One of the things I've noticed about practicing NLP in daily life, is that it tends to make it easier for me to maintain a 'live and let live' attitude to other people's behaviour and opinions.
But every now and again something happens that gets me really annoyed. It's usually something that's important to me, something that matters, and someone has got such an opposite point of view that I can't help myself!
Here's an example:
At a conference, I was talking to the Head of Learning and Development in a fairly large organisation. She'd asked about my business and I told her how we train people in NLP to create better business results. She told me, "We don't need any NLP training in our organisation. One of our trainers researched it, using the Internet and several books and she told everyone else about it".
Why did that annoy me so much? (No, not because she wasn't going to become a customer!)
It really annoyed me because NLP is a set of practical skills and tools. Knowing about them might be interesting (or not) but the important thing is to be able to USE them. NLP is of little use to anyone, if they can't actually DO any of it.
Let me ask you a question:
If you wanted to learn to play a musical instrument, what would you do? Would you buy a book about the instrument and read it? Would you research the instrument on the Internet? Or would you sign up for lessons from someone who could play the instrument and teach you how to play it too? If you wanted to learn a new sport, would you buy a book about it? Would you research it on the Internet?
Or would you join a club where they played that sport and join in?
So, if you want to learn to use NLP to get better results in your work and your life, what do you think is the best approach? Here's another example:
A person who attended one of my NLP courses in-house with their company, told me, "NLP doesn't work. I read a book about it and tried out one of the techniques and it didn't work. So I know
that NLP is nonsense."
That's a bit like saying, "This tennis ball is rubbish. I keep hitting it with a racquet but it never goes over the net."
There is skill in using NLP in the same way as there is skill in playing a musical instrument or a sport. To develop that skill takes practice. And the safest way to practice and acquire that skill is probably NOT to practice in important business situations, but to find an environment where it's ok to experiment. And ok to make mistakes. Definitely not at work.
So, I don't know how much NLP you already KNOW or how much NLP you can already DO.
If you're serious about bringing the power of NLP to your workplace then here's what I recommend:
1. Rather than just reading about NLP, find opportunities to experience it in action.
2. Watching videos or listening to audio programmes will help to bring NLP to life, but if you can join in with a group and work with NLP 'first-hand' that's going to be a more powerful learning
experience.
3. Practice what you've learned until you can do it without thinking. It's only when you get to that level of 'unconscious competence' that NLP skills become really useful.
Well, I feel better for having got that off my chest.
If you'd like to experience NLP applied to your own current situation, for achieving target and goals, problem-solving and dealing with mental blocks, then why not come to our 1-day event?
'Using NLP for Better Business Results' is a great way to see NLP applied to business, to discuss your own priorities and walk away with a clear plan of action.
