There are three characteristics of effective patterning in NLP which sharply distinguish it from behavioral science as it is commonly practiced today. First, for a pattern or generalization regarding human communication to be acceptable or well–formed in NLP, it must include in the description the human ^agents who are initiating and responding to the pattern being described, their actions, their possible responses. Secondly, the description of the pattern must be represented in sensory grounded terms which are available to the user. This user–oriented constraint on NLP ensures usefulness. We have been continually struck by the tremendous gap between theory and practice in the behavioral sciences — this requirement closes that gap. Notice that since patterns must be represented in sensory grounded terms, available through practice to the user, a pattern will typically have multiple representation — each tailored for the differing sensory capabilities of individual users. I point out in passing that this requirement immediately excludes statistical statements about patterning as being well–formed in NLP as statistical statements are not user oriented. At best they indicate what the user might experience over a number of contexts but do not offer information about any specific situation. Insurance companies can predict costs, but salesmen will not know if this individual will trust, or dislike him or the inverse in advance, or initially face to face selling will succeed.

Thirdly, NLP includes within its descriptive vocabulary terms which are not directly observable. In the early part of this century, again profoundly influenced by the initial successes of the Newtonian model in physics, a movement called Behaviorism in psychology

At present, you have before you a written representation of the model called NLP. I choose the term model deliberately and contrast it with the term theory.