Overcoming Barriers to Learning - by Tina Taylor

In the Twenty-First Century there are opportunities for learning all around us. Many people say they want a career change, and, to achieve their goal, some may need to go back to college or university to learn new skills.  Some are lucky enough to have companies who will assist them in their quest: employers can provide excellent opportunities for learning, and for continuous personal development. 

But despite all these amazing learning opportunities around them, many people who have taken the time to review opportunities never actually get started.  Others, having started full of enthusiasm and excitement at the prospect of creating their new future, find that something happens to stop them.

So what has got in the way of their learning? How can they help themselves? And how can a trainer help them to learn more effectively?

Firstly, let’s examine what learning is.  Some define it in the traditional way, by arguing that it is a mental process.  Yet when thoughts occur, something physical happens to us.  When external events occur, physical processes take place in our bodies in reaction to them. These processes establish memories, reinforce or create behaviours and beliefs and actually change the physiology of the brain and the rest of the body.

Everybody's learning begins before birth.  It takes place during our development and continues throughout our lives.  In the beginning, we learn how to control our movement, how to feed and how to communicate with others. When we do that, we don't only learn about the world around us, but also who we are as people.  And it is at this stage that we may learn beliefs about ourselves - picking them up inadvertently from those around us.

Some of those beliefs can be less than helpful.  For example:

“I can’t dance”
            “I’m not musical/artistic”
            “I can’t spell”
            “I can’t change”
            “I always fail”
            “I’m stupid”

These are just a few statements that people may learn about themselves. They are beliefs that hold them back, limiting their self-development.

So, can these beliefs be un-learned?  They certainly can!  And, generally, they can be unlearned very quickly using various NLP techniques.

Some of the techniques we can use to help ourselves to learn involve controlling our emotional states. What we believe about ourselves can easily influence our ability to think and learn. In turn, our beliefs can also be influenced by the mood that we are in, ie: our emotional setting at a certain time, or our "state".  Our state serves as a filter for the information that we receive. When learning, our physical and mental state is just as important as the quality of training and information being delivered.  so, discovering your learning state and how to access it will enable you to get yourself into the appropriate state as and when you need it.

As well as having a state that best suits the learning process, people also have individual learning styles.  For example, some people prefer to be shown how to do something, learning by watching or reading; whereas others prefer to be told  how to do something, learning by listening and discussion. Others learn best by doing, they like to try things out.

For the tutor/trainer this presents great opportunities to pace or lead the particular learning styles of your students. For example, you can present the information you are delivering in a way that matches the person’s preferred way of learning - and you can also enrich a person's learning style by helping them strengthen their other senses.  Recognizing people's natural learning styles is an important skill for all communicators, and can enhance the effectiveness and ease with which you can influence your listeners.

Today, many people are discovering that NLP is a powerful tool that can be used for personal development as well as in the business arena.  Using its techniques will enable you to get the best out of yourself and out of others. It provides powerful strategies for coping with and managing those difficult moments in life. Like deciding to go on with a course you started - or just deciding to take the plunge that will change your life for good!

To find out more about our NLP Trainings and how they can help you, please click here, now.

Tina Taylor is a Licensed Master Trainer of NLP and Clinical Hypnotherapist, with a private Practice in Surrey and Harley Street, London, as well as running courses in Hypnosis and Coaching.  Tina has been assisting on Dr Richard Bandler and John La Valle’s training courses both in the US and the UK for many years.  Her diverse background has allowed her to create and provide some very unique services in coaching and hypnotherapy in the UK for many individuals and companies.

www.tina-taylor.com
www.nlpmasterclass.co.uk