According to neuro-linguistic programming thought, people use internal maps to understand the world and to interact with it. These maps are formed through sensory experiences throughout life. NLP techniques are used to identify and change unconscious limitations or biases that are contained in a person’s internal map.

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NLP works through using language in a conscious way to initiate changes in a person’s behavior and thoughts. One of the central tenets of NLP is that people are biased towards a particular sensory system. This is called the preferred representational system.

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Life coaches who use NLP techniques are able to identify this preference through the language choices of their clients. For example, someone who says something such as “I hear what you are saying” may have an auditory PRS. Practitioners of NLP identify the PRS of individual people and establish a therapeutic approach around it. The approach might include goal-setting, information-gathering, and rapport-building.