I wonder how you found your shine this week. Maybe, you can remember it now…
My shine was spotted by a business networking colleague, who said:
“You’re wearing some really cool new clothes, Tanya. Looking good and great energy today!”” “I’ve got my shine on,” I joked and accepted the compliment albeit none of my clothes were new!
In NLP terms, your “shine” is a nominalisation. Nominalisations are one of the Meta Model language patterns you learn on our Licensed practitioner of NLP course. These magical patterns are great if you want to understand how you or your team [family or colleagues], clients or others are thinking in order to affect success. Change workers, like me, love nominalisations because they’re magical words that tell us where to begin our work and they can be great if you want to motivate your team.
So, what is nominalisation? In a nutshell, nominalisations are verbs or adjectives that have been turned into a noun. People use them all the time and so long as your playful you can have all sorts of fun with them and support your own or others’ success.
You may hear: My anxieties are playing me up! And say: Give them to me, I love to play!
Or: I’ve lost my sparkle! And reply: I wonder where you left it.
Or even: I’ve got no motivation! And reply in jest: Well, go and get some. Here’s the money!
But, as you know, you can’t put motivation in your shopping trolley however hard you try!
Nominalisations hide the action or behaviour but when you ask the right question, people realise the negative behaviours they need to stop and the positive actions that need to start. The wonderful thing is that when you turn any of these words back into a verb, you can instantly go from feeling stuck to feeling momentum again.
You don’t have to have anxieties that are playing up or have lost your sparkle to play along. Just notice what happens when you answer the questions below:
What do you do to feel anxious? [To be anxious]
What are you doing when you sparkle? [To sparkle]
How do you know when you’re being motivated? [To be motivated or to motivate]
By now, you’ll know I wasn’t actually wearing my shine, but I was using lots of skills from NLP toolkit when I received that compliment…quickly building rapport and spinning a great state.
My invitation to you this week is to listen up and when you hear a nominalisation, ask a question to support you or others to change their thinking.
So says the first line of John Milton’s 1926 poem that celebrates the failed gunpowder plot to blow up parliament.
Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the USA said, “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail”.
This morning, Saturday 5 th November, I woke up early, heard the rain, felt a chill, and snuggled back under my duvet. I really wanted to go for a workout and a swim but outside the weather was cold and wet, in preparation for a typical Guy Fawkes’ Night!
Today, on Day 6 of a Licensed Practitioner of NLP course, we’ve been talking about metaprograms, those unconscious patterns of behaviour that run in the background without us really having to think about them.
The Carrot and a Stick metaphor is a great example of a metaprogram and there’s plenty more when you decide to learn NLP. Will the donkey/employee be inclined to move towards the carrot or away from the stick?
As humans, we may move towards pleasure/rewards in certain contexts and away from pain in others. If your metaprograms serve you well, that’s great but if your instinct has a detrimental impact on your life, it’s worth recognising and finding a new course of action.
Lying in my bed, listening to the rain, I may have been tempted to have a lie-in, moving away from the cold and the rain. For me, the urge to get moving “won” because I love that feeling when you’re out of puff and those good endorphins are running high! If honest, it wasn’t just my towards pattern that got me to the gym. Self-hypnosis also did the trick! I imagined lifting slightly higher weights and doing more reps, and blow me down I did!
My invitation to you this week is to notice what you move away from or towards to. If your metaprogram is working for you, go with it. If not, STOP, THINK & PLAN to succeed and remember the power of your imagination!
While Guy Fawkes and Co. did plan to succeed, they were caught in the act! If you’re going to get “caught”, wouldn’t it be great to ensure that your metaprograms are working well for you and yours. And imagine how great it will be when you can recognise how others are “wired” so that you can respond or support them accordingly.
Maybe, there’s something that you want to do but you’re not motivated yet.
Today, I met with someone who is going to try to find two hours a day to meet her goal. Maybe she will and maybe she won’t. The problem is that people generally don’t complete their tries because they only plan to try!
Imagine how much more you can achieve with a dedicated amount of time each day…
The hours will add up and the impact can be amazing, can’t it?
This week, I’ve enjoyed watching magic in motion, on the run up to Halloween…
One of my clients has transformed her living room into a stylized haunted house. A neighbour has created webs for giant spiders and our fabulous friends in the States have staged a Halloween photo shoot to create the most magical mementos of Halloween in 2022.
So, how is it that it’s easier to find our motivation on some days that it is on others. And, if you’ve lost your motivation, how will you know where to look?
The word motivation is a nominalisation. The verb, to be motivated or to motivate, has been turned into a noun. Let’s face it, if motivation was a thing, we could fly to the supermarket and buy it by the cauldron full!
NLP metaprograms help us to understand our internal programs that run unconsciously. With regard to being motivated, it’s like the carrot and the stick. Sometime there’s a big shiny reward that we want to move towards [pleasure] and sometimes there’s something that we want to move away from [pain]. People who tend to move away from pain, may not move until things get really bad and people who find it easy to move towards the next shiny new goal, may not complete the mundane things that should also get done along the way.
NLP isn’t magic and NLP potions don’t really exist BUT NLP strategies for motivation can feel like magic, especially when there’s something you want to be motivated to do but you aren’t motivated yet.
John La Vale, president of the Society of NLP reminds us that in NLP [Neuro-Linguistic Programming], Linguistics is our middle name. And one of the strategies you can learn to be more motivated is called Modal Operators or Motivation Words to be even more precise.
Think of a small/insignificant goal you want to achieve, that you want to be motivated to do but you’re not just yet.
Now, notice what pictures you make in your mind’s eye when you say to yourself, “I’m going to try to…”, compared to when you say:
I wish I could…
I would like to…
I want to…
I need to…
I have to…
I must…
I will…
I am…
And notice which phrase produces the magic for you to be motivated to achieve it quickly and easily. And, now you have a compelling picture in your mind’s eye, you can do whatever it takes to make it even more desirable…
Turn the colours up
Make the picture big and bright
Float your mind into the picture and enjoy the journey…
And, having completed the activity in trance time, you can now be pleasantly surprised how much more easily you can achieve that goal in waking time because your brain doesn’t know the difference between real life and make believe and thinks it’s already completed the task in hand.
Kathleen La Valle, Mrs President of the Society of NLP and a renowned master trainer says tells a story about nominalisations like the word “motivation” …
A happy verb that used to be motivated to do all sorts of things until one day when a bad witch turned it into a rock, when it became stuck, until…
An NLP Programster can and released the spell, so that the rock could be motivated and achieve again!
This week, you may also want to recognise your metaprograms or unconscious programs. Notice when you’re moving towards [pleasure] and when you’re moving away [pain].
And, if you want to become an NLP Programster you can decide where to start your NLP Shine journey.
So, now you know one NLP strategy to be more motivated, please enjoy a Happy Halloween. You don’t have to create a haunted house photo shoot or create a stylized haunted house but if like me you want to enjoy magic in motion you may want to enjoy a trick or treat as you decide to explore whether to start you NLP Shine journey here.
This week in the UK, Chief Mouser, Larry the Downing Street Cat outlasts four prime ministers. Larry’s purr-fected message continues to go viral whilst his most recent housemate is accused of having the communication skills and charisma of a stapler!
So, what are the secrets of Larry’s success?
Firstly, he mirrors the hustle and bustle of the reporters moving swiftly to get their best shot before he takes the lead. Then, owning his stage, he maintains rapport as he waits until we all breathe in unison. Only when we’re all paying attention does he make it clear that he’s here to stay.
This week, a “Conservatory man” quickly lost rapport with me because when I asked about the benefits of an aluminium conservatory, he naively said that PVC is cheaper, so really I should go for that!
It took me a few years to learn to speak the same language as my husband, which may not be surprising when I tell you that he’s a Geordie!
On one occasion, I returned home super enthusiastic to tell Dave about how our neighbour had redesigned her home, that had previously a replica of our own. I was desperate for Dave to be impressed, so that we could do the same.
“You should see what they’ve done at number 5…Imagine what we can achieve if we knock through this wall to create a new dining space and move the utility into the garage. Let me illustrate how we can create more light and better storage, and then you can picture what I mean.” With that, I drew a quick sketch and waited for his reaction, only to be met with a frown!
A presupposition of NLP, is that “The meaning of your communication is the response you get.” Dave’s frown was far from the response I wanted! As a Neuro-Linguistic Programmer, I later realised that NLP Representational Systems are a great way forward…
A few days later, we were coming back from a walk and the neighbours were out gardening. As we got chatting, I recalled, “I’ve been telling Dave all about your ‘new’ house and was wondering if we can pop in so that he can get a feel for what we can do.”
Moments later, we were inside and finally the penny dropped…
“Wow!” said Dave. “It feels so spacious. We can do this! I get a sense, you can really relax in here.”
Needless to say, our house now has a newly redesigned ground floor and as you may have guessed, we’re ready to replace the conservatory.
Unfortunately, for the “Conservatory man”, he didn’t even realise he’d offended me. Whatever would Larry the Cat have to say about that? Let’s hope that Larry’s new housemate can hold an audience as well as Larry. If not, maybe Larry will recommend NLP!
My invitation to you this week, is to start to notice the sensory words you hear in conversation [like those in bold above] and know that people like people who are like them, and when you speak in the same representation or sensory system, you’ll make better sense to them.
Follow the link below if you’re keen for great communication to be at the heart of your success.
I wonder if you’ve ever dwelled on a belief…My boss doesn’t trust me, my teenager is disrespecting our home, or something similar?
Wouldn’t it be amazing to find a simple strategy to find yourself or your client a new perspective?
NLP Reframing is a magical technique that does just that. Seeing a limiting belief from a different viewpoint dissolves the “glue” so that people who were previously stuck can find a way to move on.
Think of the a Dad saying, “My daughter disrespects me!”
When asked, “How do you know?” the list was endless:
I suggest buying a dress. She says, “No, I like my jeans!”
I suggest a walk and she say, “No. I’m online with my friends.
NLP reframing has two great questions to change the perspective.
Content Reframe: What else can it mean?
Context Reframe: Where else would this behaviour be useful?
Firstly, how much better would you feel as a parent if someone helped you reframe the content:
“First of all, you’ve brought up a strong young lady who speaks her mind and is developing her own sense of style!”
“Secondly, in certain situations, saying No is a good thing isn’t it. One day, she may be out with a boyfriend who is going too fast and she’ll be able to say No and mean it. You’d be proud of her then, wouldn’t you?”
Dr Bandler says,
“When you change how you think, you change how you feel and you change what you can do.”
If you’re curious to find out more about NLP, click on the button below to start your shine.
My invitation to you is to notice a limiting belief and reframe it and notice how much better you feel… if not for you, maybe you can support a friend.
I wonder if you’ve ever been talking to someone and wondered what they’re thinking or whether they’re even listening?
I can’t tell you exactly what’s on someone else’s mind, but I am really excited to share a skill that you can learn to know how someone is thinking to inform your response.
Years ago, I recall asking my son to where his book bag was and told him, “You won’t find it up there,” when he looked up and his eyes flicked from left to right.
As a class teacher, I used to query whether children had been listening when they didn’t answer straight away.
This week, I was chatting with Paul, a trainee nurse who had requested a coaching session to get his four-year degree off to a flying start! He has a specific learning difficulty and is already two weeks behind with his reflective journal. Amongst other things, he is required to draw a cell but doesn’t know where to start.
With NLP Eye Accessing cues in my toolkit, I could see Paul actually has a great learning strategy that he had yet to realise. The illustration below shows where most people are likely to look for specific information.
When I asked Paul “What else do you need to do to be on track?” He looked up to his left and talked nineteen to the dozen yet failed to answer my question! So, I asked him, “What are you looking at in your mind? He looked blank, so I queried a list. Although Paul thought he was “probably” looking at a list, I wasn’t convinced. So, I got him to look again and tell me exactly what he was seeing. This time, he again looked up to his right, named some specific workbooks and rattled of some actions as quick as a flash. Furthermore, now he can remember an image of an annotated cell, Paul remembered that he has to label his drawing!
As for the class teacher in me, I now know that if children look up to their left, they are recalling a visual image and if they look up to their right, they are trying to create one.
And, as for my son’s looking from left to right for his book bag, he was searching for the information. When saw where he’d put it (visual remembered) he skipped off to get it. Knowing what I know now, I would never chide, “You won’t find it up there,” because the chances are he (or your audience) will!
My invitation to you this week is to notice the pictures you’re making in your own mind and begin to watch other people to know if they’re remembering or creating.
Eye accessing skills are just one of the communication skills you learn when you attend an NLP Practitioner Course. Find out more below.
A couple of years ago when I was publishing my first book, my marketing friend Sue said, “You can be The Shine Lady”! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if your “Sparkle” can help others to achieve their goals?
This week, I heard from a mystery caller. She knew a little bit about my journey and wanted to fill in the gaps. Her mission being to learn from others who continue to shine, even in the face of adversity. Somehow, she knew I’d had a few hurdles along the way and continued to jump them, nevertheless.
My answer was simple…NLP! Seven days in a room with Dr Richard Bandler, Co-creator of NLP was life changing. Super excited and thinking differently, I left the course knowing that you can use your NLP toolkit to support yourself and others to achieve a whole lot more. I went back to teaching, studying and sales, and started a business simultaneously, whilst being Tanya the Mum and Carer and life had never been easier.
“You’re an inspiration!” said the mystery caller and I thought, “I’ll take that compliment!” It felt good, so why not?
When you give or receive a compliment, your brain releases Dopamine, one of the happy brain chemicals so that you and others feel good. State management, managing your own and other people’s emotional states is one of the key skills you learn when you become a Licensed Practitioner of NLP. If you’re curious to find out more, click on the below link to start your shine.
NLP inspired me to “Inspire YOU to shine…and accelerate progress towards your goals”. As a Shine Lady, as Sue would say, I don’t really have a can of Sparkle, but I do love to share my skills so that you polish your skills and communication, whatever your chosen field be that in coaching, business, sales or teaching… to name but a few!
Harvard research states that 70% of people find it hard to take a compliment. My invitation to you this week is to simply say, “Thank you” and enjoy your shine. And don’t think twice about paying a compliment or two.
I wonder if you know that it’s Mental Health Awareness Week.
I had no idea until somebody else told me, although I work in the well-being trade and yet The Mental Health Foundation note:
Mental health issues are a causal factor in diseases
Behavioural problems including depression, anxiety contribute to disability in adults under 30
Major depression is thought to be the second leading cause of disability and a major contributor of suicide and heart disease
And it’s estimated that each week as many as 1 in 6 people will experience a common mental health problem, such as:
Anxiety
Stress
Depression
Eating disorders
No two people are affected in the same way by any of these problems, but hypnosis and NLP can be part of the solution whatever the problem.
Approximately 70% of my clients present with some form of Anxiety, so in this blog I define anxiety and share why the power of the breath [deep breathing] is a simple part of the solution and some of the reasons why Neuro-linguistic Programming [NLP] and Clinical Hypnotherapy are key to overcoming those unconscious behaviours that cause those unwanted feelings.
Anxiety
According to the charity MIND, anxiety disorders can be classified into 9 main sub-types:
Generalised anxiety disorder [GAD]
Panic disorder – sudden attacks of intense terror
Phobias – irrational fears and avoidance of a particular object or situation
Social anxiety – fear of being judged negatively by others
Obsessive compulsive disorder – compulsive thoughts that lead to compulsive actions
Health anxiety – obsessing about health issues and researching reasons the reasons
Post-traumatic stress disorder – anxiety and possibly flashbacks caused by past trauma
And all these start with a known or unknown trigger, such as the thought of speaking to an audience. It could be a smell or even a sound that triggers the anxiety response and you may not even be conscious of it. Oftentimes, clients tell me that their unwanted feelings [increased heart rate, panic attack, shaking or trembling, for example] “…just come out of the blue!” This is because we’re hard wired to keep safe and your body will automatically go into “fight or flight” whenever there’s a threat. That’s fine if you need to escape or fight a major threat [a critical incident or attack] , but when the adrenals fire off adrenaline and cortisol for what appears to be “no reason” or for an activity like entering a lift that most other people take in their stride, it’s a different story…
Anxiety is like a false alarm! For example, you think or worry about doing the thing you fear [leaving the house, speaking to an audience, performing on stage or someone gives you a sideways look] and the adrenals and heart start pumping, and you enter a state of fight or flight, even though there’s no predator in the bushes or any significant threat to worry about. But, consciously or unconsciously, the unwanted feelings and symptoms happen all the same.
When clients come to see me, I ask them to share with me how anxiety works for them.
We then find solutions by:
Reducing the physiological responses – reducing and/or eliminating the feelings
Identifying the triggers and find ways to flip the clients focus
The great thing about hypnosis is that it supports a calm default mode. This helps you to activate the parasympathetic nervous system [rest and digest or the opposite of fight or flight] so that you can learn to stay calm, even when the challenge used to be high.
The Power of the Breath
“Keep Calm and Breathe” was a phrase coined by Britain’s propaganda department during the second world war and here’s why…
Deep breathing is a solution for stress and anxiety because deep slow breathing stimulates the vagus nerve and this in turn lowers the heartbeat. You can achieve this quickly by making sure that the outbreath is longer than the inbreath.
You can do this by…
Breathing in for a count of 4… and breathing out for a count of 7
Or
In for a count of 7… and out for a count of 11.
Flipping the Focus
Dr. Richard Bandler, co-creator of NLP notes
When you change how you think, you change how you feel and change what you CAN do.
Summing up, anxiety is caused by an unconscious trigger or by worrying about a future event like sitting an exam, entering a lift or that fear that initiates those unwanted feelings for you.
Anxiety results in unwanted physiological symptoms such as a panic attack and a great way to take back control are to:
Think differently: Working with an NLP Practitioner with help you to change how your thinking, so that you can ultimately think on purpose and achieve more. Flipping a negative thought to a positive thought will affect your emotional and physical state for the better.
Learn how to induce calm and maintain a calm default mode – You can do this by controlling your breath as described above.
Finally, and most importantly NLP and Clinical Hypnotherapy are key because the thoughts that trigger anxiety become habitual. They happen once, fear is induced and thereafter people worry or obsess that they’ll happen again, and they do because you’ve inadvertently planned for it.
When you work with a mindset coach who has NLP and Hypnosis in their toolkit, they can support you to work directly with the unconscious, in trance, so that you can train your brain to do the positive behaviours that you want to instead – whether that’s calmly stepping onto a stage or an aeroplane, remembering past trauma without the unwanted physical response or whatever the change is that you seek.
About Tanya Bunting
Tanya is a Clinical Hypnotherapist, NLP Trainer, and Student Liaison Lead for the International College of Clinical Hypnotherapy. She works flexibly as a therapist, coach, teacher/trainer in her hometown [Bournemouth] and wherever else her skills and interests take her.
Medical Disclaimer
The content in this article is not not intended to be a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of you GP or other qualified healthcare advisor with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have seen on a website.
Your Mojo is that quality that attracts people to you. It’s that spirit [self-esteem] within that drives your success and keeps you full of energy.
However, if you’ve been feeling low and slow or super anxious in these crazy times, please know you’re not alone. Research shows that 65% of people in the UK have felt more stressed since lockdowns began. The three key reasons are disconnection, uncertainty, and a worrying loss of control.
So, how do worry, stress and anxiety work?
Worry happens in the mind. It tends to be those negative, repetitive, and obsessive thoughts.
It’s when your mind dwells on negative thoughts and the things that can go wrong!
A presupposition of NLP is that, “Every behaviour has a positive intention.”
When you come to think about it, worry is a way for your brain to handle problems in order to keep you safe.
Worry is helpful if it leads to a solution, If not, it turns into negative thoughts that cause stress on the body.
What is stress?
Stress is a physiological response caused by an internal or an external event.
An external event may be a work deadline, an exam, criticism from others or any other external threat.
An internal event is thinking about a fear, a phobia or something that may go wrong.
When your body is faced with stress, the fight/flight response kicks in to keep you safe.
Adrenaline and cortisol is released. The heart rate goes up and blodd is pumped to the vital organs giving you the strength and energy to deal with the threat – an attacker, someone screaming at you, or whatever it may be.
Chronic stress is when the fight/flight mode stays switched on, such as when a situation hasn’t been resolved. This may be financial stress, the threat of redundancy, a challenging boss; or any issue where there’s a loss or control.
Chronic stress leads to dis-ease [uneasiness] and eventually disease – heart disease, weakened immune system, digestive issues and other illnesses.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety has a cognitive element [worry] and a physiological response [stress]. Basically, it’s the fight/flight response but without a real threat.
You could call it a false alarm!
Anxiety is normal and helps us to flee from danger, such as Neolithic man escaping from a bear.
In today’s world, anxiety tends to be caused by emotionally challenging situations, such as loneliness or uncertainty, rather than a life threatening or physical threat. In Covid times, such threats have been very real for lots of people, hence the impact on emotional health.
What is self-esteem?
Self-esteem has two components – confidence and belief! When we have high self-esteem, we generally feel positive about ourselves and about life in general. It makes us better able to deal with life’s ups and downs. When our self-esteem is low, we tend to see ourselves and our life in a more negative and critical light. We also feel less able to take on the challenges that life throws at us.
What causes low self-esteem?
Low-self esteem often begins in childhood when adults and/or the media send us negative messages about ourselves. In adults, self-esteem may be adversely affected by major life changes such as losing a job, being a victim, an empty nest and/or relationship issues. Older adults may be affected by declining work skills or ill health.
Low self-esteem can lead to worry, stress, and anxiety [Nojo] when trying to live up to internal or external expectations.
To combat your Nojo – how you THINK is key!
Dr. Richard Bandler, Co-creator of NLP, says:
“When you change how you think, you change how you feel and change what you can do.”
Here’s why…
John La Valle, President of the Society of NLP, explains the science involved in a simple explanation that he aptly calls Brain Juice!
Good brain juices [hormones] are neurotransmitters that help us to feel good and function well. These include: Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and Endorphins.
Bad brain juice [adrenaline, cortisol, and other stress hormones] consist of neuro-inhibiters or neuro-hi-BITERS as John calls them. These chemicals are necessary in situations where the body needs to go into fight or flight, such as Neolithic man being faced by a bear, or modern-day emergency situations.
Usually, our endocrine or chemical system returns to normal after a stressful event; adrenaline and cortisol levels drop, and the heart rate and blood pressure return to baseline. But when stress or stressors continue due to worry, the fight/flight response stays on. Overexposure to cortisol disrupts your body’s processes putting you at risk of chronic stress, adrenal fatigue, weight gain and other health related issues.
Internal stress in a nutshell:
Positive thoughts/actions = Good brain juice!
Negative thoughts [worry] = Bad brain juice!
Have a D.O.S.E of Good Brain Juice and Get Your Mojo Back!
DOPAMINE – Reward/Pleasure Hormone!
OXYTOCIN – Love Hormone!
Set achievable goalsGive yourself a tick as you reach your goals or the milestones along the wayDiffuse Rosemary [Essential Oil]Join a yoga classEat Tyrosine rich foods: cheese, meats, fish, nuts, beans. High Protein!
Spend time with friends and/or petsEnjoy or remember a lovely hugThink about someone you care aboutGive someone a giftPractice a random act of kindness
SEROTONIN – Mood Booster!
ENDORPHINS – Pain Killer!
Wake up early and get a wriggle on!Walk in the sunshineSelf-hypnosis or meditationSleep in the dark! Serotonin turns to melatonin for a good night’s sleep
Exercise for the runner’s highEnjoy a walk, jog or runDo something funRemember or enjoy a giggleDark chocolate and/or a curry
How can NLP and Hypnosis help?
You brain doesn’t know the difference between real life and make believe. This means that you can activated the production of good brain juice [happy hormones] by simply remembering a past event. You can do this by following the instructions below.
Guided Visualisation
Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down. Close your eyes and go inside. Remember a time when you were walking out in nature on a day that was just right for you. Recall the memory using all your senses. You can do this by going back to the beginning of the memory and rerunning it in your mind [Mind Movie]. Relive that memory all over again. If it appears on a screen, simply float your mind into it and enjoy it again as if it were today. See… hear… feel… smell… taste…what happened all over again.
NLP Spinning Feelings
Rerun the mind movie and notice the best part of the memory. This time, as you see what you saw back then and hear what you heard, notice where the good feeling starts inside. How is it moving? Can you make it spin faster? Now, use the power of your mind to spread that good feeling throughout. Breathe in, breathe out and sigh. Notice how much better you feel.
Tanya Bunting
Tanya is a Clinical Hypnotherapist, NLP Trainer and Student Liaison Lead for the International College of Clinical Hypnotherapy. She works flexibly as a therapist, coach, teacher/trainer in her hometown [Bournemouth] and wherever her skills and interests take her.
Medical Disclaimer
The content in this article is not is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of you GP or other qualified healthcare advisor with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have seen on a website.
Get the Teaching Job You Want – 10 Top Tips for Applicants in 2021
According to TES Jobs, the number of teaching vacancies in the UK is down by 58 per cent compared with this time last year. Experienced teachers are said to be “staying put” due to the pressures of the pandemic, so it’s hardly surprising to know that the application and interview process is proving daunting, especially for NQTs.
If you’re working hard to meet the teacher standards and achieve qualified teacher status but concerned that there’s little time to prepare lessons, let alone write a winning application and excel at interview; here’s my top tips for you to think on purpose, feel better and present well.
You and Your Dream School: Give yourself time. Decide who are you and what you want, so that when you start reading the adverts, you’ll recognise the job/s for you.
Be congruent: Check your personal values are aligned with the schools, to ensure you’re a good match.
Research Your Dream School: If you can’t visit, explore all avenues to ensure that you know it well.
Write a Winning Application: Compose your personal statement with the job description and person specification in mind. State how you meet them. “Magic” ingredient: Impact of teaching on learning.
Consider your Referees: Select people that know you within the classroom and can clearly evidence your progress and the impact you’ve made. Ask in advance, so that they can dedicate time for you.
Prepare for Interview: The JD and person specification are a gift! Use them to predict the questions, consider the issues and think on purpose to show how you raise standards.
Lesson Preparation: School leaders are creative and will find a way for you to demonstrate your skills. In a virtual interview room, you may be required to teach the panel! N.B. They’re just grown-up learners and possibly a tad nervous about their role too.
Create an Authentic, Professional and Confident Image: Dress, pose and present for success. Research shows that just 7% on communication is in the spoken word. Unconscious thoughts are reflected in body language and gesture. So, do what works for you to be confident.
Imagine: Your brain doesn’t know the difference between real life and make believe. Overcome any anxiety by visualising the interview going well, so that your brain can believe you’ve already done it and settle.
Rehearse: Arrange a mock interview with a suitably qualified coach, who will challenge and support your thinking. If you’ve watched Bill Gate’s Ted Talk, “Teachers need real feedback”, you’ll know that “Everyone needs a coach”.
About the author: Tanya Bunting, Personal & Professional Development Coach is a former Headteacher, Clinical Hypnotherapist, NLP Master Practitioner, Trainer and Licensed Coach. Her 2020 publication, “Get the Teaching Job You Want – From Self-doubt to Being Confident in 10 Easy Steps”, takes you on the journey that all teachers need to make, to select and secure your next professional role; and, consolidated in the complementary hypnosis download: Your Trance to Shine and Get the Teaching Job You Want, to ask Tanya for help, fill out the contact form on her website and follow the BUY NOW button on the book as and when you’re ready to read Get the Teaching Job You Want.
