The Milton-Model: The Language of Influence and Being Artfully Vague
Milton Erickson used language very systematically in his work, often in unusual ways. These patterns were first described by Richard Bandler and John Grinder in their book, Patterns of the Hypnotic Techniques of Milton H. Erickson. M.D. Vol. I.
Understanding and using the Milton- Model with integrity is a prerequisite to effective communication and influence. The following examples and will help you to chunk this task down by practicing the distinct patterns to bring them into your unconscious competence.
Often the Milton-Model has been called the inverse of the Meta-Model Patterns. Think of a continuum moving from the language of specificity and information gathering, the Meta-Model, and moving to the opposite end of the continuum with the ability to influence and be artfully vague with the Milton-Model.
Being artfully vague allows a communicator to make statements that sound specific and yet are general enough to be an adequate pace for the listener’s experience. Using the Meta-Model recovers specific information that is deleted in any sentence; the Milton-Model provides ways of constructing sentences in which specific information is deleted. This requires the listener to fill in the deletions from their own unique internal experience.
