The Influence of NLP Meta and Milton Model on Public Speaking: A Study of Dr. Zakir Naik's Public Engagements

Abstract

This research examines the influence of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) language patterns (Metamodel / Milton Model) on the public speaking of Dr. Zakir Naik, a modern Muslim intellectual and public speaker. Based on a qualitative content analysis of handpicked speeches, debates and Q&A sessions, researchers attempt to detect, tabulate and typologize occurrences of those NLP patterns to grasp their rhetorical and communicative features. The analysis shows that Dr. Naik makes extensive use of Metamodel patterns to elaborate ambiguity, dispute vagueness, and foster semantic agreement as well as the Milton Model to maintain rapport, facilitate interpretation and handle audience resistance, particularly in emotionally and ideologically loaded discourse. The results indicate the robustness of these types of linguistic strategies to aid in comprehension, reduce cognitive load and enhance engagement and persuasion to a range of inter-faith audiences. Through the use of NLP methodologies on the realm of religious talk, my work fills in this gap while showing the potential for linguistic modelling in the area of public religious communication. The findings have implications for public address scholars, as well as educators, communicators, and inter-religious dialogists.