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Katie Woodcock on success secrets.

Have you ever wondered why certain people simply sail through their careers? They seem to get whatever they want, charm everyone while speeding up the corporate ladder. Just what is it they're doing that you're not?

They couldn't tell you how they do it either because much of its down their natural speech, behaviour and thinking processes - things they do unconsciously and with consummate ease.

These skills are inherent in successful people and anyone can learn them by using a set of techniques called Neuro Linguistic Programming. The heart of it is "modelling" - watching and listening to someone you admire and/or is successful and applying their verbal and behavioural work techniques.

The four pillars of NLP begin with learning to build rapport. "This is the key to all successful working relationships. Without it, you are not going to get very far," says management consultant Sue Knight, author of Introduction to NLP (5.95, IPD). "Build rapport with someone by 'matching' and 'mirroring' their speech and body language. Using similar key words, phrases and gestures sends an unconscious message that what they have said has been understood.

The skill is to choose words that fit the way that person thinks. For example, if your colleague uses words such as "see", "clear", "paint a picture" in conversation, then show them what is happening by visual representation and by using phrases such as "You will notice" and "As you can see".

Not only is it important to have rapport with others, but also yourself, and you can do this through setting compelling goals - this is the second pillar.

"You have to discover what you really want from your work by visualising the end goal and stepping into that scenario. If it's right for you, you'll feel it instantly. If it's not, you'll immediately say 'no' to it, continues Sue.

Developing sensitivity to yourself and others is the third principle. Firstly, put yourself in the other person's shoes, then look at the situation objectively before once more viewing it from your own eyes, but now with the benefit of a wider perspective. "The problem with many people is they fail to pay attention to the effect their language and behaviour is having on people - they need to develop the sensitivity to what people are telling them physically and verbally," says Sue.

The last is flexibility in your behaviour. Sue explains: "If you're at an interview and it isn't going well, you probably haven't built rapport with your interviewer. You should have the sensory acuity to realise that and the behavioural flexibility to change what you are saying/doing to something that works."

Sue concludes: "The more choices you have in your behaviour and speech, the more chances you have of being successful."

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