I have been running workshops since the 1980s and have attended some really excellent trainings as well as some that were less than great.
When I met Frank Farrelly 14 years ago I have already spent a number of years training in NLP, yet with Frank I recognized something quite extraordinary. Frank was able to do everything I have seen NLP co-creators do, but with greater precision and totally conversationally. It was like hearing Jimi Hendrix for the first time, just mindblowing. I started hosting Frank in the UK from 2005 and continued to do so until he passed. Not only did I get to see him up close in the training (I co-trained in later years) but I also crucially was able to spend weeks each year talking to him on a 1 – 1 basis.
When I started to host Frank in 2005, the first workshop attracted a lot of attention and a number of well known NLP trainers. Many people were fascinated to see and hear up close one of the original inspirations for NLP. In one of my interviews with Richard Bandler, he commented on how impressed he was with Frank and his work. Interestingly most of the questions from the NLP audience were so saturated in NLP thinking that they totally missed what Frank was demonstrating. I can forgive them, as it took me a fair period to understand his work. Bandler and Grinder also made a terrible job of trying to model Frank on a famous cassette tape where they talked extensively about matching Franks breathing. Frank groaned at their analysis and was unimpressed when one of the co-creators continually tried to pass off Frank’s case studies as their own until Frank’s students took them to task.
The lesson I learned in 2004 was to grab the opportunity to see Frank and that four-day training lit the fuse for what was to become PCW. I sometimes wonder how life would have turned out if I had never been one of the tiny group of 17 that attended that workshop.
The “Keep me posted folks”
I’m not a fan of attending endless training, but some specialized training can yield a wealth of insights. When I started to host Frank, there would always be people who would say “I can’t make this training, but please keep me posted about the next training” I fully appreciate that some dates can clash with personal schedules, but “the keep me posted” folks tend to make the request to posted every year, BUT never attend the actual event. That is 100% their right, but as a promoter, I never endlessly “keep people posted” as its essentially a waste of my and their time.
PCW Opportunities – I go where the interest is
Often I get asked about why I run so many PCW trainings overseas. The answer is easy, I go where the interest is. This September I’ll be on my 17th trip to Japan where I have taught hundreds of students mostly from the medical field. A high proportion of these students are quite skilled in using PCW and do so with their clients. I have also taught in Spain, Poland, Hungary, USA, Israel, Holland, Austria, Ireland, Switzerland, India among other countries. Currently, I’m running intensive trainings in Austin Texas and New York. I am also running for the first time in years some trainings in the UK. If there is continued interest I’ll run more events in the UK in the future. The PCW model is evolving all the time and I am now looking at certifying advanced practitioners and then trainers to teach the model.
Here is a link to the UK and other 2018 PCW trainings – go HERE
