THE NLP BAGEL Model was developed by Robert Dilts to help NLP Practitioners identify types of behavioral cues associated with internal thinking strategies, states, and cognitive processes.
NLP BAGEL Model is an acronym for
B – Body Posture
A – Accessing Cues
G – Gestures
E- Eye movement
L- Language pattern.
NLP BAGEL model goes beyond body language studies, and it is flexible from person to person.
Let’s understand each aspect of the NLP BAGEL model in detail and where this model can be helpful to an NLP Practitioner.
NLP BAGEL Model in detail
Body Posture
Body Posture gives out a great deal of information about the representation system assumed by the subject.
We get into our comfortable body posture while sitting or standing, just out of habit. However, these body postures can help us understand what is going on inside the brain.
NLP BAGEL Model will help us know the representational system by studying the subject’s body posture.
For Example,
For Visual Body, Posture will be Leaning back with Head and shoulders up or shallow breathing.
For Auditory body posture will be body leaning forward, Head crocked, shoulder backed, and arms folded.
For Kinesthetic Head and shoulders down, deep breathing,
These body postures in NLP BAGEL can help understand the representational systems currently subject is accessing.
Accessing Cues
When we are thinking, we tend to give out specific cues or triggers like scratching our Head, tapping our feet, snapping fingers, grunts, groans, etc.
Many of these accessing cues are associated with particular sensory processes.
These accessing cues are not the same for everyone. Therefore you have to use NLP Calibration skills here.
Here are some Examples for Accessing Cues as per the representational system.
For Visual: High shallow breathing, faster tempo, squinting eyes, voice higher pitch.
For Auditory: Fluctuating voice tone, Diaphragmatic breathing, knitted brow
For Kinesthetic: Deep abdominal breathing, deep breathy voice, slower tempo.
Gestures
Gestures are a straightforward way to understand the representation system or sensory system they are currently using.
Pro Tip: Always focus on the hand gesture of your subject. They will give away cues related to the sensory system they are using.
For Example
For Visual: Touching or pointing at eyes, gestures made above eyes level.
For Auditory: Touching mouth or jaw, gestures made towards ears.
For Kinesthetic: Touching the chest and stomach area, gestures made below the neck.
Eye Movements/ Eye Accessing Cues
You can understand preferred representational systems by just observing eye movement.
I have written a blog on the same topic, and you can refer to it later.
However, since we discuss the NLP BAGEL model, let’s see eye accessing cues briefly.
You can observe the eye movement of the subject to understand what representational system they are accessing.
For Visual: Subject will keep their eyes up either right or left.
For Auditory: The subject will keep their eyes almost at the center. It could be on the right or left.
For Kinesthetic: The subject will look down.
These are simple methods to understand the representational system of the subjects.
Language Pattern
The last step in the NLP BAGEL model is the Language pattern. NLP has two language patterns: the NLP meta-model language pattern and the NLP Milton model language pattern.
Learning NLP language patterns will help understand predicates or selective words directed toward representational systems or modalities.
The process of selecting words is mainly unconscious and can help an NLP practitioner understand the subject’s representation system.
Here are some examples of Predicates
For Visual
See, Watch, Clear, Sight, Picture, Hazy, Brings to light, Show, etc.
For Auditory
Listen, Hear, Loud, Word, Noisy, Rings a bell, Tell, and more
For Kinesthetic
Touch, Feel, Solid, Heavy, Rough, Connects, Move, and more.
Where can you use NLP BAGEL Model?
THE NLP BAGEL model can be used to understand the subject better and build rapport.
You can also use the NLP BAGEL model in a therapy session where your subject is unwilling to share many details.
