With the start of the Paralympics imminent I've been hugely impressed by the Channel 4 build up. The short video 'Meet the Superhumans' is such a wonderful piece of positioning from both a marketing and social perspective.
I've got to be honest and say that I have never really watched the Paralympics in the past but this time it has captured my imagination and I put a lot of that down to the way Channel 4 has went about their coverage.
If you think about, what they've done is simple but immensely clever...They've done a belief change...
They've taken what is a commonly held belief about the Paralympics and completely reversed it so it actually means the opposite...
Think about it...Most people (if they were being honest with themselves) would admit that, while the Paralympics is a hugely worthwhile event, it is seen as the 'lesser Olympics'...Because after all the competitors are not as 'able bodied' as those in the Olympics...In other words 'because Paralymipians are not as physically capable as Olympians they don't hold as much value' and hence they are not as important to watch...
It perhaps sounds a little blunt and there is certainly a lot more to it but the massive difference in viewing figures tells a story...
The wonderful thing that Channel 4 has done, though, is to not just attempt to disprove this but to completely flip it round so it actually means the opposite.
Meet the Superhumans...What a wonderful Title....Being 'dis-abled' now doesn't mean you are less of a human it actually means your are more of a human...In fact, you're a 'Super' Human...
A beautiful piece of persuasion that touches the heart as much as it compels me to tune in and watch.
From an NLP perspective it also highlights and interesting concept that has an enormous influence on what we think, feel and believe we can do. The concept of 'Framing'.
The frame we buy into has such an impact on how we live our lives. The mental frame we choose to believe decides the range of options we have available to us at any given point in time...
I mean would you rather be considered 'dis abled' or a 'Superhuman'?
Which one has more options, more potential for pleasure, happiness and success...hmm let me think...
So have a think about the frames you buy into or the frames that are forced upon you by others. Some you'll want to...some you may want to expand and refine...and some you most definitely want to reject...
And just remember...Your mental frames pretty much determine what you can and can't do, What you think, feel and belief so choose wisely...:-)
Steve
NLP Training Scotland
The Scottish Centre of NLP
Tuesday, 28 August 2012
Monday, 20 August 2012
Did you watch I'm Spazticus last night?
Did you watch I'm Spazticus on Channel 4 last night?
You may or may not have heard of the show that has 'apparently' provoked strong reactions from certain 'well meaning' sections of the public.
It's structure is pretty much a carbon copy of the popular 'Trigger Happy TV' series where a team of comedians film themselves playing innovative and mischievous pranks on the general public.
The only small difference being, the crew of I'm Spazticus all have some form of serious physical disability.
Dwarfs, amputees, Cerebral Palsy sufferers you name it...all playing pranks on the unsuspecting and often uncomfortable looking public.
In my opinion, despite copying Trigger Happy's formula, this has to be one of the most original shows I've seen in a long time.
Watching from an NLP perspective as well as a humanitarian one I found it utterly fascinating. The scene where they duped some random bloke to take part in a police line up with a group of Cerebral Palsy suffers and say 'I'm not drunk I've got Cerebral Palsy' has to be one of the most bizarre & funny things I've ever seen.
The interesting thing was, I found it hilarious and hugely uncomfortable at the same time..."Should I really be laughing at this!?" was the train of thought regularly running through my mind.
I guess i fell into the same trap as the unsuspecting public of believing that 'just because they are different they should be treated differently than everyone else". That we should be constantly walking on egg shells not wanting to talk about the Elephant in the room and that they don't have the ability to laugh at their on predicament.
In my opinion the show was pure genius and a sobering lesson to us all about how being just too damn serious about ourself and our problems is the opposite of what's useful. It's like an old trick that comedians use. The purpose of the first minute of any stand up act is to basically take the piss out of yourself (preferably some aspect of your looks if possible).
So think about it now...
What would it be like if you could think about your deepest darkest problems and genuinely laugh your arse off about it? How would it change things?
It's may not be a collapse anchor in the 'NLP technique sense' but it's one none the less. :-)
And if you haven't seen it yet, here's a link to the Pilot on You tube:
I'm Spazticus Pilot
All the best...
You may or may not have heard of the show that has 'apparently' provoked strong reactions from certain 'well meaning' sections of the public.
It's structure is pretty much a carbon copy of the popular 'Trigger Happy TV' series where a team of comedians film themselves playing innovative and mischievous pranks on the general public.
The only small difference being, the crew of I'm Spazticus all have some form of serious physical disability.
Dwarfs, amputees, Cerebral Palsy sufferers you name it...all playing pranks on the unsuspecting and often uncomfortable looking public.
In my opinion, despite copying Trigger Happy's formula, this has to be one of the most original shows I've seen in a long time.
Watching from an NLP perspective as well as a humanitarian one I found it utterly fascinating. The scene where they duped some random bloke to take part in a police line up with a group of Cerebral Palsy suffers and say 'I'm not drunk I've got Cerebral Palsy' has to be one of the most bizarre & funny things I've ever seen.
The interesting thing was, I found it hilarious and hugely uncomfortable at the same time..."Should I really be laughing at this!?" was the train of thought regularly running through my mind.
I guess i fell into the same trap as the unsuspecting public of believing that 'just because they are different they should be treated differently than everyone else". That we should be constantly walking on egg shells not wanting to talk about the Elephant in the room and that they don't have the ability to laugh at their on predicament.
In my opinion the show was pure genius and a sobering lesson to us all about how being just too damn serious about ourself and our problems is the opposite of what's useful. It's like an old trick that comedians use. The purpose of the first minute of any stand up act is to basically take the piss out of yourself (preferably some aspect of your looks if possible).
So think about it now...
What would it be like if you could think about your deepest darkest problems and genuinely laugh your arse off about it? How would it change things?
It's may not be a collapse anchor in the 'NLP technique sense' but it's one none the less. :-)
And if you haven't seen it yet, here's a link to the Pilot on You tube:
I'm Spazticus Pilot
All the best...
Saturday, 18 August 2012
Just how do you get out of bed in the morning?
Following our recent NLP Master Practitioner Course in Glasgow my fascination into how we are motivated to do the things we do was rekindled. Just how do you motivate yourself to get out of bed in the morning?
I mean, if you also have a memory foam mattress like me, you'll know just how cosy, warm and beautiful your sleeping palace can be...:-)
So how do you do it? Are you inspired & excited for the days plans, fearful & stressed that if you don't move soon then you won't have time to do what you feel you need to do? or maybe you juts kind of roll out, stumble into the shower and let the cold water do the job for you.
Of course when we zoom the camera back a bit we find a more important question at play...
In general, why do we do anything? What are you primary motivation strategies for getting things done?
Do you use the the anticipation of how good you're going to feel when you're done? Or perhaps you choose the gut wrenching fear of how bad you'll feel if you don't...Or maybe you're somewhere in between...
It's an important question when you think about it...Most of your day is taken up by 'doing stuff' so you might as well do it in a way where you get the greatest pleasure you can and the smallest amount of frustration.
I was told a story once about a foolish man and a wise man. On deciding to clean his closet for the first time in a year the foolish man opens the door, takes a look at the mass of disorganised clothes and random objects, instantly feels a pang of anxiety in the pit of his stomach but decides it's something he really should do. He proceeds to re-arrange his closet and, as he progresses through all the junk, the feeling of anxiety gets smaller and smaller until (once he has finished) the feeling has gone...
The wise man, however, had a different strategy...On opening the closet and seeing a similar scene of chaos he quickly projects himself into the future...and imagines what it's going to be like when he's finished...The time and place when the closet looks clean, organised and just the way he wants it...On feeling the good feeling this brings he starts the tidy...The closer he gets to this image the better he feels until he experiences the sense of satisfaction on completion...
Because when you get down to it there's always a way to do things that involves maximizing the pleasure and minimizing the stress...
So ask yourself the question, Why do I do what I do? Is it to mostly to avoid pain? or is it all about the pleasure? If it's the former then shifting this more towards noticing the pleasure could be one of the best things you've ever done...
I mean, if you also have a memory foam mattress like me, you'll know just how cosy, warm and beautiful your sleeping palace can be...:-)
So how do you do it? Are you inspired & excited for the days plans, fearful & stressed that if you don't move soon then you won't have time to do what you feel you need to do? or maybe you juts kind of roll out, stumble into the shower and let the cold water do the job for you.
Of course when we zoom the camera back a bit we find a more important question at play...
In general, why do we do anything? What are you primary motivation strategies for getting things done?
Do you use the the anticipation of how good you're going to feel when you're done? Or perhaps you choose the gut wrenching fear of how bad you'll feel if you don't...Or maybe you're somewhere in between...
It's an important question when you think about it...Most of your day is taken up by 'doing stuff' so you might as well do it in a way where you get the greatest pleasure you can and the smallest amount of frustration.
I was told a story once about a foolish man and a wise man. On deciding to clean his closet for the first time in a year the foolish man opens the door, takes a look at the mass of disorganised clothes and random objects, instantly feels a pang of anxiety in the pit of his stomach but decides it's something he really should do. He proceeds to re-arrange his closet and, as he progresses through all the junk, the feeling of anxiety gets smaller and smaller until (once he has finished) the feeling has gone...
The wise man, however, had a different strategy...On opening the closet and seeing a similar scene of chaos he quickly projects himself into the future...and imagines what it's going to be like when he's finished...The time and place when the closet looks clean, organised and just the way he wants it...On feeling the good feeling this brings he starts the tidy...The closer he gets to this image the better he feels until he experiences the sense of satisfaction on completion...
Because when you get down to it there's always a way to do things that involves maximizing the pleasure and minimizing the stress...
So ask yourself the question, Why do I do what I do? Is it to mostly to avoid pain? or is it all about the pleasure? If it's the former then shifting this more towards noticing the pleasure could be one of the best things you've ever done...
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