All Procedures Should Be Designed to Increase Choice
In this series on the presuppositions of NLP, we explore foundational principles that guide personal growth, communication, and transformation. Each presupposition offers practical insights into how we perceive and interact with the world.
This post focuses on the fourteenth and final presupposition: All procedures should be designed to increase choice.
What Does This Mean?
This presupposition highlights the importance of ensuring that the processes, techniques, or strategies we use in NLP (or any area of life) should expand possibilities and not create limitations.
For an NLP practitioner, this means ensuring that:
Techniques free clients from limitations like negative patterns, emotional baggage, or unhelpful beliefs.
Processes lead to empowerment by offering clients new ways to think, feel, or act rather than boxing them into rigid patterns or behaviors.
Outcomes provide flexibility so clients can respond effectively to various situations in life.
The essence of this presupposition is simple: Whatever we choose to do should leave us with more options than we had before.
Why Is This Important?
Prevents Unintended Limitations
Procedures designed poorly can sometimes create new barriers instead of solving challenges. For instance, focusing on one solution at the expense of others might narrow options rather than expand them.
Encourages Lasting Change
Solutions that increase flexibility and adaptability are more sustainable because they empower us to respond to life’s dynamic nature.
Supports Empowerment
When procedures open doors instead of closing them, we feel more in control of our lives and choices.
How Can You Apply This?
Ensure Solutions Lead to More Freedom
Whether it’s a personal decision, a coaching technique, or a strategy for solving a problem, ask yourself:
Does this approach open up new possibilities?
Does it leave me or others with more choices than before?
Avoid “One-Size-Fits-All” Approaches
Every situation is unique. Tailor your procedures to the individual or context to ensure the outcomes align with their values and goals.
Focus on Empowering Outcomes
Design processes that leave room for flexibility and exploration. For example:
When working on communication skills, ensure the tools you use help in various contexts—at work, at home, or in social settings.
When addressing fears or anxieties, ensure the client feels equipped to face similar challenges in the future, not just in one specific instance.
Use Feedback to Refine Procedures
Watch for unintended limitations in the results of your actions. If a strategy seems to restrict options, adjust it to ensure it opens more doors.
Practical Exercise
Reflect on a Process or Procedure You’ve Used
Think about a recent problem you’ve solved or a decision you’ve made.
Did the approach leave you with more options or fewer?
Were there any unintended limitations?
Design for Expansion
If you were to redo that process, how could you ensure it increases choices? For example:
Could you add more flexibility to the outcome?
Could you include tools or techniques that work in a variety of situations?
Apply This to a Current Challenge
Identify one decision or strategy you’re working on now. Brainstorm ways to ensure it expands your options rather than narrowing them.
Consider This
What would change in your life if you made every decision or process with the intention of increasing choice? How might this mindset help you and others feel more empowered and equipped to handle life’s challenges?
Final Thoughts
The fourteenth presupposition of NLP reminds us to design everything—our decisions, processes, and techniques—with the goal of increasing choice. When we design procedures that expand options and empower people, we create lasting, meaningful change that allows for greater flexibility in life.
Thank you for following this series on NLP presuppositions. Each one provides a unique lens for fostering personal and professional growth.
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