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LEARN THE NLP META MODEL

These notes support the Meta Model videos on
Abby Eagle Youtube Channel

http://www.youtube.com/abbyeagle1/

The following version of the NLP Meta Model covers the original ten patterns. To make
it easier to memorise the basic Meta Model use the acrostic: MLCCP UM NUS

A. DISTORTIONS
1. Mind Reading
2. Lost Performative
3. Cause and Effect
4. Complex Equivalence
5. Presuppositions

B. GENERALISATIONS
6. Universal Quantifiers
7. Modal Operators

C. DELETIONS
8. Nominalisations
9. Unspecified Verbs
10. Simple Deletions

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INTRODUCTION
The NLP Meta Model is a linguistic tool that every parent, every child, every member of
society needs to learn in order for consciousness and society to evolve in a more positive
direction.

It was developed by Richard Bandler and John Grinder, and first published in The Structure
of Magic, Volume 1 in 1975. It was later updated by Michael Hall and published in
Communication Magic in 1997. It gives you a set of questions to help you gather high quality
information. Use it to find out what people actually mean by their communication not what
you think they are saying. If you meta model your own thought processes then you will
achieve more in life.

The Meta Model is based upon the notion that we don't operate on the world directly but take
in information through our sense organs and using the three universal modelling processes of
distortion, generalisation and deletion form an internal representation, that is a map, in
pictures, sounds, feelings, tastes and smells. The maps that we make in our minds are not the
world itself but an internal representation of it. Alfred Korzybski, founder of General
Semantics coined the phrase, “The map is not the territory”.

The NLP Meta Model has three categories.

1. Distortions
2. Generalisations
3. Deletions

1. Distortions
Distortion is the process which allows you to construct, manufacture, create and manipulate
sensory data. Distortion is the process of bringing in information through your senses and
then playing with that information in your mind to create new concepts, ideas and
understandings. Different ways of thinking about the world, philosophy, spirituality, religion,
ideology, fantasising about a lover, creating new inventions, writing fiction and producing
films all rely upon the ability to distort so called reality. The ability to play with thoughts in
your mind allows you to build goals of the future - a future that causes you pain or pleasure.

2. Generalisations
Generalisation is the process by which you take an element of your model of the world and
use it to represent an entire category of experience. For example, a small child learns that
things have 'handles' which enable them to be held, moved, opened and manipulated in some
way. For example, a cup has a handle; a door has a handle; a key can be thought of as a
handle; a bag has a handle; a knife and fork are handles which give you a tool to cut and hold.
A tap is a handle to open and close water flow; an 'on off' switch is a handle; a remote control
device for a television has a number of handles called 'buttons', and so on.

Generalisations can work for or against you. For example, having one bad experience with a
member of one religion does not mean that all the people who share that religion are the same.
In one context it may not be okay to use certain types of words but that does not necessarily
mean that it is not okay in other contexts. Having one bad experience with a woman does not
mean all women are the same, yet when people create these types of generalisations it may
limit rather than enhance their lives.

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3. Deletions
Deletion is the process of selective attention. Whether this be a conscious decision or an
unconscious process it is clearly impossible to pay attention to the mass of information that
impacts your senses. At some level of awareness you have to choose what to pay attention to.
By choosing to focus in on some aspect of your sensory experience you naturally have to
delete other information, for example. To hear someone in a crowded room you may have to
concentrate in on the speaker and not listen to other conversations. Driving a car in heavy
traffic you may need to focus on the road ahead to the detriment of the scenery that passes
you by. In a garden you may choose to enjoy the fragrance of a rose yet ignore other sights,
sounds, sensations and smells. At times deletion may be useful yet in other contexts it may
result in an impoverished experience. For example, if you delete the nice things that people
say to you and do for you, and instead focus on what they did not do or say then you may feel
unloved.

NLP Meta Model Summary

The Meta Model formalises the process of distortion, generalisation and deletion into a set of
linguistic patterns that give you a tool for mapping the structure of how someone is thinking
by analysing the words that they use. Meta Model violations do not indicate that someone is
thinking incorrectly, just that this way of thinking may work for or against them.

Typically the NLP Meta Model is used to question the words that people use so as to improve
the quality of the conversation. But the Meta Model can also be used to analyse the structure
of how someone thinks and then deliver information back to them in a form that matches their
linguistic structures, as a means to influence that person to some desired outcome, whether
that desired outcome be theirs or of the person who is talking to them.

The answer, "I don't know.", to a question indicates that the speaker has reached the limit of
their model of the world.

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MIND READS

A Mind Read is where you think that you know what someone else is thinking or feeling
without any sensory based information to support that idea. Mind reads can take a number of
forms. One is where I think I know what you are thinking and feeling. Another is where I
think that you should know how I think or feel. One can also hold Mind Reads about the
future, as in crystal ball gazing and prophesying.

Gather more information about the Mind Read by asking, "How and what?", type questions.

Example 1
So we start with the example, "He does not like me."
We challenge the Mind Read by asking, "How do you know that he does not like you?"
And the answer that we get could be, "Well it is just that he does not return my phone calls."
The answer is actually in the form of a Complex Equivalence. That is where A=B. So we
could ask, “Since when did someone not returning your phone calls mean they do not like
you?”
Do you see how we have moved the conversation forwards?

Example 2
In our next example the person says, "You don't give me what I need."
We ask, "What do you need specifically?"
They reply, “I need to feel loved and secure.”
Then you could ask questions like, “What are the conditions that would need to be met in
order for you to feel loved and secure – or – what would feeling loved and secure look like
and sound like to you?

Example 3
In our next example the person says, "I just know that I am going to win the Lottery."
We say, "Really!? How specifically do you know that?" And we could joke and ask, “Could
you win the lottery for me too?”
They reply to our first question and say, "It is just this feeling that I have." Then we could
ask, ‘How do you know that you can trust that feeling?” Or, “Have you had this feeling before
and won the lottery?”

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Example 4
In our next example the person says, “You have no idea what you are getting in to”.
We reply, “How do you know that I have no idea?”

Example 5
In our next example the person says. "I know that you will want to buy an Apple Mac."
We challenge them and ask, "How do you know that I want to buy an Apple Mac?"
They reply, "Because you are using a PC."
Retaliating we point to the broken glass on their iPhone and say, “You think I should buy an
Apple Mac?”

You can also use Mind Reads to directly influence another person.
For example you could say, "You know that he likes you, don't you?”
“You know that understanding language patterns is the key to influencing people?”
“You know that you would jump at the opportunity to teach the Meta Model to school kids.”
"You know that the Meta Model gives you the tools to challenge the priests, the politicians
and the merchants with their deceptive rhetoric.”
“You are watching this video because you want to make a positive difference in the world”.

And on that note I would like to say, “thank you”. Thank you for making an effort to
challenge everything for the truth. And to make learning the Meta Model fun I will be posting
images on my Facebook page.

You then have the opportunity to write your response in the comments box and share the post
with your friends, and see what responses they come up with. You see, it is my belief that if
we can generate massive interest in the Meta Model then it would stimulate much more
intelligent conversation – which has to translate into more peace, prosperity and happiness on
the Planet.

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LOST PERFORMATIVE
A Lost Performative is a value judgement which does not specify who is making the
judgement of whether something is good or bad, right or wrong. It is where a person states
their personal belief as a fact.

You challenge a Lost Performative to get the source of the belief, by asking questions like,
“Who says, according to whom, how do you know that?”

Example 1
So we start with the example, “It’s not good to eat all that fat”.
We challenge the Lost Performative by asking, “Who says that it’s not good to eat all that fat?
How do you know that to be true?”
And the answer that we get could be, “It was on television.”

Example 2
And another example, “You need to drink 2 litres of water each day”.
We could challenge the statement by asking, “According to whom?”
And the reply could be, “Well my doctor told me that I should”.

Example 3
And another example, "That was the right thing to do”.
We could challenge that statement by saying, "Who says that it was the right thing to do?
According to whom?"
And the answer could be, "The President."

Example 4
And another example, “You can’t trust Fox News”.
We could challenge the statement by saying, “Who says you can’t trust Fox News?”

Example 5
And another example, “Women are treated as sex objects in advertising and in film”.
We could challenge the Lost Performative by saying, “According to whom?”
We could also challenge the Presupposition and ask, “Are men treated as sex objects in
advertising and film or is it just women?”
And the answer could be, “Well men are objectified just as much as women but feminists call
it homoerotica”.

You can also use a Lost Performative to Influence Another Person

For example you could say, "It's great that you are going to the gym."
"It is a good thing you got your hair cut. It will open up more job opportunities.”
“It is great that you are learning the Meta Model.”

In our next video we play with Cause and Effect, Meta Model violations. This is where it
really starts to get interesting because Cause and Effect and Complex Equivalence are two
areas which underpin so much strife in the world.

And by the way when I first began learning the Meta Model back in 1984, I used to carry a
copy in my pocket as a reminder to myself to practise at every opportunity. But now with the
Internet what I suggest is that you use the memes that I post on my Facebook page to

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reinforce your learnings. Make sure that you comment on every post that I make and share it
with your friends to see what answers they come up with.

When you are ready

buy a copy of Michael Hall’s book.

Buy it on Amazon

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CAUSE AND EFFECT

A Cause and Effect Meta Model violation is based upon the belief that 'A' causes 'B' when in
fact there may be no factual evidence to support that belief. In the context of linguistics the
cause is wrongly put outside of self. The belief is that something occurs in the world that
makes you think or feel a certain way, or makes you do something. An event in the world 'A'
causes you to feel, think or do 'B'.

But we are the meaning makers - that is no one can make you feel a certain way; no one can
make you angry; no one can make you fat and no one can make you think a particular way or
act in a particular way (putting aside the context of torture or indoctrination)

Beliefs about cause and effect are sometimes used inappropriately in the medical field. For
example, a virus is said to cause a specific illness, yet when the data is analysed we find that
only a percentage of people who test positive for the virus actually develop the illness. It
would be more fair to say that an illness may be associated with the virus when certain
conditions are present.

A Cause and Effect linguistic pattern is recognised by the use of words such as, "makes,
because, if... then, as... then, since, so".

Gather more information about a Cause and Effect by asking, "How specifically?", and use
counter example type questions to learn how the person does the process of making
themselves feel and act in a particular way.

Example 1
So we start with the example, "You make me angry when you talk like that."
We challenge the Cause and Effect by asking, "How specifically does what I am doing make
you angry? If I pulled a face would that make you laugh?"
Notice how we repeat the word “make”.

Example 2
In our next example the speaker says, "If the share prices drop then I will be disappointed."
We could reply by saying, "How do you do the process of 'disappointing, yourself?"

When you hear the word ‘then’ you could also treat it as a Complex Equivalence in that A=B.
In that case the response could be, “Since when does a drop in share price mean that you
should feel disappointed? What other response could you have?” Either way we are directing
the speaker to take responsibility for their state of mind.

Example 3
And another example, "Eating fat will make you fat."
We could challenge that statement by saying, "What type of fats specifically will make you
fat? How much fat?”
And then we could use a counter example and ask, “Do you know anyone who can eat a lot of
fat yet not put on weight?"

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Example 4
In our next example, “"If you exercise then you will lose weight."
We could challenge that by saying, "How do know that to be true? Are there other variables in
weight management that are more important than exercise?”
And then we use a counter example and ask, “Have you met anyone who exercised yet gained
weight?"

Example 5
And a couple of examples from the very first video in this series on the Meta Model. A fat
feminist on a talk show said, “The thin culture makes women eat more and get fat”.
We might ask, “How specifically does the thin culture make women eat more and get fat?”
And we could also challenge “thin culture” which is a Nominalisation and ask, “What
specifically is the thin culture?”

Example 6
And another example, “If you believe in equality then you are a Feminist”.
We could challenge that Cause and Effect by saying, “Since when does a belief in equality
make someone a Feminist?”
We could also challenge the generalisation on ‘equality’ and ask, “Is that all that Feminism is
about, equality?”

Example 7
And our last example, a Muslim man said, “Democracy caused the suicide bomber to blow
himself up in a car in the city of Stockholm”.
The key word is “caused”. So we ask, “How specifically did the nominalisation “democracy”
cause the man to blow himself up? Here we also begin the process of finding out what the
man means by “democracy” and how an abstraction can make you do something.

You can also use a Cause and Effect to Influence Another Person
For example, "Just thinking about the beach makes you want to get outside and exercise."
"Studying these Meta Model examples makes you want to learn more about NLP."
“Hearing the example of the Muslim man who said that democracy caused the suicide bomber
to blow himself up makes you want to make posts on Facebook and educate people in the use
of the Meta Model.”

In our next video we play with Complex Equivalence. And as I said before knowing how to
recognise Cause and Effect, and Complex Equivalence is essential to resolving conflict in the
world.

If you have not yet seen the Meta Model memes that I post on Facebook then I encourage you
to look out for them and participate in the discussion. This is a real fun way for you to not
only learn the Meta Model but also to put it into practise and invite others into the discussion.
Make sure that you comment on every post that I make and share them with your friends to
see what answers they come up with.

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COMPLEX EQUIVALENCE
A Complex Equivalence is about the relationship between two thoughts, ideas, events or
objects. Where meaning is attributed to an event. Something means something else, that is
A=B. For example, a man is late for his dinner date. The woman says out loud with a
disappointed tone of voice, "You are late." She thinks to herself, "He does not love me
anymore." She then decides to go out with another man. When her partner asks her why, she
says, "Well I thought that you did not want to be with me."

A Complex Equivalence can be recognised as two separate thoughts, statements, ideas or

events that are connected in the way that A=B. What is missing is the linkage such as 'that
means',' that just means', 'it must be that'. Once we have identified the complex equivalence
we can challenge it to gather more information.

A Complex Equivalence is different to a Cause and Effect. "I hate it when you are late.", or,
"You make me angry when you are late," is a cause and effect. "You being late means you
don't love me is a Complex Equivalence." The Complex Equivalence is at a higher level of
abstraction.

Challenge a Complex Equivalence to get the two statement that are linked, and/or to get a
counter example. For example, "So does A have to equal B? Does it always have to mean
that? Could it mean something else?"

Example 1
So we start with the example, "You are late again. You don't love me."
We challenge the Complex Equivalence by asking, "How does my being late mean that I don't
love you?"
And the answer that we get could be, "I believe that when two people love each other that
they phone ahead of time if they think they might be late."

Example 2
In our next example the speaker says, "Another asylum seeker boat sank in Australian waters.
The Australian government is responsible."
We could reply by saying, "What else could the sinking boat mean?"
And the answer could be, "It could mean that it was unseaworthy or over crowded."

Example 3
And another example, "The phone won't stop ringing. I have to answer it."
We could challenge that statement by saying, "Since when did a ringing phone mean that you
have to answer it?" What else could it mean?"
And the answer could be, "Perhaps it means that I should think about hiring a receptionist?"

Example 4
An example I saw on a talk show, “If you believe in equal pay then you must be a feminist”.
We could challenge that complex equivalence by saying, “Since when has a belief in equal
pay equated to being a member of the Feminist ideology?”

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You can also use a Complex Equivalence to Influence Another Person
"Learning how to use the Meta Model means that you will be able to torture your teachers at
School”.
"Buying a desk diary will mean that you become a lot more efficient which means that you
will make a lot more money which means that you will get to go on that holiday”.
“Practising the Meta Model on Facebook means that you will help facilitate positive change
in the world”.
And we could throw in a Cause and Effect and say, “Using the Meta Model will make you a
better communicator”.

Interested in learning?
Neuro Linguistic Programming
and Neuro Semantics

Contact Shawn Dwyer

At www.thecoachingcentre.com.au/

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PRESUPPOSITIONS
A Presupposition is the condition or element in a statement which has to be true in order for
the sentence to make sense. But if we accept the presupposition then we may accept
something that is true or something that is false. For example, "The cat sat on the mat.",
presupposes that there is such a thing as a cat and such a thing as a mat. In addition it
presupposes there is a process which we call sitting.

We challenge a Presupposition to get specific details and learn the truth of the matter. For
example, in the statement, "The cat sat on the mat.", the questioning method could be, "How
do we know if that is even true? Is there actually a cat, is there a mat? Who made that
statement? Is this person a reliable and honest witness?”

And then we could challenge the Unspecified Referential Index and ask, “Which cat
specifically? And when and where? Show me the evidence?” And we could challenge the
Unspecified Verb and ask and, “How specifically did the cat do the process of sitting on the
mat?"

For a detailed list of presuppositions read The Structure of Magic Appendix B, by Richard
Bandler and John Grinder, 1975.

Example 1
So now let’s explore some more examples. An advertisement states, "We serve healthy low
fat meals", presupposes that meals are served; that the meals are healthy according to
someone's criteria and that low fat is healthful.

Use any suitable meta model question to challenge each and every element in the statement,
for example. "Healthy in what way? Healthy according to whom? What type of fat
specifically? Are low fat meals healthy for everyone or just some people?

Example 2
In our next example an advertisement for "low fat yogurt" presupposes that yogurt being low
in fat has health benefits for some target group, and that regular fat yogurt could be bad for
others. The image on the container will also have its own presuppositions that support the
text. The placement of the yogurt container in the health section of the supermarket will
contextually state the presupposition that low fat yogurt is healthy.

Regarding the medical adverts you could challenge the people displaying the adverts and ask
them who specifically the advert is targeted at, and if they really want to influence health
conscious people to experience a medical problem by making negative hypnotic suggestions?

Example 3
And another example, an advertisement in a health clinic, "Prevent your next heart attack.",
presupposes that the reader has already experienced a heart attack and that they will have
another unless they follow the instructions in the advertisement. Another medical advert read,
"Prevent your next bone fracture."

Example 4
An advertisement in a spam email had the heading, "Can this ten second trick prevent your
heart attack?" Once again the presupposition is that you will have a heart attack unless you
perform their ten second trick.

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Example 5
Consumer groups want to know which foods contain GM ingredients and which don't yet the
Biotech industry has a problem with this. Monsanto's view on food labelling: "We oppose
current initiatives to mandate labelling of ingredients developed from GM seeds in the
absence of any demonstrated risks. Such mandatory labelling could imply that food products
containing these ingredients are somehow inferior to their conventional or organic
counterparts." (21/11/2013)

So Monsanto obviously understand how to use presuppositions to their advantage, as do the

advertisements for the medical products in the previous examples. So the medical industry use
presuppositions to their advantage. And regarding Monsanto’s attitude do they care about the
rights of the consumer or are they just interested in protecting their corporate image and their
profits?

Example 6
I found the following questions in the comments section of a youtube video. Thank you to
Imperator Augustus. This man’s daughter was given an assignment at college to write a paper
given the following guidelines. She had difficulty in understanding the questions. As you will
see they are leading questions that presuppose that she has experienced the discrimination
described in the instructions.
"Describe a time you stood up to correct another's use of stereotypes".
"Describe a time you were feeling different or discriminated against".
"Describe a time you were left out or treated unfairly due to your ethnic or cultural
background, and how it made you feel".

As you can see, the statements involve a Mind Read and a Presupposition. If I was the student
I would go back to the lecturer and tell them that this is not education but indoctrination and
to get their act together and teach students how to think, not what to think.

You can also use a Presupposition to Influence Another Person

For example, “Your active participation in commenting on the Meta Model memes on
Facebook is going to help bring about a shift in consciousness in the world”.

“Once you have watched all twelve videos in this series you might want to send me
suggestions for Facebook memes.”

“In a future video series we can explore Cause and Effect, and Complex Equivalence in a lot
more detail. I think you will find it very rewarding.”

And on that note remember to keep looking out for the Meta Model memes on Facebook.
Your active participation in commenting on those memes will help keep the discussion going.
And when you come across statements on Internet sites that contain statements that need to be
challenged to encourage clarification, then I invite you to do so. Make it a habit to challenge
everything for the truth.

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UNIVERSAL QUANTIFIER
A Universal Quantifier is an absolute generalisation (universal generalisation) that excludes
exceptions by stating that something is true for everything. You can recognise a universal
quantifier by the words, "all, always, every, never, everyone, no one, no body, none".

Challenge the Universal Quantifier to get a counter example by repeating the key word back
to the speaker and marking it out by using intonation, volume and a questioning tonality.

Example 1
So we start with the example, "It always rains on my day off."
We challenge the generalisation by asking, "It always rains on your day off?"
And the answer that we get could be, "Well it seems like that."

Example 2
In our next example the speaker says, "Everyone says that about you."
We could reply by saying, "Everyone says that about me?"
And the answer could be, "Well not everyone. Three people did."

Example 3
And another example, "No body likes me."
We could challenge that statement by saying, "No body likes you?"
And the answer could be, "Sometimes it feels like no body likes me but maybe I have been
hanging out with the wrong people?"

Example 4
And then we have the example of the feminist who addressed the United Nations and said,
“Everything is racist. Everything is sexist. Everything is homophobic.
We challenge those statements by saying, “Everything?” And we keep repeating that until she
backs down and gives us some specifics about what she really means by those absurd
generalisations.

You can use a Universal Quantifier to Influence Another Person

For example, "If you take this supplement you will never get sick."
"Everyone has to learn the Meta Model."
"No one is better suited to sharing the Meta Model on Facebook than you are."

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MODAL OPERATORS
Modus operandi (MO) refers to one's typical method or style of moving through the world. A
Modal Operator is a type of adverb that precedes a verb and indicates whether you act out of
necessity or possibility - that is, because you have to do something or because you want to do
something. Modal operators are related to the motivational styles of moving away-from what
you don't want, and moving towards what you do want.

Whether you do what you have to or what you want to it will still fulfil some value - either an
away-from value or a towards value, or both. The number of values the action fulfils and the
relative importance of those values will influence the strength of the motivation. Modal
Operators also determine the boundaries of what is possible for you to achieve.

Modal Operators can be chained to move you from necessity to possibility. For example, say
the following series of statements and notice how it changes your frame of mind:

"I don't want to leave the house but I should do some exercise. I think I could go to the beach.
I know I can go the beach. Yes, I want to go the beach. I am going to the beach. I will go to
the beach."

Gather more information about a modal operator by asking, "What would happen if?" What
would happen if you didn't? What stops you?" You can also ask Lost Performative type
challenges by asking, According to whom?" In some cases repeat the word and mark it out
using a questioning tonality.

There are two categories of Modal Operators. Necessity and Possibility.

Modal Operators of Necessity. As in 'should, should not, must, must not, have to, need
to, it is necessary'.

Example 1
So we start with the example, "I should socialise more."
We challenge the Modal Operator of Necessity by asking, "Should socialise more? Who says
that you should socialise more? Is this something that you really want to do?"
And the answer that we get could be, "Well they say that success is contingent upon the
people you know and I think that I just need to spend more time networking."

Example 2
In our next example the speaker says, "I have to get to bed early because I have a plane to
catch in the morning."
We could reply by saying, "Is there anything stopping you from getting to bed early?
And the answer could be, "You! Wasting my time, asking me these stupid meta model
questions." So remember to choose very carefully which meta model violations you want to
challenge

Example 3
And another example, "We need to get the roof fixed before the rainy season."
We could challenge that statement by saying, "What will happen if we don't?"
And the answer could be, "The next time we have heavy rain the tiles are going to leak; the
water is going to bore a hole in the ceiling and it could destroy my electronic equipment."

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Example 4
And another example the speaker says, "Heraclitus’ famous phrase that ‘you can’t step in the
same river twice’ should be understood as the claim that..."
We could ask politely, "How else could it be understood?" Or, "What other meaning could it
have?" Or we could use a Lost Performative challenge and ask, "Who says? According to
whom?"

You can use a Modal Operator of Necessity to Influence Another Person

"It is time that you took more care of your health. I think that you should visit a Naturopath
and get some help. If you don't you could find yourself in the situation where you have to take
time off work, and then you could lose your job."

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The next category of Modal Operators is Modal Operators of Possibility. As in 'can, can
not, will, will not, would, may, may not, it is possible, it is impossible'.

"Can not", is interesting because the speaker is saying they, "Can do the process of 'not'... In
the first example below the speaker says literally that they can not see. That is, they can not
make an image of themselves interviewing Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The solution is to help them build
the image.

Example 1
So we start with the example, "I can't see myself interviewing Ayaan Hirsi Ali."
We challenge the Modal Operator of Possibility by asking, "What stops you from seeing
yourself interviewing Ayaan Hirsi Ali? What would that picture look like, sound like and feel
like?"
And the answer that we get could be, "I don't think she would have the time to speak with an
interviewer like myself but if she did then her secretary would escort me and my film crew
into her office. There would be two cameras, one on her and one on me. We would need to be
quick so we would need a guy holding a microphone on a boom pole.”

Example 2
And the example, "It may not be possible for me to get to Thailand in January."
We challenge the Modal Operator of Possibility by asking, "What is stopping you?"
And the answer that we get could be, "Two things. I need to complete this project that I am
working on as it is taking a lot longer than anticipated. And my health is not so good at the
moment. I am making improvements but I will need to wait and see what happens."

Example 3
And the example, "I think my business is at the stage where I can collaborate with others."
We challenge the Modal Operator of Possibility by asking, "What would you like to achieve
by collaborating with those people?"
And the answer that we get could be, "It would mean that I can rewrite my job description and
get to focus on the projects that I really enjoy."

You can use a Modal Operator of Possibility to Influence Another Person

"At the moment you probably can't see yourself hiring a film crew but as you think about that
right now you might begin to consider the first action steps that could make that project a
possibility?"

“You know that it is just too humid on the Gold Coast. At some time you will have to move.
You may want to fly to Tel Aviv for a holiday and experience a moderate Mediterranean
climate. After being there for a few weeks I get the feeling that you could want to shift to a
cooler climate like that”.

“If you want to improve your health, make more money and have better relationships then
you must improve your communication skills. As you know NLP provides some powerful
communication tools so from this day forth you must practise the Meta Model every day –
and the best way to keep yourself in the learning process yourself would be to comment on
the Meta Model memes on Facebook. So you must take action on that right now.”

And when you come across statements on Internet sites that provide an opportunity for you to
practise the Meta Model, then I invite you to do so.

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18

NOMINALISATIONS
Nominalisations are process words (verbs) which have been frozen in time to make them a
static thing (nouns). For example in the sentence, the investigation failed to find any evidence
to support the claims. The noun investigation is derived from the verb to investigate. Verbs
suggest a movement whereas nouns just 'sit there'.

The Greek Philosopher Heraclitus (544 BC), is quoted as saying that, "No man ever steps in
the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man." But when you
think about it, how can you even step in the same river once, for the simple reason that a river
(noun) is actually in a process of rivering (verb). Using the same line of thinking, a tree is
actually a 'treeing'. Even a road is in process, and given time will decay. Most nearly
everything in existence is in a process. People are born, they live and they die. Each moment
brings new experiences and new memories, and every time that you think back on the past
your memory of it changes in some way. Likewise the future is not caste in stone – the
possibilities are ever changing. Life should be lived like a fresh breeze, constantly in a state of
flux, ever moving and ever refreshing itself. Nominalisations on the other hand may cause a
state of stagnation.

For example, in the film, The Stoning of Soraya M. we hear that "Justice demands that the
woman be put to death". "Justice", is a nominalisation. Can you touch justice? Can you kick
it, can you hold it, can you put it on a table? How can you challenge justice? You can
challenge the people who are enforcing their version of justice but you can't challenge justice.

President George Bush declared a "War on terror" but how can you fight with a
nominalisation? You can fight with specific people who engage in activities that terrify other
people but how do you fight with terror? By not clearly defining 'terror' the government can
do what ever it likes in the name of fighting terror.

Some people make statements like, "The scripture says...", or, "This is the word of God." But
both scripture and God are nominalisations. What is a scripture and who is God?

To induce trance we use nominalisations and to bring people out of trance we ask questions
that uncover the process. Believe it or not the most influential politicians and priests are
masters of hypnotism, and that is whether they acknowledge it or not!

To denominalise a nominalisation ask questions that uncover the process like, "How
specifically? How do you do the process of 'x'? What do you mean by that word?"

Example 1
So we start with the example, "Justice demands that the woman be stoned to death."
We challenge the nominalisation justice by asking, "What is just about a system that allows
men to brutally murder women?"
And the answer that we get could be, "These are the rules that guide our thoughts and actions
given to us by 'x' hundreds of years ago. We are just following the tradition."

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19
Example 2
In our next example the speaker says, "We are winning the war on terror."
The basic challenge would be, “What do you specifically mean by terror? Can you show me
terror because I would like to take a good look at it?”
The answer could be a video of a plane flying into a building. And so we persevere and say, “I
see a plane being flown into a building. I see people in the street who are screaming and
running for their lives but as yet I still do not see this thing that you call ‘terror’. If they
respond and say that specific people in the video look terrified, we still have to challenge
them on the nominalisation terror. Terror is an emotion. It is an abstraction of a mental,
physical and emotional state. How do you go to war against an emotion with physical military
action? They are at different levels of specificity.

We could also challenge the nominalisation terror by using it back on itself and say, "What
terrorful people, actions and events specifically are you warring against?"
And the answer could be, "The people who bombed the embassy."
So then we might reply, “So you are fighting a war against a specific type of person, is that
right?” If they reply in the affirmative then we say, “So you are warring against people not an
emotional state that you call terror?” Hopefully they understand the distinction.

Example 3
And another example, "The scripture says that you must do x, y and z"
We could challenge that statement by saying, "What specifically is a scripture?"
And the answer could be, "The scripture is a compilation of stories about the life of a man."
We might reply, “So you want me to do what some guy told his followers to do hundreds of
years ago just because it is written in a book?”

Example 4
And another example, "This is the word of God."
We could challenge the nominalisation ‘word’ or ‘God’. We might say, “What specifically do
you mean by ‘the word’? What specifically do you mean by ‘God’?”
The reply might be something like, "Well first you have to form a belief in God, then slowly
he comes to life for you."
So then we reply, “So God is a belief?”
And by the way when people believe in their beliefs we get fundamentalists. So to have an
intelligent conversation with a fundamentalist you first have to address the frames of mind
that hold their religious beliefs in place. So if you are ready for a challenge; if you are ready
to bring about some serious positive change in the world, then I invite you to have a
conversation with a religious fundamentalist. It does not matter which religion they ascribe to
– they all think much the same way. So go for it.

You can use a Nominalisation to Influence Another Person

“Peace requests that you to teach the Meta Model.”
“Education is the fastest way to bring about positive change in any culture.”
“Your Meta Model understandings will give you communication magic.”
“Transformation will come with practice of the Meta Model.”

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20

UNSPECIFIED VERBS
Unspecified verbs are process words which don't specify to a greater or lesser degree what
specifically is being referred to. Something is omitted. Gather more information by asking,
"How specifically?", type questions.

Example 1
So we start with the example, "I have been trying hard to make more money."
We challenge the Unspecified Verb trying hard by asking, "How specifically have you been
trying?"
And the answer that we get could be, "I wrote up a business plan and then I created an action
plan, and since then I have systematically been working through that plan."

Example 2
In our next example the speaker says, "That noise is getting on my nerves."
We could challenge ‘is getting’ by saying, "How specifically is that noise getting on your
nerves?”
And the answer could be, "It is the way the beat of the music seems to get my attention for a
period of time and then it goes silent, and then as soon as I have relaxed the beat starts again."

Example 3
And another example, "You can trust me because I am a doctor."
We could challenge the verb ‘trust’ by saying, "Trust you? In what way do you expect me to
trust you? Based upon what?"
And the answer could be, "I need you to comply with my directions because I don't have time
to answer these type of questions and see 80 patients every day."

Example 4
And another example, “God is love”.
In a previous video I treated the statement, “God is love” as a Complex Equivalence but here
we challenge the unspecified verb ‘is’. So we ask, “How specifically is God love? We are
saying, “What is in that gap between the word god and the word love?

You can use an Unspecified Verb to Influence Another Person

"These solar panels will reduce your electricity bill."
"Both our businesses will benefit if we collaborate on this project."
"Close your eyes and relax the muscles around the eyes. Then take the relaxation from around
the eyes and put it into your mind and relax all the thoughts from your mind."
“Share the Meta Model on Facebook and build strong relationships.”

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21

SIMPLE DELETIONS
There are a number of types of Deletions. We are going to look at three of those categories to
give you the idea how they work. We start with Simple Deletions.

SIMPLE DELETION
There is a deletion when we sense that some information is missing from the statement. The
way to check is by attempting to build a clear representation in the cinema of your mind? Start
by asking yourself, "What is missing from this statement?", then ask questions like, "About
what? About whom? What do you mean by that? What specifically?"

Example 1
So we start with the example, "I am not comfortable with this."
We challenge the Simple Deletion by asking, "Not comfortable about what?"
And the answer that we get could be, "About giving the waiter my credit card."

Example 2
In our next example the speaker says, "That guy is an idiot."
We could treat it as a Lost Performative but it would not give us any useful information.
Better to find out why the person holds that opinion so we could ask, "What do you mean by
an idiot?" Or we could accept the presupposition and ask, “Why is he an idiot?”
And the answer could be, "I saw a video on youtube where two guys were clambering up
buildings, running across rooftops and at one point the man jumped from the rooftop of one
building to a window ledge on the other side of the street, and then realised that he was fifteen
feet above the ground."

Example 3
And another example, "You just don't understand."
We could challenge that statement by saying, "What specifically don't I understand?"
And the answer could be, "That some people are motivated by the thrill of jumping into the
unknown."

Example 4
And another example, "We are getting closer."
When you hear statements like that your brain should realise that something is missing so we
ask, "Getting closer to where?"
And the answer could be, "Closer to completing this Meta Model training program”.

You can also use a Simple Deletion to Influence Another Person

"This is so awesome. You are so cool. You have what it takes. I think we should do it."
"This product will give you just what you need."
"That's great! You are getting there."

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UNSPECIFIED REFERENTIAL INDEX
An Unspecified Referential Index is where the phrase fails to specify a person or thing. For
example, words like, "It, she, he, they, we, us, you, one, someone.", and generalisations which
refer to a group like, "Australians, the British, the man in the street, people, Christians,
politicians, journalists". Gather more information by asking, "Who, what or which
specifically?"

Example 1
So we start with the example, "They say that you need to drink two litres of water every day."
We challenge that statement by asking, "Who specifically says that you need to drink two
litres of water every day?"
And the answer that we get could be, "I heard it from my taxi driver."

Example 2
In our next example the speaker says, "It is not going to happen."
We could reply by saying, "What specifically is not going to happen?"
And the answer could be, "Me coming to Hong Kong in October."

Example 3
And another example, "Politicians just can't be trusted."
We could challenge that statement by saying, "Which politicians specifically can't be
trusted?"
And the answer could be, "It seems like most politicians say one thing before the election then
do something totally different once they get elected.

Example 4
And another example, “Do you believe that women deserve to be hit?”
We could start by challenging ‘women’ as being unspecified and ask, “Which women
specifically?”
We could also treat it as a Simple Deletion and ask, “In what context?”
We could also go after ‘hit’ as being an Unspecified Verb and ask, “Hit, how specifically?”
There could also be a Presupposition in that the questions presupposes that the one doing the
hitting is a man so we might ask, “Who is hitting whom?”

Example 5
And then an advertisement that I saw at a hardware store. In huge letters, “Carpet any room.
Any size. One price.” And in smaller letters the word, “From”, followed by $450.00 in big
letters. And then a tiny asterisk, “Conditions apply.”
As soon as you see the any room, any size, one price, your brain should tell you that
something is missing and that you should look to the conditions that apply to help you fill in
the missing information from a deceptive advertisement.

You can use a Lack of Referential Index to Influence Another Person

Which is what the previous example was attempting to do, and here we have some more
examples.
"Your customers will love this new product."
“Your friends will love the Meta Model.”
"And as they say back in my homeland, as soon as you taste sashimi you will just want to eat
some everyday."
"You will love it."
"People will come out in droves to watch this concert."
"Women love this perfume."
"It is going to work”.

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23
COMPARATIVE DELETION
A comparative deletion is where there is a comparison involving a greater or lesser value in
which what is being compared is not specified. As in words ending in 'er' and 'est'. "Better,
best, less, least, worst, more, bigger, lighter, smaller, very, even."

Recover the comparative deletion by asking questions like, "Better than who or what
specifically? Compared to whom or what specifically?"

Example 1
So we start with the example, “She is really good”.
We challenge the Comparative Deletion by asking, “Compared to whom?”
Or we could treat it as a Simple Deletion and ask, “She is really good at what?”

Example 2
In our next example the speaker says, “Do you believe in equality?”
We could reply by saying, “Equality about what? What type of equality? In what context?”
And the answer could be, “Between men and women in the work place”.
Before you could give a definitive answer you would need to determine precisely what the
speaker has in mind.

Example 3
And another example, "You can do better than that."
We could challenge that statement by saying, "Can do better than what specifically?"
And the answer could be, "Better than $2,000.00 per week."

Example 4
And another example, "It is going to be lot easier visiting Thailand."
To gather information we might ask, "Visiting Thailand is going to be easier compared to
what place or activity specifically?"
And the reply could be, "It is going to easier than sitting at my desk writing these Meta Model
examples."

Example 5
And another example, "It would be the least that they can do."
We might ask, "What specifically are you referring to?"
The reply could be, “Teaching the Meta Model at high school.”

You can use a Comparative Deletion to Influence Another Person

"Even though this car has a smaller engine it has a lighter body which means the power to
weight ratio is the best in this class of vehicle."
"The more that you learn the Meta Model, the more that you will find yourself wanting to
practise it, and the more that you practise the meta model the better you will get on with your
parents, your friends and your teachers."

So that is it. Congratulations you made it through the basic Meta Model. So what next?
Practise, practise and practise some more. Buy a copy of Michael Hall’s book,
Communication Magic and learn the extended version. Comment on the Meta Model memes
that I post on Facebook and get your friends involved. Ten years from now send me an email
and tell me that learning the Meta Model transformed your life.

In practical terms look for Meta Model violations in articles on the Internet and in the print
media. Listen for Meta Model violations in people’s speech. And at every opportunity ask a
Meta Model question. With practise you will discover that different questions will get you

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24
different information. Some of the information may or may not be useful but over time you
will find yourself choosing your words to have the most impact upon the listener.

The world needs good communicators. And remember, good communication is not so much
about what to say but how to listen and how to choose your words and structure your
communication so that you can move the conversation in a positive direction.

If you have not done so then please subscribe to my youtube channel, like the videos and
share them with your friends – and feel free to friend me on Facebook so that we can team up
and bring about some serious positive change in the world. Talk to you soon.

Look out for the following images on Facebook

Click on the image to play Meta Model Fun on Facebook

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