Anchoring is an unquestionably an invisible NLP tool for your toolset because when you install an anchor in another person, if they are aware you’re installing the anchor, it will be much less effective or downright simply not work!

First I’ll describe how to install an anchor, briefly, and then break down the five steps. Setting an anchor is all about timing and actually that’s all anchor setting really is: precise observation + precise timing + setting an action trigger. If you spot someone in a peak state, which you often have to provoke or activate/elicit, you calibrate to understand and read the person to know when they’re really in that emotional success state and using that calibration or “reading”, you install the anchor at the zenith of that emotional breakthrough of achievement. Note, this person could easily be you; skilled NLP practitioners can set constructive, useful, and resourceful anchors on themselves! If installed correctly, you can trigger the anchor to reactivate that clear and aligning resourceful state whenever you want. Finally, you check out to make sure that the anchor will “work”. In the upcoming sections I give a bunch of scenarios of these steps including future-scoping, which is testing to see if the anchor will “work”, Occasionally future-scoping is referred to as future-pacing. Here’s the breakdown of the steps.

ACITF is the acronym to remember the five phases of installing an anchor in yourself or another.

1. Activating (Eliciting) the state

2. Calibrating it

3. Installing (setting) the anchor

4. Testing anchor

5. Future-scoping (or future-pacing) the anchor.

Keep in Mind:

• Do you have more positive or negative anchors?

• Do your anchors make combination chains that alter your state?

• Which representational system are you most aware of in your anchors and what might this tell you about what you pay attention to in different parts of your life?