NLP and the Hierarchy of Ideas

In any communication, language (words) consists of 7%, tonality being 38% and 55% related to your physiology. Generally, the language you use is unconscious as you don’t think about the words that are coming out of your mouth. 

It is important that you learn to use language in such a way that it is in your conscious awareness and produces the kind of response that you really want. One way of using language more effectively to produce desired results is to apply the hierarchy of ideas. The hierarchy of ideas is all about moving from the abstract to the specific in language.

Abstract or vague language is all about getting the big picture of an idea or situation. It is like getting the vision. In NLP, the use of such language is known as “chunking up” and questions asked include: “what is this an example of…?”, “for what purpose…?” or “what is your intention…?’. Chunking up or abstract language is useful for negotiation as negotiation is essentially the process of gaining agreement and agreement is only possible by being abstract. By using vague language with someone you can identify motivating or deep needs of that person. 

Specific or detailed language is known as “chunking down” or getting to the details or distinction of a situation. Common questions asked to chunk down include: “what are examples of this…?”, or “what specifically…?” For example, if you were feeling overwhelmed in a certain situation, by asking yourself “what specifically am I overwhelmed about…?” will help you to find a solution to the source of being overwhelmed.

By using the hierarchy of ideas either chunking up (vague or abstract) or chunking down (specific) will assist you to use language that will produce the desired results or outcomes you want to achieve. By understanding the use of abstract to specific language will enable you to use these to match/mirror others and communicate more effectively in any given situation.