NLP Revisited: Nonverbal Communications and Signals of Trustworthiness

Abstract

A core principle of neurolinguistic programming (NLP) is that rapport and trust develop through synchronization of modes of communication between the sender and receiver. Nonverbal signals are a particularly important mode of communications in the NLP perspective. This study extends the NLP framework by incorporating findings from neuroscience into research about nonverbal signals and sensory representational systems. Three independent but related studies are used to identify nonverbal cues associated with the representational systems, to test if descriptions of these nonverbal signals influence trustworthiness assessments, and, finally, to test if these nonverbal signals trigger buyer’s positive assessments of salesperson trust-building characteristics as well as trustworthiness.