What is Neuro-Linguistic Programming or NLP and why should you care? NLP is a non-scientific approach that’s been used widely to categorize communication, personal development and psychotherapy. It’s been around since the mid-1970s.
In the book, The Structure of Magic, Vol. 1 by Richard Bandler and John Grinder, the term makes its first appearance. While not backed by hard science, the use of NLP in marketing is broad,with dozens of books on the topic. The goal of NLP in marketing and communication is to help us understand how people organize their thoughts, language and behavior to achieve results.
Have you ever found yourself in a conversation or in a business meeting and you felt really disconnected from the presenter, yet others found them riveting?
That could be based on your learning style. In one of our upcomingChapters with Paul episodes on our Storylines Live podcast, we dive into the three styles of learning in the NLP lexicon: visual, auditory and experiential, and why it's important to know your type and understand why it affects your actions.
A visual learner learns best by seeing or visualizing information. They would thrive watching a PowerPoint presentation that shared complex graphs.
An auditory learner learns best by listening or speaking. They would thrive in a deep dive conversation with a panel of experts.
An experiential learner learns best by doing. They would thrive in a hands-on workshop or interactive experience around the topic.
Why does all of this matter? In marketing and PR, your strategy should cover each type of learner, so your topics can appeal to the masses.
Let’s say you write a great white paper and post it to your website. Only auditory learners will find that effective – they’re researchers and readers.
Recording a video version to share on YouTube would reach visual learners, and offering a class to discuss the findings in person, would reach experiential learners. To reach all types of learners, the guideline is that you don’t have to recreate the wheel, but you do need to repurpose your content.
It’s even as simple as using different words in your posts.
For example, phrases such as 'picture this' or 'imagine this scene' reach visual learners, 'sounds right' or 'that rings a bell' will reach auditory learners and phrases such as 'try this yourself' or 'practice this' will reach experiential learners.
Next time you create content, think about how to make it appealing to all types of learners. For more ideas on how to reach audiences so that they see, hear and experience your story and engage with it, reach out to us.
