How to use

Tips for Using NLP Coaching Cards

Practice these questions until they become 'automatic'.
Have a goal in mind prior to using the questions (E.g. helping the person make a certain change).

Establish and maintain rapport.

Get into a state of "I wonder...?"

Use a gentle voice tone and softeners, such as "I'm wondering...", "I'm curious to know..." etc.

Be willing to wait for an answer.

Use these questions strategically, They can give you significant 'clues about where to go next with a person (and what to do when you get there).

Remember, these questions are designed to help you and the other person enrich your mental maps, they are best used with that principle in mind.

Of course, you can use these cards to coach yourself too. Using the questions on your internal dialogue can yield powerful results!

NLP Coaching Eights (Played Clockwise)

Deal five cards to each player and place the undealt stock face-down in the center of the table, turning over the top card to form a discard pile next to it.

Each player names a subject they want to be 'coached' on, or uses one of the Examples to Practice With.

Starting with the player to the dealer's left, read the face-up card aloud in full, then use the pattern to 'coach' one of the other players. Then play a legal card from your hand onto the discard pile.

Legal cards are: a card of the same suit as the face-up card, a card of the same rank as the face-up card, or an eight of any suit.

Eights are wild. When a player plays an eight, they nominate which suit it is to represent.

If a player is unable to play a legal card, they turn over the top card of the undealt stock onto the discard pile.

Play proceeds in a clockwise direction.

The first person to run out of cards wins.

Examples to Practice With

Here are some examples of the kind of things I've heard clients say over the years. You can go through the cards and discover which patterns work with each example. You can even use them to role-play coaching someone on the subject.

"I want to be confident so I can reach my goals."

"My business is struggling. I'm a failure."

"I want to be rich. "T'II never be successful because I'm lazy."

"I can't visualise properly."

"I want to be happy, but I worry too much."

"I'm a slow learner."

"I want to lose weight but I hate exercise."

"I'm always depressed." "I get nervous when I have to speak in public."

"I need to be in control at all times."

"My happiness depends upon my success" "You shouldn't put yourself first."

"I can't go on that course. I wouldn't be able to justify it." "People are basically selfish.". "Men are only after one thing. "You need money to make money."

"Nobody ever listens to me."

"The market won't support another widget."

"You can't market to students because they keep moving around.”