NLP Podcast 87: Problems as problem solutions – Modelling in coaching with Ralf Stumpf

Ralf Stumpf started with NLP in 1986 to learn about modeling – unfortunately, he did not learn how modeling works and is applied in his NLP training. Therefore, Ralf Stumpf spent years exploring the topic of modeling himself and became the leading modeling expert in the German-speaking world. He is an NLP trainer according to DVNLP and leads our NLP location in Berlin.

Modelling in Coaching – Problems as Problem Solvers

“NLP is for me what allows one to express what the structure of change is – like in a computer language,” says Ralf Stumpf. In terms of coaching, this means that one can articulate how a problem, a solution, and a resource function. With the help of modelling, a very precise model can be built of how problems, solutions, and resources are structured in coaching.

What does Modelling have to do with Coaching?

“A coach is a model for problem-solving, a model for dealing with problems, and even a model for handling problems that I cannot solve quickly,” explains Ralf Stumpf. In coaching, the coachee primarily solves their problems themselves, but the coach still contributes significantly by supporting the coachee in problem situations. What a coach does in a coaching session can then be modelled just like anything else. The problem that the coachee brings follows a specific strategy or pattern. The coachee initially has only a neutral perspective on their problem and therefore often cannot yet recognize the solution. The coach's task is to enable the coachee to have a resourceful perspective on the strategy or structure so that the coachee can see the solution.

Problems as Problem Solvers

In modelling, all problems can be seen as a kind of black box: “I have an initial state and I have a final state, and the problem leads to a specific change – then it is easy to see the problem as a performance,” explains the modelling expert. Because through working with the problem, the coachee can achieve exactly what they want to achieve. If the problem is no longer seen merely as a problem, but as a performance for problem-solving, then the solution becomes very apparent. The individual components of the problem can contribute to the solution like puzzle pieces.

All the processes that take place within a coaching session follow certain structures, and these structures can be revealed through modelling. In the complete podcast episode, you will learn how to turn problems into formats. Ralf Stumpf calls these formats “problem formats,” because by modelling the problems, formats for problem-solving emerge. You will also learn from Ralf Stumpf why NLP is for him the modelling perspective for problems and solutions.