Neurolinguistic programming (NLP) is a field of knowledge that studies the laws governing the mechanisms of memorizing information and how to use them more effectively in all areas of human activity.

NLP methods are ways to introduce yourself or other people into an emotional or physical state that is most adequate for completing assigned tasks, as well as to create behavior patterns that will best suit the performance of these tasks.

NLP offers a universal method for influencing consciousness; in the last decade, this direction has become especially popular in various educational areas: in language learning, business training, and personal growth training.

It is assumed that each person has a main channel for perceiving and storing information, a “representational system”, which determines how we describe the world. This occurs in images (visual system), sounds (auditory system), and sensations (kinesthetics). NLP postulates a difference in people’s psychotypes depending on which channel of world perception is dominant in them: visuals – 60% of people, auditory – 20%, kinesthetics – 20%. The success of learning depends on the correct work with the psychotype of the student. For each personality type, certain strategies for learning English will be the most successful.

In the learning process, the teacher should take into account the individual characteristics of the student, namely:

• Identify students with a tendency to different ways of learning the language;
• Offer them different tasks for each type of student;
• Influence all channels of perception and processing of information;
• The teacher should understand that there may be a discrepancy between the linguistic personality of the student and the linguistic personality of the teacher. The teacher must be able to smooth out a possible conflict through the flexible use and change of teaching tactics.

Visual students perceive new material better when it is written in a book, on the board, or presented schematically. They cope well with written assignments, write summaries better than retell texts orally.

Auditory learners perceive texts well by ear, and are more willing to listen to lectures. They enjoy acting out dialogues, participating in discussions, and retelling texts.

Motor students learn foreign language material better when they can use it in role-playing games, in games with words written on cards. They are happy to go to the board, taking part in acting out scenes based on the material they have studied.

The teacher must be able to recognize the student’s style and use the methods that are most suitable for the student or group [1].

One of the main ideas of NLP is modeling. In order to achieve full proficiency in English as quickly and effectively as possible, you need to model native speakers [2].

One of the types of modeling is behavioral modeling. This means that you need to enter the second position of perception (as if you were the person, you are modeling) and repeat everything they do without thinking. In just a few minutes, putting all thoughts aside and trying to copy the person as accurately as possible, you managed to learn to say various words just like this person. Behavioral modeling based on copying is the simplest way of modeling, with the help of which children learn by repeatedly repeating words after adults. Unfortunately, it is only good in cases of copying the pronunciation of sounds, words and phrases. If you try to understand grammar with the help of behavioral modeling, most likely there will be no effect.

The next type of modeling is strategic modeling – identifying the sequence of actions or strategy of a person. There is a method of memorization – a storyboard. This is what Walt Disney used when he created his cartoons. This method has been tested many times in English language courses. Any text can be taken as an example. You can memorize sequentially during reading or immediately after reading the entire text. According to this technique, you need to imagine the first “frame”. For example, the famous fairy tale about the three little pigs. Then imagine three homeless pigs in your mind. You need to place this picture to the left and slightly above the eye line, as if you drew three little pigs on a piece of paper and mentally see this sheet. If you can’t do it right away, you need to take any picture, look at it, close your eyes, try to imagine the picture, as if you “photographed” it before closing your eyes. Then you should open your eyes and look at the picture again. Compare what you were able to mentally reproduce with what was in the picture. After a short training, the capabilities will improve significantly. This is very useful for developing visual memory. Having mastered this simple technique, people can remember and easily reproduce anything in conversation: a presentation, business stories, etc. The next modeling is the modeling of the deep foundation (values, criteria, codes of human rules, features of their application) and the modeling of personal identity (social roles and life credo) [3]. It is these concepts that have a decisive influence on a person’s perception of their capabilities in relation to learning English, that is, the assessment of their own abilities strongly depends on what beliefs people have about themselves. Thus, the basis for the success or failure of learning are beliefs about themselves, about their abilities.

For example, a person has such limiting beliefs as:

• I have no talent for languages.
• Personally, I will not succeed.
• English is very difficult.

This significantly slows down the learning process. The way out of this situation is simple: «turn» the belief inside out, i.e., reformulate it with a positive meaning, and believe in it.

Here is the result of turning beliefs upside down:

• I have talent for languages.
• Personally, I will succeed.
• English is very easy.

This is where the contribution of modeling lies – to find simple solutions to complex problems.

Another type of modeling is the speed of internal dialogue. In this case, the phenomenon of “subjective time dilation” occurs. Namely, you need to slowly listen to a phrase or a whole sentence in English inside yourself and then, without rushing, translate it into Russian, the internal sense of time is strikingly different from the external one – from the one that outside observers notice.

So, modeling with the help of NLP in learning English and subsequent embedding of models are similar to generally accepted methods, but also have a number of differences that lead to more effective results:

• Outwardly, the process may look similar: exercises, games, conversations;
• Understanding the processes underlying the learning of adults and children allows you to get real results much faster than with conventional learning through the use of spatial anchoring, changing beliefs, embedding the correct strategies for spelling, memorization, listening comprehension, retelling;
• Modeling and embedding the results of the correct English language teaching strategy allows you to improve not only knowledge and speaking skills but also change limiting beliefs about personal identity, which, in turn, leads to change at the underlying logical levels.

In addition, the teacher must be able to recognize the student’s style and use the methods most suitable for a given student or for a given group of students. Thus, taking into account the above will improve the process of learning English and make it easier and more enjoyable [4].

There are specific techniques in teaching English using NLP.

Body language. Include in classes (prompt students) postures and facial expressions to create the right mood, give confidence, play out situations of success.

Think and act native. It is useful during role-playing games, dialogues or monologues on behalf of a native speaker to “get under the skin”, to portray not only the accent, but also to copy the behavior, habits (as the student imagines them – even if this does not reflect the real picture, the main thing is that he feels like a foreigner at this moment).

Rapport (adjustment). Many consider this technique manipulation, because it helps to establish a deep sense of mutual trust and ease. In short, this can be done by adjusting to breathing, posture, copying eye movements, tempo and volume of speech, gestures. Rapport will be useful for teachers during the first introductory lesson, as well as at the beginning of each regular lesson.

Magic question. This technique helps to work with motivation, as it is capable of turning a person away from a problem to a solution. It is performed as follows: suppose that one morning a miracle happened, and the problem that tormented your student disappeared. By what signs would he know about it? What would change in him and in the world? What would others notice? Sometimes just the answers to these questions are enough to reveal a way (and not just one!) to solve most “problems”.

Frame, or the technique of a well-formulated result. This is a deeper and more detailed version of the previous technique. The goal in NLP is very similar to the SMART goal: it is defined in a positive way, practical, achievable, formulated in specific sensory categories, necessary, assumes a verification procedure, implies a variety of means of achievement.

To build a frame (the right goal), you need to discuss with the student:

• result (what exactly he wants);
• signs (how he will understand that everything worked out);
• conditions (where, when and with whom the goal is desirable);
• means (what resources are lacking to achieve the goal);
• limitations (what is in the way);
• consequences (what will happen if everything works out);
• value (is the goal worth the effort).

Anchoring. This technique helps to achieve the desired resource state with the help of positive stimuli. Or it is a link between a person’s states and some behavior patterns.

A simple example: when you received some significant reward, music was playing. Since then, this music, whether turned on specially or heard by chance, causes a surge of pleasure in you and a state of “I can do anything”.

Anchoring will help the teacher set the student in a productive mood, encourage him when something doesn’t work out, and restore calm when there is a reason to worry.

The technique of setting a simple anchor is not complicated:

• come up with a simple gesture, action, or other stimulus (melody, smell, picture on the desktop screen);
• ask the student to remember (this is a little more difficult) or catch together (this is easier) the so-called resource state, let the student concentrate on feeling this state physically;
• repeat several times;
• call after some time and “out of context” [5].

In general, NLP provides an opportunity to take a new look at learning English by combining effective ways of learning new information with tools that allow you to adjust your sense of self.