6 Responses

1. NLP
   Hi

   If I’m honest, training is packaged every which way but loose in order to provide a different angle to sell the course, or so someone can charge more money for it.

   Try and look at it that good training is good training whether it be NLP, EQ or what ever.

   NLP has got some great principles, if you are a newcomer, look up http://www.businessballs.com, they have a good resource on NLP.

   But I think its important not to lose sight of the fact that when you do a coaching course, you are facilitating your participant to coach and you want to do it well, don’t get bogged down in the acryonm hell!

   Find a provider that you like the philosphy of and don’t let them fob you off with any “mystical technique” that’ll increase profits by 800% or whatever.

   Find out if the bottom line is what you are looking for out of a training initiative.

   If you like it, go with it.

   Best of luck

   Rich
   http://www.supremacytraining.com

2. NLP & Coaching Question
   Andrzej,

   I read your posting with interest. So you are interested in coaching … great …
   The most common model used in coach training is probably the GROW model developed by Sir John Whitmore.

   Most of the training institutes will use this in their training. I am curious about your comment about NLP. It is not surprising that NLP is so integrated into the coaching curriculum as so many of its principles and techniques are focused on outcomes, personal change and responsibility.

   If you have specific concerns or questions about NLP feel free to contact me at any time. Good luck with your training, there are lots of training institutes out there, not all of them are so keen to promote their NLP content.

   Regards

   Tony Nutley
   http://www.ukcpd.net

3. In defense of NLP
   I can fully understand your comments about ‘programming’ and your natural reticence to be ‘programmed’ as it does sound like mind control. I felt the same way when I first came across the topic. What I discovered, realised really, is that we are all ‘programmed’ from birth by a variety of people – our parents, teahcer, friends etc.
   NLP is the science of success, it looks at what great people do and asks us to enhance the skills we already have so that we can build better relationships with anyone – on their terms, rather than our own. It gives us tools to investigate what past messages and lessons are holding us back and gives us ideas to retrain our own mind. Please consider looking into the subject in more depth without dismissing it because of the name – you never know what you might find out about yourself and others.

4. NLP
   There are some aspects of NLP that I have experienced to be both positive and beneficial, and like anything else, there’s some aspects that I personally have found worthless.

   https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=118178&d=680&h=608&f=626&dateformat=%25e-%25h-%25y

   I would investigate any form of coaching programme for it’s effectiveness and ‘fit’ for you, and if you have decided that NLP is not for you don’t let that decision be based on simple prejudice, but rather use personal experience and informed research.

5. No NLP?
   Your principle problem, Andrzej, is that elements of NLP have found their way into most “soft skills” training in the business arena.

   The thing to understand is that what is usually referred to as NLP isn’t just one thing but many ideas and techniques, of which only a specific form of modeling human behaviour is actually “NLP”. Everything else is comprised of numerous techniques.

   As Garry Platt has said, these techniques vary in effectiveness. As a general rule, the more closely a technique is related to the original development, the more effective it is likely to be. But even there, the creators of NLP acknowledge time and again that nothing works for everyone in every situation. Or as someone (not an NLPer) once put it, if you want a guarantee, buy a toaster.

   On the other hand, not everything in NLP is original. The creators had no qualms about borrowing techniques already in use as long as they seemed to have at least a reasonably high success rate. Because of this you may sometimes come across what seems to be an NLP technique which is actually only an “NLP-borrowed” technique, so to speak.

   Of course I have no way of telling what you already know about NLP, but if you were looking for a widely recommended, reasonably brief and low priced introduction to the use of NLP in business – just to get an idea of what its all about, I usually recommend Develop Your NLP Skills which is usually available at a discounted price from Amazon.co.uk (especially if you get it from one of their Marketplace sellers).

   Apart from that, do you have to go on a course that is “packed” with NLP stuff?
   I would think not, unless you go to an NLP training company. Just a question of keeping on looking.

   Hope this is of use

   Regards

   Paul

6. Book Recommendations
   The following coaching books would be my recommendations:

   The Complete Guide to Coaching at Work – Suzanne Skiffington, Perry Zeus
   http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0074708422/qid=1145857778/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/026-8137759-5847658

   And a further complimentary work by the same two authors, The Coaching at Work Toolkit:
   http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0074711032/qid=1145857908/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_2_1/026-8137759-5847658

   Neither of these pieces of work has NLP as any kind of theme, and if you give the Amazon reviews any credence the first book has been reviewed by 19 people and has a 4.5* rating.