RESEARCH
Confessions of a
University Lecturer
NLP in Education By Diane Hardiman
M
y challenge - to present a short article describing the ways in
which NLP helps me as a lecturer; how it can help others who
teach and how it can help the students. Putting pen to paper I
soon realised that the remit was huge, so I decided to present just a few of
the multitudinous aspects, briefly. Here goes.....
Confessions of a University Lecturer
I clearly recall the day I confessed, over lunch to my University colleagues
that I was a Master Practitioner of NLP and that I utilized NLP within
my teaching practice. All conversation stopped, all eyes turned to me, and
several fear-filled jaws flapped, for a short while, with silent reproach. A
response I am sure some of you will recognise from your own ‘confessions’.
When the dam of silence finally broke, it was with a flood of
exclamations and accusations such as “You use NLP...” and “...NLP...
that’s no better than brain washing...” and “...NLPeeeee....!?” it was akin
to being drowned under a deluge of ‘Lady Bracknell’s’, however instead
of “...a handbag!...” being the offensive term it was “NLP.” Fortunately,
I am a strong swimmer and that incident propelled my determination to
continue incorporating NLP techniques into my teaching, and convinced
me that my colleagues needed to ‘dip a toe’ into the warm waters of NLP
and experiment in the lecture theatre.
Prior to my NLP training I was using various aspects of NLP, albeit
unconsciously thus not very efficiently, in my teaching practice. I was
aware for example:
• that students have different ‘Learning styles’ equating to
Representational Systems and Predicates in NLP
• I worked on ‘Establishing a relationship’ = Rapport in NLP
• I responded to student progress via the ‘Feedback sandwich’ = Not
Failure, Simply Feedback in NLP. model for teaching. Being able to build Rapport with any size group and
cater for a range of Representational Systems gives any lecturer a distinct
Post NLP training, I began to teach with more confidence. It had advantage, and thus enhances students’ experiences.
confirmed and validated my existing teaching style and extended my Due to the far-ranging variation and diversity of my students, I have
training skills repertoire. Quickly I discovered that NLP is everywhere to be flexible in my approach. This incorporates the Law of Requisite
in teaching; we use different terminology for the same, or very similar, Variety whereby (to paraphrase), the lecturer with most flexibility
processes. Hence ‘Words and Meaning’, the awareness that words of behaviour has the most influence on students’ potential to learn.
can and do carry different meanings and connotations to different In other words if I can adapt my teaching style to incorporate the
people, is highly significant. This is very important in counselling as Representational Systems of my students, and I can build Rapport then
misunderstanding a client can wreak havoc in the therapeutic process. the students are more likely to be attentive. It sounds simple yet there is
So enough preamble...what do I do? Let me set the scene. one large variable...the final responsibility is down to the student:
My student lecture groups vary widely in size, from one-to-one to 100 “If students are to learn desired outcomes in a reasonably effective
students. They range in age from mid 20’s to approaching retirement. manner, then the teacher’s fundamental task is to get students to engage
They span educational experiences, from those already with a degree in learning activities that are likely to result in their achieving those
to those who left school at 15 without qualifications, and an array of outcomes... It is helpful to remember that what the student does is
career backgrounds from members of the armed forces to bus drivers actually more important in determining what is learned than what the
to complementary therapists to post doctoral researchers. This variation teacher does.” (Shuell 1986 cited in Biggs & Tang 2007)
and diversity is energising, exhausting, and enjoyable. It actively From day one of their degree studies, I map out the process of
encourages, and in my experience necessitates, the use of NLP as a the course; what is going to happen; in what order and what is to be
40 | Summer 2009 - rapport
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