People communicate in a wide variety of verbal and nonverbal ways simultaneously. It is impossible not to communicate because all behavior contains both explicit and implicit messages. These messages may complement or contradict one another. When verbal and nonverbal messages complement each other, the communicator is said to be “congruent.” A lack of congruence indicates […]

Some foundational ideas are underneath Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP). The first of these presuppositions (considered “useful” rather than “true”) is that the “map” or internal representation is not the same as the “territory” of external reality. The expression was coined by Alfred Korzybski in his introduction to general semantics (1933).

From the standpoint of communication, the […]

Most readers of this column will recognize KISS as standing for “Keep it Simple, Stupid.” It is a not-so-polite way to remind people that the simple solutions are often more reliable and effective than the complex. While some things, such as computers, may be inherently complex, a good rule is things should be no more […]

In Counter Clockwise: Mindful Health and the Power of Possibility, Ellen J. Langer reports her landmark “counterclockwise” study (1979) in which the biomarkers of a group of elderly men showed evidence of their growing younger when they lived for a week as though it were 1959. She says it is vital that we overcome the […]

If you want to be of assistance to others and/or to enjoy your own life, “Point of View” may be one of the best tools in your toolkit. It is also known as “Perceptual Position.” Without awareness, most people typically focus only on their own point of view, or “First Position.” In First Position, I […]