NLP Without the Label: How Leaders Model Excellence

When people hear NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), many think of tricks, techniques, or even controversies. But that was never its true purpose. At its core, NLP was designed as a methodology for modelling excellence—studying how the best performers think, communicate, and act, and then teaching those strategies so others can use them too.

Interestingly, some of today’s most visible leaders apply NLP principles without ever naming them. Take Sir Keir Starmer, for example. His communication journey reveals how the spirit of NLP can be alive and well—without the baggage of the label.

From Courtroom to Politics: Precision in Language

Before politics, Starmer was a barrister and later Head of the Crown Prosecution Service. That role demanded absolute linguistic precision. Every word, every question mattered. In NLP terms, this mirrors the Meta-Model: asking questions that cut through vagueness and challenge assumptions. Starmer’s courtroom years trained him in clarity, persuasion, and logical structure—all essential skills for effective communication.

Learning Emotional Connection: Coaching with Leonie Mellinger

From 2017 to 2021, Starmer worked with actress-turned-communication coach Leonie Mellinger. Her goal? To help him move beyond “lawyerly detachment” and speak with emotional resonance.

This is pure NLP-in-action:

• Modelling theatre and storytelling skills to make speeches engaging.

• Anchoring confident states so he could project warmth on stage.

• Reframing emotion as strength, not weakness, in public leadership.

She never called it NLP—but she was teaching him the same principles: modelling excellence and transferring it.

Obama’s Influence: The Power of Story

Starmer also had mentorship from Barack Obama, who encouraged him to share personal stories and show vulnerability.

Obama himself has long been studied for his hypnotic communication style: pacing and leading, rhythmic delivery, presuppositions, and the art of storytelling.

Again, whether you call it NLP or not, it’s the same essence—language as leadership, story as influence, communication as transformation.

Voice, Presence, and State

Add to this his media and vocal coaching, and you see the final layer: Starmer learning to manage tone, pace, and presence. In NLP language, this is sensory acuity, calibration, and state management—the ability to read a room, adapt instantly, and remain centred under pressure.

The Takeaway: NLP Without Saying NLP

Sir Keir Starmer may never call it NLP, and his coaches may not either. But the essence of NLP—modelling excellence and refining communication—runs through his training.

This is what NLP was always meant to be: not gimmicks or cheap tricks, but a way of capturing the strategies of success and making them transferable.

✨ The Bigger Picture

You don’t need the NLP label to benefit from its spirit. Whenever someone studies what works, models it, and applies it to create better results—they’re living NLP as it was intended.

And perhaps that’s the best way forward: not to argue about the label, but to focus on the value of modelling excellence and the art of powerful communication. After all, great communicators—whether in court, on stage, or in politics—prove the point: it works, whether you call it NLP or not.