From Yacht Builder's Daughter to NLP Career Champion: How Communication Mastery Transforms Job Search Success

An exclusive interview with Diane Birch, Fractional People & Culture Director and NLP Strategist, by Roy Perlson, founder of Jobago.ai digital outplacement, on Diane's journey from retail HR pioneer to empowering career transitions through neuro-linguistic programming.  

 Diane Birch, Fractional People & Culture Director and NLP Strategist

Roy: Diane, tell us what brought you to this point in your career, becoming a fractional people and culture leader with a focus on NLP for career development?  

Diane: I have to start right at the beginning because entrepreneurialism is in my genes. My father was a delivery driver who started experimenting with a brand-new material called fiberglass in our garage in the early 1960s. He built his first boat in our lounge (my mum was not too pleased I can tell you!) and named it the Diane Dinghy. His first model had to be transformed into a kit so that he could get it out through the door and this first innovation took off.  Along with the manufacture of sailing yachts with lifting keels, he went on to build everything from egg-shaped chairs to a transportable mosque, inspired by a Terry's Chocolate Orange!  

Growing up in that environment shaped everything I know about innovation, hard work, and how you treat people. My dad was an incredible leader. His team stayed with him for decades because he made them part of the vision. He’d sit down with them and say, ‘We’ve got this challenge, what do you think?’ That kind of collaboration made people proud to belong. And there I was, nine years old, soaking it all up without even realising it.  

Roy: How did that translate into your professional path?  

Diane: I wanted to study law at university, but at 17, going to university “wasn’t an option” for me at that time, apparently, I’d “just get pregnant and have babies.” What an attitude! So, I started work as a receptionist at Topshop. Within weeks I was helping the HR team, and within months I moved through administrator, HR assistant, officer, manager… the whole ladder.  

At Topshop’s Oxford Street flagship, I introduced training and development programmes for people who wanted to progress, everything from supervisor courses to management development. These programmes were then adapted and extended across the organisation and eventually formed the foundation of a Graduate Leadership Development scheme.  The irony? After not being allowed to go to university myself, I was later seconded by Debenhams to help shape their graduate programme. There I was, working alongside university academics, helping design the very development pathway I never had the chance to take.  

Roy: What prompted you to leave the corporate world?  

Diane: Debenhams was amazing at first, brilliant values, like being part of a big family. But when we were bought by private equity, everything changed. Suddenly it was profit over people. They stripped assets and it became unpleasant. When one of the managing directors was leaving, she asked if she could do anything for me. I said, “Yes, make me redundant.” I was a single mum with two kids and couldn’t afford to leave without a package. I had 13 projects to finish - it took about a year - but eventually I got redundancy, garden leave, and a package that allowed me to start my own business  

Roy: What did you start with?  

Diane: I started with life coaching, but I quickly realised it wasn’t the right fit for me. I’m very much a doer, and my clients kept asking for practical help in their businesses, so that’s naturally where I gravitated. Business development aligned far more with the entrepreneurialism I learned from my dad and through Debenhams I’d already mentored a hairdresser, a nail bar, and a dance studio, and realised it was something absolutely loved.  

Then came a turning point. My son was around nine or ten, struggling terribly at school with dyslexia and dyspraxia. He once said he didn’t want to live, that was heartbreaking. My brother-in-law suggested rugby. Despite dyspraxia, my son learned to catch and throw, and his natural running style meant he scored tries constantly. Within a short time, he was playing for Essex. That experience inspired me to start SponsorPack; helping grassroots sports clubs secure sponsorship.  

Roy: How did that evolve?  

Diane: I taught clubs how to capitalise on their people and spaces, not just pitch-side boards, but adverts in toilets, clubhouses, and business networking events. I worked with rugby and cricket clubs across the country, but it was tough. Committees changed every year, so I had to re-educate new people annually. I even secured angel investment, but I was exhausted.  

Through one of those clubs, I met Paul Whitnall, an Irishman who wanted to bring Ireland's natural networking culture to the UK. In Ireland, you'd go to the pub and say "I need work" or "I need a window fitter" and people would help. When he tried that in a Maidstone pub, people thought he was mad! That led to us founding the British Irish Trading Alliance (BITA). I ran the company with Paul for eleven years as Executive Director.  

Roy: Tell us about BITA's growth.  

Diane: We grew to over a thousand company members, including major corporations like Laing O'Rourke. We built a community of around 50,000 people with almost 20 chapters across the UK and Ireland, and we were expanding internationally. It was fantastic. I’m incredibly proud of what we created, and the impact BITA still has today.  

But, after my dad passed away and my mum being ill so needing more support, I started to rethink what I wanted the next chapter of my life to look like. Paul was eager to take BITA into a phase of rapid international expansion; he thrives on the travel and the 70-hour weeks that come with it. I realised that wasn’t the lifestyle I wanted anymore.  

So, I made the decision to step away, and that created the space for Paul to take the organisation forward in the way he envisioned. It was simply the right time for both of us to follow different paths.  

Roy: And that's when you discovered NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming)?  

Diane: Exactly. Since leaving BITA, several members have taken me on as a fractional People and Culture Director, one or two days a month. Alongside that, I retrained in NLP; from Foundation, Diploma to Practitioner, as well as taking exams in EDI and Leadership and Management. I’ve got qualifications coming out of my ears! But honestly, I felt reborn. I absolutely love NLP. It’s essentially a communication tool, and when it’s used with the right intention, it becomes incredibly empowering, both for you and the people you’re working with.  

Roy: For readers unfamiliar with NLP, what is it fundamentally about?  

Diane: From my perspective, it’s about communicating in a way that helps people really ‘get’ you, to the point where they feel like they like you, know you, and see you as one of their tribe. That kind of connection builds rapport quickly as understanding someone’s communication style means you naturally get on. NLP gives you practical tools to do this, and the beauty is that the same models also help you shift your own narrative and belief systems at the same time.  

Here’s an example. I was speaking with a man starting a business who kept saying, ‘What we’re trying to achieve…’ I stopped him and said, ‘Let’s change that to: This is what we do.’ When a company hears ‘trying,’ it immediately raises questions, you haven’t started, you’ve got no evidence, why should they choose you? But ‘this is what we do’ shows confidence. That simple narrative shift boosted his self-belief, and in his next meeting, he used it and got the gig.”  

Roy: How does this apply to job seekers in career transitions?  

Diane: Understanding someone’s communication style helps you connect with them quickly and naturally. In NLP, these styles are usually grouped into three main categories; visual, auditory and kinaesthetic. When you use language that matches their style, it makes the other person feel understood, comfortable, and like you’re ‘one of their tribe.  

Visual people respond to phrases like ‘let me show you,’ auditory people connect with ‘let’s talk it through,’ and kinaesthetic people relate to ‘how it feels.’ Matching that communication style builds rapport instantly because it speaks their internal language.  

If I’m going for an interview, I’m all over that company’s website. I look at their values and the language they use. Then in the cover letter, I mirror that language, naturally. For example, not by writing, “I align with your value of integrity,” which is boring, but by telling a story that demonstrates integrity. And the person reading it thinks, “Yep, she’s one of us.”  

Roy: What about the storytelling element in interviews?  

Diane: This is where the 4MAT model (created by Dr. Bernice McCarthy) is brilliant. When presenting or interviewing, you structure communication in four quadrants:  

Why (35% of people): Start with your origin story, why you do what you do, what's in it for them, why should they listen? That's why I started with my dad's story. If you don't capture the "why" people, you've lost them and they won't listen to the rest.  

What (22-25%): The analysts want figures and data. In my story, that's "1,700 members, 50,000 connections, 13 chapters."  

How (22-25%): How do you do it? "I train people, I coach people, I run Let's Talk sessions."  

What If (15%): These are the visionaries, "What if all companies could have great leaders?" "What would it be like if everyone understood cultural intelligence?"  

By covering all four quadrants, you've addressed everyone in the room, regardless of their communication preference. But the 35% "why" is critical, lose them at the start, and you've lost the interview.  

Roy: So, job seekers should have an origin story connecting to why they want the role?  

Diane: Absolutely! And why they'll be good at it. When I talked about my dad, I explained that I was brought up by someone who innovated, was entrepreneurial, questioned everything. That's in my DNA. Wouldn't you want to employ someone like that? Wouldn't that be great for your company? You're creating an emotional connection with words, and you can do this in written applications and interviews.  

Roy: What about the practical aspects, like changing language patterns?  

Diane: Simple shifts make huge differences. "We're trying to do this" becomes "We do this", instant confidence. I worked with a young woman in business development for a charity who was immediately asking for money. I taught her to tell a story showing potential sponsors a vision of what life would be like if they helped, how it would feel to give, what it would do for the community, how it would enhance their brand. Her boss called me saying she's "killing it" after just two conversations with me and asked me to train the whole team.  

Roy: For people wanting to learn more about NLP, what resources do you recommend?  

Diane: My coach, Emma McNally, wrote a fantastic book called "Who's Flying Your Plane?" It's a small book, really easy to read, and gives a brilliant synopsis of NLP and how it works in your life. It's so dog-eared because I've lent it to so many people.  

Emma also runs monthly introduction to NLP sessions on Eventbrite for free. They cover how your brain works, belief systems, kinaesthetic-auditory-visual styles, how to build rapport. All very useful for interviews.  

Roy: Any final thoughts on using NLP ethically in career transitions?  

Diane: The question of ethics is important. In interviewing contexts, using NLP is entirely ethical because you're not telling lies, you're just communicating in a way that builds rapport quickly. People transitioning careers face a whole level of mental anguish. NLP helps them believe in themselves and show that belief in interviews.  

Beyond language, NLP includes anchoring techniques. Mine is a confidence bracelet. Before speaking, I visualize taking it off, putting it on the floor, and stepping into that circle. When I'm in there, I am the best speaker in the world. It's almost self-hypnosis, putting yourself into a positive state. So maybe your differentiator is combining AI tools with these human elements that help people not just write better applications, but truly present their best, most confident selves.  

Key Takeaways  

• Origin stories matter: “Why” engages 35% of your audience immediately and lays the foundation for connection.  

• Mirror company language: Research company websites thoroughly to understand their values and communication style, then reflect that language naturally in your applications without simply restating their values  

• Master the 4MAT framework: Structure your interview responses to address Why (story/purpose), What (data/metrics), How (methods), and What If (vision/innovation) to connect with all communication and behavioural styles.  

• Language precision transforms perception: Small shifts like changing "we're trying to achieve" to "we do" project confidence and credibility instantly  

• Tell stories, don't just state facts: Demonstrate value alignment through examples from your career rather than listing attributes, "show, don't tell" for maximum impact.  

• Build rapport through communication styles: Incorporate visual ("create a vision"), auditory ("people will hear"), and kinaesthetic ("feel-good") language to connect subconsciously with interviewers  

• Use anchoring techniques: Physical objects or rituals can trigger confident mental states before high-pressure situations like interviews  

• Ethical NLP accelerates connection: Using these techniques isn't manipulation, it's communicating authentically in ways that help others understand you quickly.  

Diane Birch is the founder of Get Vantage. She is a Fractional People & Culture Director, NLP Strategist, and former Executive Director of BITA International, the British Irish Trading Alliance networking organisation.  

Based in the UK, Diane helps companies and individuals unlock potential through culture transformation, leadership development, and strategic communication.  

With roots in retail HR leadership at Topshop and Debenhams, and a background shaped by her father's entrepreneurial yacht-building business, Diane brings decades of experience in learning and development, diversity and inclusion, and business growth to her fractional consulting practice and Let's Talk mentoring sessions.  

She holds certifications in Business and Performance Coaching from Newcastle University and is a qualified NLP Practitioner specialising in helping career transitioners communicate with confidence and cultural intelligence.  

Resources mentioned in this interview:  

• Book: "Who's Flying Your Plane?" by Emma McNally - An accessible introduction to NLP fundamentals and practical applications  

• Training: Emma McNally's Achieve Your Greatness, monthly Introduction to NLP sessions (available on Eventbrite) - and further affordable workshops covering brain function, belief systems, communication styles, and rapport-building techniques.