Choosing an NLP practitioner course

Category: Coaching Notes

Brefi group is an NLP consultancy; it is based on the model of consultancy that I have developed over a career of more than 20 years and which assumes that the purpose of a consultancy project is to achieve a change – rather than a report. I believe that in
practice 'process' consultants require coaching, facilitation and some training skills as well as consultancy diagnostic skills. Interpersonal skills are essential as, not only must we communicate with clients; we should also be role models of what can be achieved.

I have been studying NLP for more than ten years and there are two reasons why I am so enthusiastic about it as a basis for any consultant or coach. Firstly, it is a modelling process based on the very things that are fundamental to consultancy; it is a means of understanding the process of change, identifying blockages and creating attractive futures. Secondly, the process of learning NLP is both personal and intense. This has two benefits: NLP practitioners have experienced at an intense level the changes that they are discussing with their clients and NLP practitioners have been through a personal journey of change and emotional cleansing. A consultant or coach has to be free of personal hang-ups and able to experience the client's world without prejudice. The 120 hours of a traditional NLP practitioner training is a major opportunity for personal growth. Then add similar times for master practitioner, train the trainer and various supplementary workshops and the process is exceedingly powerful.

This level of in-depth experience provides a consultant or coach of a very superior kind.

When I started my training, NLP was still in relatively early days and there was a limited choice of trainers, most of whom had themselves been trained by the founders or major developers. Since then, many people who have learned NLP have set up their own training courses. There is no single accepted qualification or external quality assurance. So, if you would like to embark on such a journey, how do you choose a trainer?

I am pleased to be able to introduce you to a new publication that endeavours to help you make this decision. It does not evaluate individual trainers but provides an explanation of what to look for and the parameters to make your own decision.

NLP is a practical subject and is developing in various directions. It has evolved beyond its original therapy base and can now be learned in business, therapy, sports coaching or selling contexts as well as on general courses. I strongly recommend that you indulge the variety. Choose a course with several different trainers and then develop your career with exposure to as many different trainers as you can. There are lots of specialist workshops offered these days. I have trained with many of the famous names on both sides of the Atlantic. There is real variety available, there is richness in this variety and it helps you realise that there is always more to learn.

One way to experience different approaches is to attend open evenings; an even better one is to attend conferences. These feature many different trainers providing demonstration workshops for novices and masters alike. There is one very soon in London on 18, 19, 20 November.

The guide that I have referred to is published by a new training company: ABL. I recommend it.

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