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Frequently people mistake their models of the world for reality itself (something it's darned hard to talk about by the way). They forget that their models are just distorted versions of what goes on. You can distort useful and equally it's possible to distort in a way that isn't useful. For instance, someone may have a model of reality that says that everyone dislikes her. Rather than examine the causes for this, the Meta Model helps us to cut down to what actually happened, to reconnect the woman's model with her experience. Once this is done, she suddenly see a number of choices that simply weren't available to her before. Enriching her model like this can be produce powerful therapeutic changework in itself, without needing other techniques.

But the Meta Model is not just applicable to therapeutic situations. It's vital in almost all forms of communication. In fact, listen to good communicators and you will hear the Meta Model used again and again. Most excellent communicators have an unconscious competence in using the Meta Model, and you'll find these excellent communicators in all walks of life, and in many languages. Or to quickly gain the competence they have spent a lifetime acquiring, buy this book and get to work.

By examining how people make models (in language) from their experience, Bandler and Grinder worked out how to make a model of the distortions, deletions, generalisations that they make -- the Meta Model (of language). Using this model, they and you are able to start to reconnect people's experiences with their descriptions of their experiences.

Whether you want just to improve your own communications, or clarify others', you need to buy this book and use it. But buying this book and reading it, and buying this book and using it are two very different things. If it's the latter that you choose to do, then get to work by reading the book, then re-reading chapter four, "Incantations for Growth and Potential". Chapter four is the chapter where you'll find the really powerful, useful stuff. Each of the techniques in chapter four have associated exercises. Do the exercises! And in the following few days, you'll see exercises on this site to help you develop your continually growing ability to using language in more and more powerful ways.

InnerBalloons

Last updated: 14 October 1997