Post by helenj on Jan 3, 2012 16:45:38 GMT 1
Can I just throw a bit of people training theory at this - please chip in all you NLP practitioners out there.
Not only is there the issue of being specific and clear, there is also the issue of talking the same language as the client. There are many describeable differences in how we process the world and how we learn, and therefore how successfully a client and trainer are going to be in understanding and working together, regardless of either person's capability with the horse or the goals that are set.
For example :
*Verbal, Visual or Active (Kinaesthetic) processing - if your language is about hearing, telling, saying, talking, and theirs is watching, seeing, showing, looking, or feeling, doing, trying, practicing, you are not having the same conversation. More than that, if your preference is to talk and explain, but the client learns best through watching or through trying, then they are going to tell other people that you didn't explain anything clearly and just did your own thing.
*Chunk size - Some people need to see the big picture (large chunks) and work out for themselves how to put the detail in. Others need every step covering (small chunks) and become frustrated and unable to continue if there is a gap in the logic. If you are a large chunk, talking to a small chunk, you will have lost them 2 minutes into the discussion.
*Learning styles - Activists like things short and snappy and to get involved. Reflectors like to think things through, to repeat things several times and to work at their own pace. Theorists need to see the overall pattern and how specific activities fit into it. Pragmatists like to see things in practice and experiment to problem solve. So, if, for example, you are an Activits talking to a Reflector, they will tell others that you are impatient and didn't take time to explain properly (even if you weren't and you did).
*Scales - People have different scales for measuring behaviour, so if you say the client needs raise their energy more when asking the horse to back up. What you have in mind is about 50% of the maximum you can imagine. That same level of energy may be 200% of what the client can imagine, or has ever done with a horse - to them it feels far too much, off the scale, harsh.
There are many other ways of coming at this, but you get my drift.
Not only is there the issue of being specific and clear, there is also the issue of talking the same language as the client. There are many describeable differences in how we process the world and how we learn, and therefore how successfully a client and trainer are going to be in understanding and working together, regardless of either person's capability with the horse or the goals that are set.
For example :
*Verbal, Visual or Active (Kinaesthetic) processing - if your language is about hearing, telling, saying, talking, and theirs is watching, seeing, showing, looking, or feeling, doing, trying, practicing, you are not having the same conversation. More than that, if your preference is to talk and explain, but the client learns best through watching or through trying, then they are going to tell other people that you didn't explain anything clearly and just did your own thing.
*Chunk size - Some people need to see the big picture (large chunks) and work out for themselves how to put the detail in. Others need every step covering (small chunks) and become frustrated and unable to continue if there is a gap in the logic. If you are a large chunk, talking to a small chunk, you will have lost them 2 minutes into the discussion.
*Learning styles - Activists like things short and snappy and to get involved. Reflectors like to think things through, to repeat things several times and to work at their own pace. Theorists need to see the overall pattern and how specific activities fit into it. Pragmatists like to see things in practice and experiment to problem solve. So, if, for example, you are an Activits talking to a Reflector, they will tell others that you are impatient and didn't take time to explain properly (even if you weren't and you did).
*Scales - People have different scales for measuring behaviour, so if you say the client needs raise their energy more when asking the horse to back up. What you have in mind is about 50% of the maximum you can imagine. That same level of energy may be 200% of what the client can imagine, or has ever done with a horse - to them it feels far too much, off the scale, harsh.
There are many other ways of coming at this, but you get my drift.