Demystifying The NLP Goal's and TOTE Framework

Demystifying the NLP Goals
and TOTE Framework
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Welcome to this month’s audio newsletter:
Demystifying the NLP Goal’s and TOTE Framework.

In this issue you will learn a cornerstone framework that is central to doing great work
with NLP. It’s called the NLP Goal and TOTE framework.

Everything you will do with the toolset of NLP will rely on your ability to elegantly work the
TOTE model. From conversational change work to trance induction and everything in
between, the mark of someone who is highly skilled with the toolset is they systematically
work to a well-‐structured TOTE. Unfortunately most students overlook this fundamental
framework and so their results are hit and miss.

Inside The Platinum Audio News Club you are going to be taken on a journey that will
radically elevate your skills and transform what you can do with this wonderful technology
that is NLP.

In each issue Master Trainer Michael Breen will teach you a key area of the toolset. We
start with a few fundamental topics before quickly moving into intermediate and advanced
topics like how to do…

• Unconscious installations
• Nested looped story telling
• Conversational change
• Conversational timelines
• And much more.

We are excited by the line up of topics, techniques and frameworks that Michael will be
sharing with you over the forthcoming issues, bringing you the best of NLP every month.

We have just one request, please make sure to do the assignments in each issue.

If you are serious about wanting to improve your skills with the toolset, some work is
mandatory – which means you have to take an active role in the learning process. The good
news the amount of time required to start seeing a significant and dramatic return is little
in comparison to the amount of effort we require you to put in.
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Michael and I have gone to great lengths to do as much of the “heavy lifting” as possible and
have arranged the modules in a progressive fashion. So regardless if you are a new student
into the field or a professional trainer there is content and strategies along with suitable
challenges throughout the program to seriously develop your skill set. There is also a lot of
content that will flip your ideas of what NLP is and how to use it along with material that
Michael has only ever released on his expensive apprenticeship programs.

Be sure to check out the resources in the training portal. There you will find hours and
hours additional audio and video resources (and additional new content) so be sure to
check it out.

Finally, we’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback, you can submit it inside the training
portal along with any questions you’d like answered in our member’s Q&A area.

By the time you go through this training program your depth of knowledge and skills with
the toolset of NLP will be transformed, as it has for so many others.

We welcome you again to the program.

To your success,
Tom and Michael

NLPTIMES.COM
Real NLP Skills for The Real World
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Goals & TOTE’s Practical Assignment
Welcome to this month’s assignment.

Michael covered a lot of material about the TOTE and goals, so in this exercise you get to
put what you have learned in-‐to action.

For this month’s assignment, we want you to take a goal you have or one you wish to bring
into being and we want you to break it down into a simplified set of TOTE’s.
What is important right now is not creating the perfect goal or the perfect “NLP
TOTE”, but rather to get the thinking of TOTE’s and how to do it... so it becomes something
you do habitually and intentionally.

As you can see from the TOTE diagram below, you have a desired state, present state and
series of tests, operations and an eventual exit that you will cycle through in order to
achieve your goal.
If you are wondering, how do TOTEs relate to strategies? Well, it plays a very important
role; however we will be covering strategies in great detail in a future audio issue.
We strongly encourage you to go out and use what you learn from this month regarding the
TOTE in your everyday interactions, client and personal contexts. When you do, you will
begin to do things better, ask better questions and be more effective with yourself and your
clients. The key is in getting the skill into the muscle and you may be surprised by how
quickly your brain can pick up the pattern and generalize.
To assist you in this process we are also going to use another framework called the
“Resource Triangle” as seen below to accentuate what you have learned about Goals and
TOTE so you can begin to put all of this into practice.

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As you can see, at the top of the triangle we have the states of Desire and Fear. In order for
anyone to take action there must be some motivating force, some emotion to move them
into action.

These motivating forces can be broadly classified as states of fear – circumstances we wish
to avoid (such as what we are seeing in the US bailout at the moment) or states of desire –
objects, conditions or circumstances we believe we would enjoy the benefit from. Without
some emotion present, no-‐thing is going to happen. The system has no “energy”.

In the bottom left hand corner we have “The Know How” – these are resources in the form
of knowledge or experience, whether consciously known or unconsciously held. Here we
see things such as strategies, internal relevant states, a person’s experiences, other people’s
experiences etc. which someone can draw on in the pursuit of their goals. In addition to
these you will also have external resources like money, time, and indeed the way one
perceives time. Without the “know how”, a motivated person won’t be able to achieve their
goal.

Finally in the bottom right hand corner we have the resource of “Recognizing
Opportunities”, which is a kind of strategy, plus a state. A person has got to be able to
recognize the opportunities as they arise in order to achieve a specific goal. Opportunities
in this case can refer to contexts or factors that indicate to the person that by acting in a
given situation; it will opens up the door to help achieve their end goal.

So how can we use this very simply but powerful heuristic on our Goals and TOTEs?
Well, for example, if someone says: “I want to get a better paying job”, then you will know
that there are certain things that have to go into the consideration in order for that person
to have a clear TOTE that they can use to achieve that goal.

The TOTE defines and specifies the process of how the criteria for success (the
“tests”) and the operational behaviors (the actions and strategies) that will help
them achieve their goal functions, while the Resource Triangle allows you to
penetrate the speaker’s thinking to help identify any gaps that they need to bridge
within their TOTE.

So if this person (“I want to get a better paying job”) was having a difficult time realizing
their goal, you could enquire to see if they have developed adequate motivation (in the
form of either fear of consequences or desire for rewards or a mix of both), with adequacy
determined by their immediate readiness to take action. In other worlds, has their
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thinking-‐to-‐date moved them to act or merely to sit with their thoughts and feelings about
it?

If motivation is strong enough, then you could focus on whether they have accessed the
requisite strategies, states and “know how”. In other words, have they sorted out how to go
about doing their goal so that they can take action?

If they don’t have all their know-‐how “ducks in a row”, then you can help them find and
organize the necessary resources (i.e. use your NLP skills and techniques). At its simplest
and most direct level one could list out all and every relevant resource that this person has,
explicitly.

And if they have adequate levels of desire or fear to take action to realize the goal and they
do indeed have the resources and their “ducks are in a row”, then the focus shifts checking
that they recognize the opportunities for action and progress.

If a person has a desire and they have the know how to achieve a goal but they can’t see the
opportunity; they will be frustrated or hungry … or they might be motivated to go and find
out…

If they have the desire and can see an opportunity but don’t have the know-‐how; they
might be forlorn and whiney or -‐ …. They might be motivated to learn.

And if they have the know-‐how and can see an opportunity but they don’t have the desire
then they won’t have the motivation; and so nothing is going to happen. In any case, by
exploring the Resource Triangle, you find out what is missing or needs amplifying.

By circling through the Resource Triangle, you can identify what resources you do have,
identify what is missing and then ... most importantly ... figure out what you need to do to
build a bridge, so to speak, so that you can help yourself or a client achieve the goal they
want.

The key with all of this is to get your brain to work, on command, to do this automatically –
which it will begin to when you complete this months assignment and to actively use what
you’ve learned about goals, the TOTE and the Resource Triangle out in the real world.

“I have noticed that when people typically say they tried “NLP technique X” and it
didn't work ... they typically didn’t try the actual technique. Something was missing
from their understanding.”
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“One thing that seems to stop people dead in their tracks is when a technique asks:
“What do you want?” … and they are flummoxed by the question. Do you get antsy
when people ask you what you what? The question: “What do you want?” is a magic,
blank canvas. Artists and writers understand that a blank page or canvas does not
mean “STOP!” it means “GO, GO, GO, GO ….”

“The blank space is where you find out what it is that you want. The blank space
(not knowing) is your opportunity to discover. The “magic trick” that every painter
and writer knows instinctively is that you must make marks on the paper in order to
begin. That sounds funny, doesn’t it? But time and time again I watch people stop
and pull back when they don’t know; instead of proceeding forwards.”

“What the artist or writer does is propose, try, experiment prototype, but above all,
act ... and the great thing about paper is that once you write something down; the
idea will stay on the paper and you can then stand back, look at it, evaluate it and
decide about it. And secondly, if you don't like what you've written or painted; you
can throw it away. So in relation to Desired States, many times, when people say
“Hey, I don’t know what I want”, they haven’t indulged the fantasy long enough and
in a detailed enough manner, in order to be able to test it. They don't indulge the
consideration. They have been sidetracked in the fantasy of "wish fulfillment" or "if
only" or "if only this happened then I’d..." thinking. You need to consider the goals
as actualities, as things that you might pursue. This “reality” dreaming calls into
awareness what you will need to do, to acquire, to learn. It is the connecting of
possibility to actuality. Even to properly evaluate a goal, you need enough detail to
reach a decision.”

– MB

When you are thinking what you want, you fill out the goal and dream, not so you can enjoy
it now, but so that you fill out the space to identify what you’ve got and what you don't have
so that you can build the bridge to realizing the goal.

So right now, write about a goal or Desired State. Take enough time to really fill in the
blanks about what you might want. Then, and only then, write out what you have at this
present moment, in relation to the desired state. Use the Resource Triangle to help fill in
the blanks. And if you have everything you need right now then the goal isn’t big enough to
call up the urge to act. Pick something a bit bigger, a bit more audacious (the so-‐called
“stretch goal”) and repeat this process over.
8

Remember: Reward comes from right effort. That doesn’t mean hard. It means remaining
active and curious as you acquire skills – and goal attainment is a skill – as you refine your
abilities. If you aren’t achieving as much as you would like; there’s probably something
missing from your skill set or, perhaps, you aren’t using as much of what you know as
would be wise.

Those who become skilled or successful in any endeavor work until they get results.

Doing the Assignment:

So in considering this goal; we have created three levels of activity, graded by your “level”
of skill. Although this can be a touchy subject to those restricted by deep psychological
needs to think of themselves as masterful regardless of actual demonstrable ability (and, to
be fair, who wouldn’t like to be seen to be masterful?); there is still the matter that one’s
level of mastery is finally decided not by how many books or articles one has read (or
written), the length of time one has been reading, by assuming a title, or by receiving a
piece of paper (think of the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz). Mastery is a path without
destination and a practice without end.

We offer these arguably arbitrary levels to ensure that when you practice; you practice
what matters with regards to where you are, in order to get where you want to go. There is
no point in skipping steps and finding out later on that you have massive “holes in your
bucket” when you need access to the fullest expression of your resources.

“For buildings, a foundation transfers the load (weight) of the building, into the
Earth. In order to build high; you need strong foundations. No matter how tall,
elaborate or massive a building; it always rests on its foundations. It is the structural
equivalent to a tree’s roots. Shallow roots = easy to knock over and hence, not
stable. The same is true for buildings.”

“When we are talking about skills and, especially skills like use of the NLP tool set,
which require you to take what had been your own unconscious processes (like
language use or thinking) and make them conscious in order to refine your use of
them or change them, without considered practice of what one has been exposed to
through some form of education, the tendency seems to be that critical “foundation
skills” can be missed or left unperfected. Length of formal training has nothing to do
9
with it. I have been compelled, in a corporate project, to work with a “Master” of
NLP who had no discernable NLP abilities whatsoever, despite their recitals on the
number of days they had spent in rooms with a variety of NLP names. I have also
worked on a project with a person who had attended a number of introductions and
“been exposed to NLP ideas” and was more skillful than most NLPers I have seen
working. The difference between the two? The first person collected pieces of paper,
buffed their self-‐image, and left it at that. The second took what they learned and
practiced. This person had the foundations “down and dusted” and made art with
what they had and they had (and have) my greatest respect.”

“One thing that makes a difference, in terms of following the path of mastery, is to
constantly re-‐visit and revise your foundation skills. Foundations, whether of skills
in themselves or for a piece of work you are doing, make the difference between
success and failure.”

– MB

We suggest that for each issue of the Platinum Audio News Club, regardless of where you
think you are in terms of level, that you read all levels of the exercises and start from the
beginning. You will find out where you really are soon enough. This is a cause for
celebration as you can then correct and create the strongest foundations that will then
allow you to build as high as you want.

10
Beginner Level:

Start with your Desired State, write out what you want.

Then focus on your Present State and what resources you have right now, using the
Resource Triangle to go through this process so you can identify any gaps in creating the
result you want.

Make sure you dignify this goal – respect it – by giving it some time to contemplate its
provisioning.

1) Identify – do you have the requisite:

• Intensity of Emotions (desire-‐lust/fear-‐anxiety)?

• Knowledge – the know how? List out what you have to acquire – skills, states,
strategies etc., consider where you can acquire or borrow them (phone a friend, etc.)

• Can you spot opportunities to begin creating the goal right now?

2) Take all the pieces of the desired state, present state and resources you’ve identified
and arrange them into an order/sequence, in terms of what you need first, then
second. Some resources can operate in parallel, others will be sequential. Identify
what has to be there, what by its absence or presence you can infer to help you build
the bridge you want to achieve the goal. Write it down.

As you do this you will be enriching the Desired State. Between the Present and Desired
States you will also be building the functional components (“the how”) part of the TOTE. As
you go to acquire new skills and resources you will have to develop a clear set of criteria
(Tests) and Operations to achieve what you want.

While you do this, it may seem that there are certain obstructions or limitations arising but
the thing to understand is that most limitations are not actual limitations of the
possibilities in the world but arise from holding fixed views or perspectives on the ways
things are or unnecessarily rigid criteria for the Desired State. We don’t see how things
“actually” are. We see how things seem to be through the filter (conclusions we have made)
of our experience.

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Reality is far more negotiable and malleable than you probably imagine. Assume your goal
is realizable. Look at what can be done. The most common limitations we hear about regard
time and money. If you think time is your problem; consider that time is an artificial
construct, held as a measurement, which is then imposed on experience. Time does
nothing. Time is a concept with a measurement device attached to it. The problem isn’t
time. The problem is priorities and the assumption that what you do and the choices you
make are enforced by the world. When someone says “I don’t have enough time to…” the
missing part of the equation is: “I don’t have enough time to X; as long as I keep doing
everything else in my life in exactly the way I am doing them now.” If you want something
badly enough or need it enough; you will do something about it. If your goal is necessary;
you will rearrange your activities, make different choices and act.

As for money (and not having “enough”); if your goals require more cash than you have to
hand; it means you will need a different strategy. Lack of money is never an obstacle to
forward movement. If one “suffers” a lack of money, creativity in breaking your goal into
components is required, looking at alternative methods, finding a different “scale” for the
goal, re-‐arranging priorities, finding alliances, bartering, etc. are the order of the day.

“Yes but…” no buts. No one reading this is living in the awful condition of slavery. If one
feels enslaved; you are acquiescing to that perception and feeling (and for those seriously
afflicted by a sense of imprisonment, without actually being incarcerated in a penitentiary,
read Bo Lozoff’s book ‘We’re All Doing Time’). The point is that in this time we have the
potential to choose what is most important to us, to choose our priorities and choose our
actions. Furthermore, we have unprecedented levels of freedom in action. No doubt, each of
us have conditions which accompany us through life, consequences that we experience and
circumstances presented to us as fait accompli. But, time and time again, we see people in
the most awful of circumstances, who have experienced things that none of us would want
to have happen to ourselves or someone we love; bounce back, start over, repair, change,
mend and create something in their lives that is meaningful and valuable to them.

Apparent limitations are usually just that. Often with the tiniest bit of prodding, limitations
will transform into either stepping stones (another step in the process towards
achievement) or they will vanish altogether.

The only real limitations are those where we create misery for ourselves and others by
desiring what doesn’t and can’t exist. Thom Yorke of the band Radiohead, whining and
pining in the song ‘Creep’: “I want a perfect body. I want a perfect soul…” Aside from the
obvious question of “What do you mean by perfect?” – in case anyone hasn’t noticed; this
12
place is already perfect. The Universe always turns up exactly as it does, according to the
laws of physics (whether known or unknown) and does so perfectly.

The problem for some is that the Universe allows for wide diversity of forms. What we
consider mistakes of genetics are the Universe experimenting (whether you believe it is
random or purposive is up to you) but when you put that perfect, lawful diversity into a
human culture with attitudes and fashions and rules and norms; there are often tears over
the lack of fairness on this planet. Some faces fit better in a particular epoch and within a
particular culture. Some heights, weights, breast sizes, shoe sizes, etc. will be more
fashionable at some time or another. Without going into maudlin reframing or fridge
magnet truisms (“Everybody’s beautiful… in their own way!”) – “Life” does not promise
anything. “Life” does not sell a vision of desirability. “Life” is existence. Then we get
involved and make, for better or worse, with it. Advantages for a particular time or place
are not distributed evenly. Evolution is not democratic.

Examine yourself for whining and pining about isn’t and can’t be. Wanna be 20 years old,
with a perfect [INSERT CRITERIA FOR PERFECTION HERE] X? Unless you are 20 years old
or less; it ain’t going to happen, no matter how much you pine, whine or fantasize yourself
away. Wanna look 20 years old? Well… perhaps we can have a conversation about
approaching that to some extent. And who knows what the future holds technologically?
But until then; let’s start, from where we will always start, no matter what; which is
precisely where we are.

Create a life that is possible, and one that starts from here, and starts from now. If you start
from where you are; there are many possibilities and people achieve things far beyond
what they imagined was possible – as long as you start and keep going…

As you practice, you can start to remove imposed limitations and imposed non-‐negotiables.
Stretch your thinking and treat each limitation as a claim to resources that, with a well-‐
thought through TOTE, you can resource.

3) Having created a fairly full vision of this goal; ask yourself if you really want this. Are you
willing to do everything it will take? Think through each of the stages. Is the pay-‐off big
enough to warrant the effort? Do you get fired up thinking about it? If the answer is no; you
need to re-‐think the goal (perhaps you need to find a way to make the pay-‐offs bigger) or,
perhaps, this goal is just a fantasy.

Practical tip: If you find yourself fantasizing about things and never taking action – YOU
ARE WASTING YOUR LIFE ENERGY ON SOMETHING THAT COULD BE BETTER SPENT
13
CREATING REAL ENJOYMENT; REAL ENRICHMENT; REAL BENEFIT FOR YOU AND YOUR
LOVED ONES. Trade in your fantasies for a better reality…

4) What do you imagine is standing in your way? Cycle through apparent limitations, look
for the resources required to transform the limitation into a step along the way or make it
disappear, and as you do this, you will develop “sub-‐TOTE’s” automatically.

Now… take action and work towards your goal as per your plan.

14
Apprentice Level:

You will use the same process as the Beginner’s Level but you will be adding to the method.
Using your knowledge and experience of NLP:

1. Ensure that as you explore the goal that you use vivid submodalities and optimize
the size and location of the visual submodalities, especially for the Desired State, so
that you are generating desire as you build the representations for it. Ensure that
you include enough context for the Desired State – its effects on other areas of your
life, how it will tie into and enhance other parts of your life and how it can positively
influence your relations with significant others in your life.

2. Ensure that, as you consider where you are in relation to the Desired State, that you
develop the representations with regard to the resources you have already and
those you must assemble or develop. Make them miniature Desired States. Ensure
that any requirements to access resources are included in the plans. For example,
Michael has spent thousands of days in front of groups of all sizes. For larger groups,
in order for him to be ready to give 100%, and get the job done, he needs to take
scrupulous care in physical preparations – adequate sleep, adequate nutrition,
adequate preparation, etc. (“I’m not a teenager and I can’t pull an all-‐nighter and
show up for class fresh as a daisy” – MB). The resources of “charismatic presence”
and “mental alertness leading to sharp focus”, etc., for him, require a nominal level
physical state to be present. Accessing those resource states and the strategies
associated are automated for him through practice but the physical foundation must
be there for things to go smoothly. Hence, he keeps a personal timetable for longer
programs, to ensure that all the pre-‐requisites for adequate performance are
handled.

3. Pay particular attention to what you assume to be limitations or inhibitors to the
process and relentlessly and immediately transform the sense of limitation into a
sense of possibility. Do not leave the sense of limitation or obstacles lying around for
you “come back to” or trip over at a later date. This is a crucial point: Establish the
habit, right NOW, of turning problems into advantages and obstacles into plans as
soon as they seem to arise.

Again, this is a critical heuristic for developing real skill as an NLPer. Practice it in
yourself until you become a model of it.

15
4. Avoid the urge to “gloss over” your personal skill deficits with regards to the
resourcing of your Desired State. If you “suck” at something or don’t know how to do
something; you have three choices:

1. Try to “get by” without it.

2. Learn how to do it properly (or find someone to teach you how).

3. Outsource it (get someone else to do it).

As with many things in life – cash, available time and inclination influences your
choice. The key thing here is to break any habit around bailing on a goal because you
don’t possess the resource immediately. Too many dreams remain unlived because
the person didn’t have the sense to change the timeframe rather than the outcome.

Here, you are developing a testable ability to assess resource requirements for a
particular goal and its subtasks. Michael calls it: “learning to see beyond hope and
fear.”

“Part of my skill as a consultant was developed by learning how to accurately
assess resource requirements in relation to present and future activities –
often “on the fly” and “live” with a client group, and doing so accurately. This
also lifted my own personal goal targeting and achievement to a new level
through having “the whole picture” available up front for assessment, leading
to fewer disappointments.”

“Some people seem to be afraid of seeing where they are and what they really
need – as if recognizing what is simply the case (without exaggeration,
minimization or softeners for the ego) is a threat to existence. Life gets a
whole lit easier when you stop trying to be a “perfect image”
(nominalization) and you simply perfect (verb) what you’ve got, turning it
into what you require. In reality, it’s easier than you imagine it to be.”

5. Test your ability to plan and work to the plan. This month, take your goal and TOTE
and schedule your activities in pursuit of accomplishment. Test your ability to: “Plan
the work; work the plan.” This is litmus test for an apprentice: Are you organized
(yet) in such a way that you can accomplish what you set out to?

16
Masterful Level:

Work with the Beginner and Apprentice Level exercise with the additions of:

1. Write a formal T.O.T.E. (with a few levels of sub-‐TOTE) for your goal.

2. “Get medieval” on your sense of limitation. What do you have to do to immediately
make obstacles into resources or plans. Do not indulge in any level of pale, wan-‐ness
with regards to possibilities. Write your plan courageously and note any changes
you must make in the most straightforward way possible.

3. When evaluating your T.O.T.E.’s, consider the elegance of your plan. Can you use
fewer steps to achieve the results? Are you using your resources efficiently? Are
your strategies streamlined in an optimal way?

4. Try adjusting the timeframe on the goal by large measures and notice the changes in
resource requirements but also motivation level.

5. Take overwhelming action. Surprise yourself at how much you accomplish.

Remember the artist doesn’t see a blank canvas as an obstacle... it is merely an invitation to
put something there.

By doing this process you will train your brain to do, and to think intentionally, and know
where you're going ... and this will supercharge your effectiveness in any area of NLP. If you
get stuck at any point back up -‐ relax -‐ move back from the problem before coming at it
anew. If something seems to arise as a limitation, it is typically from imposing a specific
point of view, you may have begun to focus on a perceived non-‐negotiable. As long as your
goal and TOTE starts from where you are right now; assume as a starting stance that what
you are trying to do is possible.

Go back to the foundations of the TOTE: the Desired State, Present State, and Resources.

Foundations are not always simple but they are always essential.

Practice it with yourself several times, and in the coming month put what you’ve learnt into
practice at least a few times every week. Use this new thinking process in your
conversations with others, it won’t be long before you start getting some brilliant results.

17
We look forward to speaking with you again next month.

Michael and Tom.

www.nlptimes.com
Real NLP Skills for The Real World
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• Nested looped story telling

• And much more.

Doing the Assignment:

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