
- Find out where the issue starts.
When you have understood the logical levels it will help your coaching sessions to work really effectively with your clients by making changes at the right level rather than where you think it might be. Through understanding the logical level that needs to be changed it gives you as a coach some ideas of the areas you need to work on with your client to ensure they can get the outcome they want.
You may also find that through making a small change at one of the levels it will have a big impact on another level and therefore help the change to happen a lot quicker with far reaching outcomes. As all of the levels are connected making a changing in one area will have an impact on the other levels that will have an overall effect on the outcome the client wants.
Neurological levels work well on individuals, however if you coach businesses and organisations they can also be used to help them to change as well. In any business there will be some point where what it does, how it works and who it employs fits into the neurological levels. Through the coach asking the right questions of a company or just through observing what is happening you can find out where the change needs to take place. By working on the area of a business where the change needs to happen it will have a big effect on how the company is run.
To fully understand how to use the neurological level with clients, you first need to fully understand how each of the levels work and the types of questions you could ask to find out more information relating to how your client reacts to each of the levels, this will then help you to find the heart of the issue and then resolve it.
Out of all of the NLP tools we have to use, using neurological levels will make the biggest impact on your clients.
The Neurological levels
To be able to work with the neurological levels you need to have a really good understanding about how they work and what you can do with them, an explanation of each level is listed below:
|
The neurological level |
What it refers to |
|
Environment – where and when |
This is the physical area where the person is having this experience, this can be at home, at work, social aspects or with a certain group of people |
|
Behaviour – what |
This refers to what you actual do or do not do, this relates to what is happening at the specific time or what needs to be done |
|
Capability – how |
This refers to the knowledge and skills that a person has to perform a certain task it also looks at the processes people use as well |
|
Beliefs and values - why |
This shapes our understanding of why we can do some things and some things we believe we cannot do. It helps us to understand what drives us to make decisions. |
|
Identity - who |
This level looks at the person we believe we are it is our identity and looks at how we perceive ourselves |
|
Vision – for who or what |
This refers to a large sense of purpose sometimes referred to as a mission or vision for life |
At each of these levels you can ask questions that help you to get right at the heart of an issue
Working with the neurological levels
In this section we are going to look at some of the questions you can ask your clients to enable you to get a fuller understanding of how each level is impacting on their behaviour.
Environment Level
This refers to everything that is going on around the person including, where they live, where they work, where they socialise, and the people they interact with. If somebody wants to make a change, do they need to make this at the environment level, in areas such as:
- Does where they current live or work support the change
- Do the people they are around support the change
For example:
If somebody wanted to give up smoking how much harder would it be if they still were surrounded by other people who smoked or they were in an environment where cigarettes were easily available.
If somebody wanted to make positives steps in changing their life around and they were in an environment that was full of people who told them that change was not possible and that there would be no point in trying.
In the above 2 examples that would really make it hard for your client to make a change as something would always be holding them back
By addressing the needs of the client at the environmental level they can see where they need to change to make the difference they want in their life
Behaviour Level
This looks at the current behaviour your client has and what they might need to change to ensure they can achieve the goal they are after. This includes both actions and thoughts, the behaviour level can be one of the hardest level too change as it is closely linked to other neurological levels.
This will refer to the specific actions and thoughts that you need to change
-
If you want to lose weight what current actions do you need to change, maybe eat more healthy take some exercise
- If you want to give up smoking what can you do instead what thoughts do you have to remove from your mind
-
What behaviours are holding you back, if you do not take action you will not get the change you need
Capability Level
This section refers to the know how of why and how we do certain things, it encompasses the strategy, processes and procedures we follow and the skills, knowledge and understanding we have in order for us to do certain things. This links very closely with the behaviour level as the behaviour is what lies inside a person and the capability is shown externally when somebody displays a behaviour
This will refer to what is missing in terms of capability
- If your client wants to eat healthy and knows nothing about nutrition then this could be a holding them back
- A client may want to go and explore other parts of the world yet does not know how to plan a route or a long trip
- A client may want to be more assertive yet does not know what it means to be assertive and confuses this with aggression
- Your client may not have a strategy in place to be able to make the changes that are being demanded of them in the workplace and therefore does not attempt them.
Beliefs and values level
This is where a client has a belief that they can or cannot do something and that making change can be hard. By changing a person’s belief it can help them make huge steps forward in what they want to achieve in life. Our beliefs give us meaning to how we act and what we do and are the principles we adhere to when we take action. Our values refer to what is important to us and are what we use to drive our life forward. Values and beliefs together provide us with a rationale in why we behave in a certain way and a force to move us into action. By clients have negative beliefs or they are forced to take actions that will go against their values they will find it a challenge to make the changes asked of them
Your clients could show this through
-
A belief that it is extremely hard to give up smoking or to lose weight
-
A belief that they do not have the skills or capabilities to carry out a particular task
-
A belief that they are not able to change
-
A belief that people who have money are not nice people
-
A value that others are always put first ahead of self
Identity level
This refers to your client’s sense of who they are inside and what makes them the person that they are. A person’s identity comes from their life experiences they way they have lived their life and what they have gone through will have a huge impact on how they see themselves. At the identity level it is where the person has a true sense of who they are, this can be one of the hardest levels to change as it is ingrained in their core being. When the client makes the change at this level it will have the biggest impact on who they are
This may be seen through
- Being known as the fat person in the office – the person will always identify with being that fat person in the office
- If you are the person who is always helping others ahead of themselves their identity comes through the need to help others to and not who they really are
Vision level
This refers to a higher plane of existence and the way the client connects with their ethics, religion and spirituality. At this level the person starts to get in touch to who they really are and what they want to experience in life, it helps people to see the part they have to play in the bigger picture of existence.
Questions to ask at each level
Below are some example questions that you could ask at each level to help to move your client forward and to uncover where the change needs to take place. This will allow you to start to consider the interventions you can use to help your client to change.
|
Environment |
|
“What do you currently have around you that supports your vision and what hinders it?” “What needs to change in your surroundings?” “Who do you need to move away from and who do you need to move towards?” “What parts of your environment do you need to reinforce and make stronger and what else needs to be in place” “Where can you go to create the change you want to have?” |
|
Behaviour |
|
“What actions are you taking everyday to move towards where you want to be?” “What actions are you currently using that are holding you back?” “What thoughts do you have that support your goal and which do you have that holds you back?” “What thoughts and actions do you need to do differently to achieve your goal?” “Which of your behaviours support your goal and which challenge it?” |
|
Capability |
|
“What skills do you already have to help you to achieve your goal” “What skills do you need that will help you to support your goal?” “How will you handle the change needed to achieve your goal?” “What knowledge do you need to help you to support your goal” “ How do you reward yourself for making changes and moving towards your goal?” |
|
Beliefs and values |
|
“How do you view yourself and what you do?” “What do you believe about yourself” “What is it you truly value now and about the goal you want to achieve?” “What do you believe that others think of you now?” “What do you think they will believe of you when you have made the change and achieved your goal” “What beliefs do you have that are holding you back?” “What beliefs do you have that will propel you towards achieving your goal?” “What do you value above all else?” |
|
Identity |
|
“How would you describe and describe who you currently are?” “How will you describe the person you want to become?” “ What makes you unique?” “ What are your strengths and areas for development?” “What part of your identity is holding you back?” |
|
Vision |
|
“ What larger body are you a part of, socially, at work, spiritually?” “What legacy do you want to leave behind you” “What difference do you want to make in the world?” “ What value do you currently bring to different parts of your life?” “What other parts of your life’s mission do you want to explore?” |
When working with a client exploring their neurological level response to a situation can really help to clarify at which level they are stuck and what actions or resources they need to solve the situation.
By using the questions listed above you can then find out:
Environment
Is there a need to gather more information on what the current situation is
Behaviour
Do they know exactly what they need to do and have enough information to be able to do it
Capability
Do they doubt their ability in what they need to do
Values and beliefs
Do they know that they have the ability to do the job or do they believe that they do not, do they believe it is important for them to make the change or feel they do not need to
Identity
Do they feel that what they want to achieve is not really fitting comfortably with them, is it a worthwhile thing for them to do
Vision
Does what you want to achieve fit in with what they feel their purpose is
If you would like an exercise to use with your clients to work through their neurological levels please feel free to contact me and I will send you one.
