NLP Meta Programmes to Motivate Others Part 1, Towards – Away From

The NLP Meta Programmes are the ways of thinking that motivate us.

You probably recognise these from different names in the behavioural and psychometric assessments used in business.

We know that Meta Programmes are not static and can change depending on the circumstances.

For example when someone is being asked to do something they are not comfortable with, they may use a different set of Meta Programmes than the ones they would use with something they do every day.

The only way to know what Meta Programmes someone is using is to listen to the language they are using.

When you use the same language back you increase the chance of motivating someone.

Over sixty Meta Programmes have been identified, but I like to keep things simple, so I tend to focus on six when working with my professional growth clients.

The six main Meta Programmes I focus on for business are:

Towards – Away From

Proactive – Reactive

Internal – External

Big Picture - Detail

People – Process

Same – Different

The Meta Programme here is Towards - Away, also known as the carrot and stick or pleasure versus pain.

Imagine each Meta Programmes as a scale, with the most extreme example at each end of the scale.

Towards - Away From

Some people will be extremely ‘towards’, others extremely ‘away from’, but many will be somewhere along the scale and some may be totally neutral in the centre.

When someone is more ‘towards’ they will tell you about their goal, targets, rewards they want and what they want to achieve.

Physically they may point into the future and move their body forward when talking about what they want to achieve.

Your job as a business leader is to help them clarify their goals, objectives and timescales.

Identify what they will gain when they achieve this and keep them focused on the end target.

When they have almost reached their goal that is the time to start setting the next set of objectives because, without a set target they lose motivation.

These are the people who are often motivated by rewards, incentives, bonuses and the things that money can buy.

Some of my clients have prepared vision board for themselves with photos of the house, car, holiday, boat etc that they will but when they achieve their goal.

When you are working with an ‘away from’ person, they are motivated to move away from the things by the fear of what will happen if they don’t achieve their objectives.

When asked what they want to achieve they will tell you everything they don’t want!

Your job as as a business leader is to help them identify what they want to achieve and then find out what will happen if they don’t achieve their objectives.

To keep them motivated, remind them of all the things that could happen.

The further an ‘away from’ person moves away from the fear of not achieving something, the less motivated they become.

I have worked with clients that became highly motivated by imagining their house being repossessed, their car being taken off them or losing their job if they don’t achieve their goal.

The ‘towards’ side is no better or worse than the ‘away from’ side they are just different.

Both Meta Programmes create motivation for people, which is what you want.

Where the challenge comes from, as a business leader is when you are working with someone who has the opposite Meta Programme from you.

If you are highly ‘towards’ it will seem really strange getting someone to focus on the fear of what will happen if they don’t achieve their goal, rather than the goal itself.

But being good business leader is not about you, it’s about doing whatever you have to do to get the best results with the people you lead.

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