Eyes up, eyes left, eyes right, eyes down.” I am undergoing a kind of semi-hypnosis to put me in a state that will enable me to be calmer and more in control at work, superb at negotiating and better equipped to deal with people I find difficult. If it works, this neuro-linguistic programming, or NLP, could be very helpful.

It is not new, it has been around since the 1970s, but NLP is gaining momentum. The roll call of businesses using it is broad and growing, including Barclays, Honda, First Direct, HBOS, Marks & Spencer, Microsoft and Vodafone.

Invented by a linguist and a mathematician who studied the behaviour of successful people to find the secrets of their communication, it comprises a set of techniques for adapting behaviour and language to influence or persuade.

Daryll Scott, author of Can we start again? The patterns of NLP applied to business interactions, used to be a managing director before discovering the technique and, as an NLP business trainer, has worked with many leading companies.

He describes it as a “toolkit of human interaction” based on the principle of cause and effect, the idea that “if I say something you will react in this way”.

NLP was developed for psychotherapy and its practitioners make extraordinary claims about it curing depression and phobias.

It is also used to improve athletes' performance, even as a seduction technique. In the business community it remains a popular - and profitable - practice for improving confidence.

NLP has always been controversial. Some regard it as unethical, others as unproven nonsense.

It is manipulative, Mr Scott agrees, but “there is nothing inherently wrong with manipulation. The question is the intention. Is it possible to be influential without being manipulative?”

According to Mr Scott, language is so ambiguous that we all operate in a “fog” of misperception that hinders every business interaction. NLP teaches people to read body language and understand the meaning of behaviour, he says.

“Businesses spend so much time carefully constructing explicit messages about how the business is performing. This gets close to zero of people's attention. Employees look at how line managers behave, whether there is a ban on pastries in meetings.”

The conviction of many top executives of the power of NLP is undeniable. At Honda, Martin Moll, the head of marketing, uses NLP in conflict resolution and performance management and says that it has “immeasurably improved” his ability to deal with people and the quality of his working life.

NLP helps people to tackle problems without creating conflict, he says. “If people see an area of tension, they avoid it. NLP allows you to take the emotion out of the situation and communicate on an objective level.”

It has also transformed performance appraisals. “Get them to give you their view first. Ask: 'How do you feel about your role? What is success for you?' Before NLP I would have just gone charging in. By using body language and phraseology you can influence people.”

At Vodafone, everyone who joins the company undertakes a training programme of techniques “underpinned” by NLP, according to Terry O'Brien, head of retail at Vodafone. In customer service, for example, the aim is to enter into a customer's language rather than forcing yours on to them.

Employees have bracelets with “forbidden” words, including “sell”, “deal” and “contract”. “We don't want people to sign a contract but to enter into a relationship. We don't sell things to customers, we want them to buy from us,” Mr O'Brien says.

NLP gives employees greater understanding of how they and others communicate, he adds, giving customers a “much more personal experience”. Customer satisfaction has risen to 80 per cent since the programme started three years ago.

NLP is not accepted by mainstream science and often appears to rely on a “belief” system.

Many practitioners appear quasi-religious in their devotion. “There are millions of stories about NLP succeeding where nothing else could,” Mr Scott says. “But because it is modelled rather than theorised, it doesn't lend itself to scientific study. There is evidence - just not evidence that the academic community would recognise.”

Ceri Roderick, an occupational psychologist with the business psychology firm Pearn Kandola, says: “NLP is not academically respectable. It bears the same relationship to psychology as aromatherapy does to medicine. There is something cultish about it. People don't require any qualifications to go on a course - just money.”

Claims that you can tell what people are thinking by where their eyes are looking or influence them by mirroring their speech patterns are without evidence, he says.

“It sits in the realm of pseudo-science. There are credible bits, which are the same as established psychological techniques, such as cognitive behavioural therapy.” He explains the supposed effects as either placebo or common to anyone with strong emotional intelligence.

While NLP is “harmless” and used as part of a broader, effective programme, people should not confuse it with science, he says. “If you have got a technique that is making extraordinary claims, then you should demand extraordinary evidence.”

Using NLP at work

Dealing with a difficult colleague

Mirror their body language. Copy how the person is sitting or standing and make your body language more open - arms uncrossed, palms facing out. Becoming more like them on an unconscious level engages them and makes them more receptive.

Building a rapport

Spot the linguistic patterns. There are three predominent patterns: visual, auditory and kinaesthetic. Identify someone's preference by listening to the words they use and subtly mimicking them: i.e. “I see what you're saying”; “I hear your point;” “This feels right”.

Getting someone to agree

The yes state. Getting people into a state where they automatically respond “yes” makes them more susceptible to the next question. “Do you like chocolate? Would you like to buy this car?”

Addressing a problem

Use objective language. Imagine the problem as a third person next to you both. Be flexible and don't presume you know the answer. If a team member is perpetually late, ask them for their views first - they may be caring for a sick relative, for example.

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