268 Part IV: Using Words to Entrance
✓ ‘She’s a pain in the neck.’
✓ ‘He’s a breath of fresh air.’
✓ ‘We can cut the atmosphere with a knife.’
Some people say that, although a picture is worth 1,000 words, a metaphor is
worth 1,000 pictures.
Using metaphors in NLP
The word metaphor is derived from the Greek, and literally means ‘to carry
across’. Metaphors make a comparison, a parallel between two sometimes
unrelated terms, and can be a powerful and innovative way of describing a
situation; they can help listeners to reflect on themselves or to see a difficult
situation in a new light, perhaps providing a novel way of resolving the
problem.
In NLP, metaphors are used in a broader sense than that defined in English
grammar – they are used to help people move across from one context to
another. NLP calls this movement chunking across or chunking sideways. As
explained in Chapter 16, chunking is about moving up and down levels of
detail (up to the big picture or down to specifics) in order to communicate
with somebody at the most appropriate and effective level.
As Nick Owen describes in his book The Magic of Metaphor (2001, Crown
House Publishing): ‘Metaphors are not simply poetic or rhetorical
embellishments, but powerful devices for shaping perception and experience.’
In one of Kate’s presentation workshops, Janet was looking at creative ways to
liven up a presentation to a group of teenagers. As a careers advisor, Janet’s
work takes her into schools where she needs to inspire groups with all the
options of apprenticeship schemes.
At first, she stood up and explained the options open to the students in the
hope that they’d listen because of her strong enthusiasm and in-depth
knowledge. Later, as she thought about ways of refining her presentation
with stories and metaphors, Janet hit on the idea of using the metaphor of
a mobile phone – something with which all the youngsters identified. She
compared all the various career routes and options with the sophisticated
functions of the latest phone model. In this way, she bridged the gap from
the advisor to the student and found a way to develop a more compelling
talk. Thanks to the appealing metaphor, she discovered a fresh approach to
enliven her story and inspire the young people.
