John Grinder is an American linguist who co-created Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) with Richard Bandler in the 1970s, and later developed the New Code of NLP. [1] [2] He still teaches modelling and New Code NLP to students from around the world. [3]
Who is John Grinder?
John Grinder was born on 10 January 1940 in the United States. [2] He earned a degree in psychology at the University of San Francisco and served as a captain in the US Army Special Forces in Europe before turning to linguistics. [2]
He took a PhD in linguistics at the University of California, San Diego, and worked in the laboratory of the psychologist George A. Miller at Rockefeller University. [2] [1] He then became an associate professor of linguistics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. [1]
At Santa Cruz in the early 1970s he met Richard Bandler, then a student. Together they studied how exceptional therapists, including Fritz Perls, Virginia Satir and Milton Erickson, got such good results, and turned what they found into patterns other people could learn. [4] [2] The anthropologist Gregory Bateson, who was also at Santa Cruz, was an important influence. [2]
Between 1975 and 1982 the pair co-wrote a series of books, starting with The Structure of Magic, which gave the field its foundations. [1] Their working partnership ended around 1980. [1] In the years that followed, John worked with Judith DeLozier and later with Carmen Bostic St Clair on what became known as the New Code of NLP. [2] [1]
Today he teaches modelling and New Code NLP, including through the NLP Academy, which runs trainings with him for students from many countries. [3] [5]
His approach in brief
- Model excellence. Notice how skilled people really do it.
- Calibrate. Watch and listen, not guess.
- Change your state first. Then meet the challenge.
- Trust your unconscious. Let it choose the new behaviour.
At a glance
Known for: Co-creating NLP
Topics: Modelling, language, states, New Code
Format: Books, seminars, trainings
Books: The Structure of Magic, Frogs into Princes, Whispering in the Wind
Teaches with: The NLP Academy
Good fit if
You’re curious about where NLP came from, you want to learn faster by studying people who are great at something, or you like practical, playful exercises that change how you feel before a challenge.
Our take
The linguist who co-created NLP and later reworked it as the New Code. Start with his short video on what NLP is, then try the Alphabet Game.
John Grinder’s practices
These ideas come from his books, his trainings and the NLP Academy, which teaches with him. Tap a card to read more.
Modelling
For John, modelling is the heart of NLP. In his words, NLP began as a way to capture what highly skilled people do, so that others can learn it too. [6] [7]
The idea is to study someone who is excellent at something, take on their behaviour as closely as you can, and only later work out which parts make the difference. [7] He encourages learners to set aside their own opinions while they model, so they take in the skill itself rather than their ideas about it. [8]
You can try a simple version yourself. Pick someone who does something well, such as a calm presenter, and copy their posture, pace and breathing for a few minutes while you practise.
Calibration
Calibration means learning to read the small, real changes in another person, such as skin colour, breathing, posture and voice, rather than guessing what they think. [9]
John teaches it as a basic skill for anyone working with people, because it lets you notice how someone is really responding from moment to moment. [9] In the New Code games, the coach calibrates the player’s physiology and state while they play. [10]
A gentle way to practise is to watch a friend as they remember something pleasant, then something neutral, and notice what changes.
Anchoring
Anchoring is linking a feeling or state to a cue, such as a touch, a word or a place, so that the cue can bring the state back later. It was part of the original NLP work, and John demonstrates it in his trainings. [2] [3]
The New Code uses anchoring in its own way. After playing a game, the player steps straight back into the situation they want to change, so that the cues of that situation become linked to the new, resourceful state. [10]
The high performance state
One of the main differences in the New Code, according to the NLP Academy, is that it works at the level of state rather than changing one behaviour at a time. [10] Instead of programming a new response, you reach a resourceful state and let your unconscious find new choices. [10] [8]
The highest state reached through a New Code game is called the “know nothing state,” in which a person performs at a high level without conscious interference. [10]
These games are played using the New Code Change Format. [10]
- Observe. From an observer position, see and hear a situation where you would like more choice. [10]
- Step in. Walk into that situation in your imagination, then break state. [10]
- Play. In a different spot, play a New Code game while a coach watches your state. [10]
- Return. When you reach a high performance state, step straight back into the situation. [10]
The Alphabet Game
The Alphabet Game is the best-known New Code game. It is adapted from Whispering in the Wind by Carmen Bostic St Clair and John Grinder. [10]
You use a chart of the letters A to Y, five to a line, with one instruction under each letter: R to raise your right arm, L to raise your left arm, or T to raise both arms together. [10]
- Forwards. Start at A, say each letter aloud and raise the arm or arms shown beneath it, for about two minutes. [10]
- Backwards. Do the same from Y back to A, for about two minutes, with rhythm and no tension. [10]
- Add the legs. Going backwards again, lift the opposite leg with each arm, and make a small jump on T. This part lasts about ten minutes. [10]
The game can be played in any language. [10] Played on its own, many people simply find it a fun way to reset and focus before something demanding.
Working with your unconscious
A theme in John’s teaching is respect for the unconscious mind. He explains that behaviour people want to change often serves a positive intention, sometimes called secondary gain, and that it helps to honour that intention while finding new ways to meet it. [11]
In the New Code, the unconscious is treated as a partner that chooses the new behaviour, rather than the conscious mind deciding everything. [8] [12] The NLP Academy also stresses that practitioners apply the methods to themselves, not only to clients. [12]
Videos with John Grinder
Hand-picked from the NLP Academy and other NLP schools he has taught with, and checked one by one: what NLP is, modelling, its origins and the New Code.
Start here
NLP and modelling
How NLP began
The New Code
Core skills
Articles about John Grinder
John Grinder’s books
A selection of John’s best-known books, in the order they came out.
Find his books in your country: US · UK · Canada · Australia · India.
Where to learn from him
John teaches New Code NLP and modelling trainings, including with the NLP Academy in London. [5] [3] Course dates, formats and prices change, so check the official pages for the latest details.
NLP is taught by schools across the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Europe and India, and many trainers trace their methods back to John’s work.
What the Research Shows
Several ideas that run through John Grinder’s teaching, such as learning by watching skilled people, focused practice and changing your state before a challenge, have also been studied by psychologists.
- Self-belief. Believing you can succeed at something, known as self-efficacy, shapes how much effort you put in and how long you keep going. [13]
- Deliberate practice. Focused, structured practice is a key driver of expert performance. [14]
- Nerves as excitement. Telling yourself “I am excited” before a speech or performance improved how well people did. [15]
- Simple if-then plans. Deciding in advance exactly when and where you will act makes people much more likely to follow through. [16]
Frequently asked questions
Who is John Grinder?
An American linguist who co-created Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) with Richard Bandler in the 1970s and later developed the New Code of NLP.
How did NLP begin?
John and Richard Bandler studied exceptional therapists such as Fritz Perls, Virginia Satir and Milton Erickson, and turned what they did into patterns others could learn.
What is modelling?
Studying someone who is excellent at something and taking on how they do it, so you can learn the skill yourself.
What is the New Code of NLP?
A later version of NLP that focuses on reaching a resourceful state, often through games, and letting the unconscious choose new behaviour.
What is the Alphabet Game?
A New Code game where you say letters aloud while raising your arms, and later lifting your legs, in patterns shown on a chart.
Which books did he write?
With Richard Bandler, The Structure of Magic and Frogs into Princes; later, Turtles All the Way Down and Whispering in the Wind.
Where should I start?
His short video on what NLP is, then the Alphabet Game in the practices above.
Sources
- John Grinder: official website
- Wikipedia: John Grinder
- NLP Academy: John Grinder
- The Society of NLP: The Story of NLP
- John Grinder: courses
- John Grinder: What is NLP?
- NLP Academy: John Grinder on Modelling
- NLP Academy: New Code NLP
- John Grinder on Calibration
- NLP Academy: New Code NLP Games, High Performance States and The Alphabet Game
- John Grinder on Intention and Secondary Gain
- NLP Academy: The New Code NLP Difference
- Bandura, Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change, Psychological Review 1977
- Ericsson, Krampe and Tesch-Römer, The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance, Psychological Review 1993
- Brooks, Get Excited: Reappraising Pre-Performance Anxiety as Excitement, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 2014
- Gollwitzer, Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans, American Psychologist 1999
By Saj Ali. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will fix it.