RENEWAL TECHNOLOGIES

Helping People and Organizations Grow

The Renewal Times
March, 2005.
ISSN 1705-3773 The Renewal Times

The Renewal Times is a publication of Renewal Technologies and is edited by Roger Ellerton.

This newsletter may be republished without permission, provided it is reproduced in its entirety and provided copyright is acknowledged. To reproduce sections of the newsletter, please contact Renewal Technologies at info@renewal.ca.

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Please note: The material in this newsletter is presented for information only. It is not a substitute for medical, psychological or professional advice. Please consult a qualified professional.

Included in this newsletter:

• Thought for the day
  
• Health Notes
  
• Upcoming Seminars
  
• Feature Article
  
• Humour
  
• News
  
• More Information
  

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Thought for the Day
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A step in the wrong direction is better than staying on the spot all of your life.
Once you are moving forward you can correct your course as you go.
Your automatic guidance system cannot guide you when you are standing still.

         Maxwell Maltz

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Health Notes
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Get a good Sleep

Help your body process carbohydrates by getting a good night's sleep.

A recent study revealed that people with a sleep debt had lower glucose tolerance compared to when they were well rested. Impaired glucose tolerance may increase the risk of carbohydrate metabolism disorders, such as hypoglycemia.

Some of the most common causes of chronic insomnia are stress, depression, and chronic pain or discomfort. If your sleep loss is interfering with your ability to perform daily activities, speak with your doctor. He or she can help rule out an underlying medical condition. If stress is robbing you of sleep, choose a stress-reduction activity that you can perform daily. Deep-breathing exercises, yoga, meditation, and massage are all good choices.

Impact of sleep debt on metabolic and endocrine function. Spiegel, K., Leproult, R., Van Cauter, E., Lancet 1999 Oct 23;354(9188):1435-1439.

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Eat Together as a Family

Making time to gather around the dinner table each day may help your family eat more healthfully.

A recent study revealed that adolescents who ate their meals in the presence of a parent were likely to eat more fruits, vegetables, and calcium-rich foods. Just be sure to flick the television off; having it on during meals decreased fruit and vegetable intake of both parents and children.

Make sure your meals offer plenty of healthful eating options to increase the chances that you'll eat a balanced diet. A study revealed that planning meals ahead of time was the best way to increase people's fruit and vegetable intake. Make planning meals a family affair by assigning each person to plan one or two meals each week and have the planner provide a grocery list of required items. Be sure each meal includes fruit and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein.

Influences on adolescent eating patterns: the importance of family meals. Videon, T. M., Manning, C. K., Journal of Adolescent Health 2003 May;32(5):365-373.
Family meal patterns: associations with sociodemographic characteristics and improved dietary intake among adolescents. Neumark-Sztainer, D., Hannan, P. J., Story, M., Croll, J., Perry, C., Journal of the American Dietetic Association 2003 Mar;103(3):317-322.
Associations between perceived family meal environment and parent intake of fruit, vegetables, and fat. Boutelle, K. N., Birnbaum, A. S., Lytle, L. A., Murray, D. M., Story, M., Journal of Nutrition Education Behavior 2003 Jan-Feb;35(1):24-29.

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Upcoming Seminars / Workshops
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NLP Practitioner Training

Seven consecutive days: July 4 - 10, 2005
or
Three week-ends: September 23 - 25, 30, October 1- 2, 14 - 16, 2005.

NLP Master Practitioner Training

Take your NLP knowledge and abilities to the next level!

April 1 - 3, 22 - 24, May 13 - 15, 27 - 29, June 10 - 12, 2005

For our most recent schedule and a description of these workshops/seminars, please Click Here!

For the location of our Training Centre in Ottawa (Stittsville), Ontario, please Click Here!

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Feature Article
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Chunking

Have you ever:

• Been stuck in a negotiation or argument and not been able to find common areas of agreement?
• Needed to quickly and easily think laterally?
• Felt overwhelmed with an activity?
• Wanted to get something done, but did not feel excited about it?

Chunking can help you get past these obstacles.

What is Chunking?

In NLP, ‘chunking up’ refers to moving to more general or abstract pieces of information. While ‘chunking down’ means moving to more specific or detailed information.

To chunk up on a piece of information, use one or more of the following questions:

• What is this an example of?
• What is this a part of?
• What is the intention?
• For what purpose?

To illustrate the concept, let us begin with a library building. Examples of chunking up from library building would be:

• Buildings (a library building is an example of buildings), or
• A city block (the library building forms part of a city block), or
• A city’s library system, or
• Provides a means for people to undertake research.

If we follow the path of a city block, we can then chunk up to a city, then to a province or state, then to a country, etc.

To chunk down, use one or more of the following questions:

• What is an example of this?
• What is a component/part of this?
• What/who/where specifically?

Examples of chunking down or being more specific on library building are:

• A library building in the City of Ottawa, or
• A library building built in the 1950’s, or
• The third floor of the library building, or
• A specific window in the library building, or
• A row of books in the library building.

If we follow the path of a row of books, we can continue chunking down (getting more specific) to NLP books, then books written by John Grinder, then a particular chapter, etc.

This simple concept has many varied and useful applications.

How and When Can You Use Chunking?

• Meta Model and Milton Model. The Meta Model is an example of chunking down (who, what, where specifically) -- you ask your client questions to get more specific details. The Milton Model, which uses vague or abstract language, is an example of chunking up.
• Negotiation and Mediation. Chunking up and down is a very useful tool in negotiations or mediation. Far too often in negotiations, we continue to explore solutions at a level of thought at which we do not agree. The key is to chunk up until you and the other person agree and then to chunk back down to the details only as fast as you both maintain agreement. Often in negotiation, we assume that the other person wants what we want and this may not be the case.
• Thinking Laterally. We are often encouraged to think laterally. This is not always easy to do. It is if we use chunking. To think laterally, first chunk up, then chunk down. Example, suppose you have to take a package to a particular destination and you do not wish to use your car. To identify alternatives, first chunk up, i.e. what is driving your car an example of? One possible chunk up is a mode of transportation. Now chunking down, you can easy identify many different modes of transportation which are on the same logical level as car i.e., bicycle, horse, train, airplane, walking, etc. And you can select the mode that meets your other needs.
• Creating a Passion for Your Outcome. By chunking up and down, you can size your outcomes so that they are doable and you have excitement, motivation and passion for achieving them.

• Overcoming Disinterest. Why do we get bored? Often because what we are doing does not excite us. We are mired in the details. If you have an outcome and you are not excited about it, ask yourself the question, “This outcome for what purpose?”, i.e. chunk up. Get a bigger perspective or the big picture. Having an outcome and not knowing the larger purpose can be demotivating.
• Addressing Overwhelm. Sometimes we may feel overwhelmed. This can happen if the chunk size is too large. Here we need to chunk down and be more specific or focus more on the details or be more realistic. After all, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!

If you feel overwhelmed or do not know where to start when you think of your outcome; chunk down to be more specific and identify manageable tasks.

And NLP is Much more than that!

Author: Roger Ellerton is a certified NLP trainer, certified management consultant and the founder and managing partner of Renewal Technologies. He can be reached at Renewal Technologies www.renewal.ca or by e-mail info@renewal.ca

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Humour
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Answer to last month’s brain teaser: The German drinks coffee, smokes Prince, lives in the green house and owns the fish.

Pharmacists

An elderly woman went into the doctor's office. When the doctor asked why she was there, she replied, "I'd like to have some birth control pills."

Taken aback, the doctor thought for a minute and then said, "Excuse me, Mrs. Smith, but you're 75 years old. What possible use could you have for birth control pills?"

The woman responded, "They help me sleep better."

The doctor thought some more and continued, "How in the world do birth control pills help you to sleep?"

The woman said, "I put them in my granddaughter's orange juice and I sleep better at night."

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A front end clerk in a pharmacy has just been admonished by the owner for missing too many sales. "I'm sorry" the boss says "But one more missed sale and you are fired."

The next customer that comes in has a terrible cough and asks the problem clerk for help. Unable to recall where the cough remedies are, the nervous clerk points to a box of Ex-Lax and says "Here, buy this then go over to our cooler and take all of it with plenty of water".

The customer thanks him and obliges. Finishing his last glass of water, the customer exits the pharmacy. Once outside he stops, takes a few faltering steps, then hugs a telephone pole. The boss, having witnessed the entire scene, approaches the clerk and asks him what he recommended.

"Ex-Lax," says the clerk hesitantly.

"Ex-Lax !" yells the boss. "That won't help a cough!"

"Sure it does," says the clerk. "Look, he's afraid to cough."

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More Information
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For more information, please visit our website or contact us at 613 692-1424 or info@renewal.ca

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