Sleight of Mouth Patterns

Changing Beliefs Conversationally

Robert Dilts
© 1987 Southern Institute
 The ABC's of NLP
Logical Levels of Change
I. Logical Levels

Gregory Bateson pointed out that in the processes of learning, change and
communication there were natural hierarchies of classification. The function of each
level was to organize the information on the level below it and the rules for changing
something on one level were different from those for changing a lower level.
Changing something on a lower level could1 but would not necessarily, effect the
upper levels; but changing something In the upper levels would necessarily change
things on the lower levels in order to support the higher level change. Bateson noted
that it was the confusion of logical levels that often created problems.

II. Logical Levels In NLP

In working with NLP the following logical levels seem to be the most basic
and the most important to consider:

A. Who I Am -Identity
B. My belief System - Causes, Categories and Comparisons
C. My capabilities - States, Strategies, Meta Programs
D. What I do or have done - Specific Behaviours
E. My Environment - External Context

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1. Redefine: Substituting a new word for one of the words used in the belief
statement that means something similar but has different implications.

2. Consequence: Directing attention to an effect (positive or negative) of the belief

or the relationship defined by the belief.

3. Intention: Directing attention to the purpose or intention of the belief (positive or

negative).

4. Chunk Down: Breaking the elements of the belief into small enough pieces that
it changes the relationship defined by the belief.

5. Chunk Up: Generalizing an element of the belief to a larger classification that

changes the relationship defined by the belief.

6. Counter-Example: Finding and example that does not fit the relationship defined
by the belief.

7. Another Outcome: Challenging the relevancy of the belief and switching to

another issue altogether.

8. Analogy: Finding a relationship analogous to that defined by the belief, but

which has different implications.

9. Apply to Self: Evaluating the belief statement itself according to the relationship
or criteria defined by the belief.

10. Hierarchy of Criteria: Re-evaluating the belief according to a criterion that is

more important than any addressed by the belief.

11. Change Frame Size: Re-evaluating the implication of the belief in the context
of a longer (or shorter) time frame1 a larger number of people (or from an individual
point of view) or a bigger or smaller perspective.

12. Meta Frame: Evaluating the belief from the frame of an ongoing, personally
oriented context - establishing a belief about the belief.

13. Model of the World: Re-evaluating the belief from the framework of a
different model of the world.

14. Reality Strategy: Re-evaluating the belief accounting for the fact that people
operate from cognitive perceptions of the world to build beliefs.