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Chunking
By Roger Ellerton Phd, ISP, CMC
Have you ever:
Been stuck in a negotiation or argument and not been able to find
common areas of agreement?
Needed to quickly and easily think laterally?
Felt overwhelmed with an activity?
Wanted to get something done, but did not feel excited about it?
Chunking can help you get past these obstacles.
What is Chunking?
In NLP, ‘chunking up’ refers to moving to more general or
abstract pieces of information. While ‘chunking down’ means moving
to more specific or detailed information.
To chunk up on a piece of information, use one or more of the following
questions:
What is this an example of?
What is this a part of?
What is the intention?
For what purpose?
To illustrate the concept, let us begin with a library building.
Examples of chunking up from library building would be:
Buildings (a library building is an example of buildings), or
A city block (the library building forms part of a city block), or
A city’s library system, or
Provides a means for people to undertake research.
If we follow the path of a city block, we can then chunk up to a city, then
to a province or state, then to a country, etc.
To chunk down, use one or more of the following questions:
What is an example of this?
What is a component/part of this?
What/who/where specifically?
Examples of chunking down or being more specific on library building
are:
A library building in the City of
A library building built in the 1950’s, or
The third floor of the library building, or
A specific window in the library building, or
A row of books in the library building.
If we follow the path of a row of books, we can continue chunking down
(getting more specific) to NLP books, then books written by John Grinder, then
a particular chapter, etc.
This simple concept has many varied and useful applications.
How and When Can You Use Chunking?
Negotiation and Mediation. Chunking up and down is a very useful tool
in negotiations or mediation. Far too often in negotiations, we continue to
explore solutions at a level of thought at which we do not agree. The key is to
chunk up until you and the other person agree and then to chunk back down to
the details only as fast as you both maintain agreement. Often in negotiation,
we assume that the other person wants what we want and this may not be the
case.
Thinking Laterally. We are often encouraged to think laterally. This is
not always easy to do. It is if we use chunking. To think laterally, first
chunk up, then chunk down. Example, suppose you have to take a package to a
particular destination and you do not wish to use your car. To identify
alternatives, first chunk up, i.e. what is driving your car an example of? One
possible chunk up is a mode of transportation. Now chunking down, you can easy
identify many different modes of transportation which are on the same logical
level as car i.e., bicycle, horse, train, airplane, walking, etc. And you can
select the mode that meets your other needs.
Creating a Passion for Your Outcome. By chunking up and down, you can
size your outcomes so that they are doable and you have excitement, motivation
and passion for achieving them.
Overcoming Disinterest. Why do we get bored? Often because what we are
doing does not excite us. We are mired in the details. If you have an outcome
and you are not excited about it, ask yourself the question, “This outcome
for what purpose?”, i.e. chunk up. Get a bigger perspective or the big
picture. Having an outcome and not knowing the larger purpose can be
demotivating.
Addressing Overwhelm. Sometimes we may feel overwhelmed. This can
happen if the chunk size is too large. Here we need to chunk down and be more
specific or focus more on the details or be more realistic. After all, how do
you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!
If you feel overwhelmed or do not know where to start when you think of
your outcome; chunk down to be more specific and identify manageable tasks.
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