Well formed outcomes in NLP
Well formed outcomes require a little planning and preparation. We can easily verify that our outcomes will comply with the pre-requisite criteria and thus will be well formed by asking ourselves just a few simple questions:-
Q1. What specifically do you want?
By establishing exactly what we DO want rather than what we DON'T want, we ensure that our outcome is stated purely in positive terms i.e. 'I want to feel confident about my skills' rather than 'I don't want to feel worried and inadequate every time I attempt something new'.
Q2. How specifically will you know when you have this?
We need some precise measure which is observable through our five senses so that we can know when we have our outcome. In the above example this could be 'I'll see the evidence of my ability and will know I've done a good job ' or 'My design will produce sales for the business'.
Q3. Where/when/with whom do you want this resource?
It's important that we contextualise our outcomes to ensure that we have them under appropriate conditions. Let's say we set an outcome of 'I want to be incredibly energetic all of the time', which sounds great on the surface, but what would happen when we needed to rest and sleep?
It may be more appropriate to set an outcome of 'I desire abundant energy whenever I engage in sporting activities'.
Q4. What resources do you need to be able to achieve this?
Successfully achieving our outcomes depends on our having access to appropriate resources as and when we need them.
List all of the resources that you will need to get your outcome and verify that they are available to you as appropriate and required.
Pay particular attention to resources which are dependant on others which may not be easily attainable. For resources that are not available try to find alternatives that will serve your purposes equally well in achieving your outcome.