Media Release

Mangaluru, Sep 24: A staff enrichment programme was organized for the educators of St Aloysius Pre-University College. Divya D’Souza, an expert in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and a leader in empowering individuals through conversational reprogramming and NLP techniques was the resource person for the session. Divya is the founder president of EVOLVE, a women’s entrepreneurs’ association, and vice president of MSDO, Bengaluru.

Divya, shared her insights on Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), providing an in-depth look into its practical applications and relevance, especially for educators. She began by recounting her personal experience with NLP and how she embraced its principles, emphasizing that learning the basics of NLP is a hands-on skill that can be highly beneficial in both professional and personal spheres.

Divya explained that NLP, developed in the 1970s by co-founders John Grinder and Richard Bandler, was modeled on the work of Milton Erickson, a renowned therapist. Erickson's conversational approach had a miraculous impact on his patients, which led Grinder and Bandler to study and mirror his techniques a process known as modeling, a core skill in NLP that allows individuals to adopt useful behaviors or skills from others, even those they may not personally favor.

Delving deeper, she elaborated on the terms 'Linguistic', referring to language patterns that can effect change and 'Programming', which refers to conditioned behaviors or repetitive patterns.

Divya highlighted the wide-ranging applications of NLP, such as improving productivity, communication, and emotional mastery. She also pointed out that NLP can be effective within just a few sessions, without the need for prolonged engagement, helping individuals limit unproductive behaviors.

She emphasized the growing pressures on teachers, who not only face heavy workloads but are also expected to manage stress and adapt to changing demands at the workplace. NLP, she noted, can assist in classroom management and help educators connect better with students. While many teachers may already intuitively recognize certain behaviors, learning calibration skills—understanding how we process sensory information—can provide deeper insights into student behavior.

Divya introduced the concept of representation systems, identifying three types of learners: Visual learners, Auditory learners and Kinesthetic learners.

She explained how recognizing the distinct characteristics of each learner type could help teachers identify behaviors and tailor their teaching methods accordingly. She also touched on the idea of muscle memory, likening it to habits, where behaviors become automatic without conscious effort.

One of the key points she stressed was that in NLP, rather than asking questions, practitioners observe how individuals process information—a technique considered to provide a higher level of understanding. She introduced the concepts of State, structure, and content in NLP, explaining how these can be used to understand and modify behavior.

Through a series of engaging exercises, Divya demonstrated how teachers could apply NLP techniques to identify the representational systems of their students. She encouraged them to practice these techniques regularly, not only to understand students better but also to acquire a broader range of representational systems themselves.

Divya highlighted the value of NLP in enhancing classroom dynamics, improving communication, and fostering a more effective learning environment, urging the educators to integrate these practices into their daily routines.

Divya also explained and demonstrated the concepts of visual and auditory recall and construct, showing how these cognitive processes impact learning and behavior. She introduced the concept of state shifting, or pacing, explaining how a shift in an individual’s emotional or mental state can help them overcome challenges. She further highlighted three key techniques to assist educators in shifting the state of their students:

1. Disassociation – Helping individuals distance themselves from negative emotions or situations to gain perspective.
2. Anchoring – Using specific triggers, such as words or actions, to induce a positive state or emotion.
3. Collapse Anchoring – A technique to neutralize negative emotions by replacing them with positive states through anchoring.

These tools, she stressed, can greatly enhance classroom management and improve student well-being.

Blanet Paul, department of English, introduced the resource person and also delivered the vote of thanks.