I first came across NLP in the 1990s and attended a 7 day accelerated NLP training. It was fantastic entertainment and opened up my eyes to a whole world of possibilities. There were over 300 attendees on the London course and it cost 499 pounds plus VAT. Without doubt it was one of the best investments I have ever made. The trainers were highly entertaining and the crowd loved the spectacle which included a great deal of whooping by the assisting team and the whole event was like a rock concert or some may say an old school evangelist meeting. After the week long event I received my formal NLP practitioner certification which many attending described as their “NLP qualification”
I went on to complete numerous other NLP training’s including NLP Meta Master Practitioner, NLP Master Practitioner and NLP Trainer. From 2003 I ran my own certificated NLP training before focusing on developing the PCW model. There were (and remain) core elements in the NLP tool box that I love that have proved invaluable in developing my own work, but I also felt there was a great deal of superfluous material. From 2001 to 2005 I assisted on many of the same company’s NLP training’s which finally gave me the chance to better integrate the skills. Without this additional “fly time” I would never have made much sense of the approach.
Those of us on the NLP practitioner were encouraged to book onto the NLP Master Practitioner and those on the NLP Master Practitioner were encouraged to book on the NLP Trainer Training. Nothing wrong with that, except many people would attend all the courses back to back so in a few weeks would become NLP Trainers with minimal time for practice and integration.
NLP events with multiple certifications?
In recent years I have noticed a trend for even more accelerated and what some call boutique NLP training’s. These are event more condensed with the promise of multiple certifications in just a few weeks. OK, fair enough some people like collecting certifications. I have yet to see anyone attending such events having a good understanding and working knowledge of how to use these skills. Of course some such students may exist, but it seems that this style of event literally bombards students with information and the ad copy seems endless and I’m half expecting the trainer to throw in a George Foreman barbecue set as an additional perk!
I’m highly dubious about this kind of teaching and over two decades of meeting NLP folks from all over the world reinforces this view. Maybe it’e me but we seem to be in a new era of crazy where the imagined status in NLP trumps any skills integration. Promises of “start a new career” and “change your life in just a few weeks” seem rampant online. Those promoting such events, frame certifications as “qualifications” and even certification bodies sometimes fail to check online copy, so some characters hype their certification status to attract more customers. I’ve seen claims of “internationally respected NLP Master trainer” where there seems to be no actual evidence of the person ever achieving this level of training. Terms like “Master Coach” may sound terrific to the wider public, but personally I am unconvinced by such status seeking. I remember Frank Farrelly (creator of Provocative Therapy) comment “How on earth is anyone going to be a master of anything in just a few weeks?”
Check out the trainer’s history
Before booking on any training, my advice is to check a trainer’s history and I don’t mean all the certifications they have collected! Some people are like magpies and collect such information like scouts collecting badges. Look at how the trainer is using the skills in daily life. If they put out videos, how well are these communicated in terms of language and pace. I’ve seen some footage where the trainer is like an announcer for the Grand National, they are speaking at such speed!
I’m a big fan of trainers who see private clients or who can demonstrate using the skills in a business or coaching context. I’ve heard stories of people spending thousands on accelerated courses with no real insight into what they learned. The idea of “unconscious installation” is a wonderful idea to inoculate against all concerns of not understanding content, but I am personally unconvinced that this translates into actual usable skills.
Conclusion
Everyone will have a preferred style of learning, but my suggestion is to really consider what you are signing up up before spending thousands on a training. Some very expensive trainings have just a 24 hour cooling off period once you have paid…
I would also ignore any “certification” suggestions as these are essentially meaningless in this era where there are no agreed universal standards for NLP and are really just records of attendance.
Like any investment, my advice is to do proper research and not be persuaded by a hard sell phone call or sales presentation at front of stage. Often introductory events are geared to attract people for up selling to far more expensive training’s. There are many superb trainers out there, but all the ones I recommend favour longer training periods where attendees can properly integrate skills. NLP when taught in an ethical and well considered manner can be hugely rewarding and my hope is that these core skills can be made available to a wider audience who fully appreciate the need to proper integration and learning.
