Get your partner to think about a pleasant memory in the first perceptual position.

Have your partner focus on the visual rep system.

Have your partner clear their mind and focus on the auditory.

Have your partner focus on the kinesthetic.

Become a master communicator by learning to recognize and utilize subtle changes in others’ physiology. This pattern involves the valuable skill of eliciting unconscious resources, a skill that serves you best when it, too, is unconscious. This skill deserves serious study, so resist any temptation to treat it like a magic trick. We recommend that you practice this pattern with a partner until you find yourself using it unconsciously.

Step 1: Get your partner to think about a pleasant memory in the first perceptual position. #

Find someone who will allow you to practice this exercise with them. Ask them to think of a pleasant memory. Encourage them to do this with their eyes closed and in the first perceptual position, as though they are experiencing it first hand. Have your partner focus on the visual rep system. Once your subject has a pleasant memory in mind, have them focus exclusively on the visual aspect of the memory. Note all of your subject’s reactions, including changes in posture, facial expression, changes in skin color, breathing pattern, and so forth.

Step 3: Ask your partner to clear their mind and concentrate on the auditory. #

Have your subject clear their mind and open their eyes. Have them bring up only the auditory aspect of the memory. Continue making your observations.

Step 4: Ask your partner to concentrate on the kinesthetic. #

Once they have done this, have them bring up the kinesthetic aspect as you continue to observe. You might want to record your observations on a paper form. Use three titles to divide your operations into. “Visual Reactions,” “Auditory Reactions” and “Kinesthetic Reactions.” Once you have done this exercise, you can improve your powers of observation “in the wild” by being aware of subtle physiological signals and how they are influenced by factors such as primary sense mode, emotional arousal, rapport, and anything else of importance. This power of observation will be valuable in many NLP patterns, even the ones you don’t know you’re using.