What is Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)?

NLP is an ever-growing collection of information and insights, backed up by a huge range of mental NLP Techniques that can enable you to improve how you think, behave and feel and assist others to do the same.

The name Neuro-Linguistic Programming was an attempt to describe, in a succinct manner, the scope of this extensive body of insights and skills:

Neuro refers to how the mind and body interact
Linguistic refers to the insights into a person’s thinking that can be obtained by careful attention to their use of language
Programming refers, not to the activity of programming, but to the study of the thinking and behavioural patterns or ‘programmes’ which people use in their daily lives.

The name is a bit of a mouthful and is certainly not NLP's strongest asset, however the name Neuro-Linguistic Programming has been around for over 30 years so it looks like we are stuck with it, which is why it is generally abbreviated to the initials NLP.

You could say that NLP has become successful not because of the title but in spite of it. And, let's face it - if something with such a weird name can become this popular it must be good - because the title does it no favours at all!