This section gives some guidelines to help you choose which NLP training to do.
NLP courses are being offered in greater numbers and varieties all the time. At the moment you can choose from two-day introduction courses, more advanced courses, including specialized courses for particular applications, and longer NLP trainings. Many organizations offer free introductory evenings so you can find out more about them and the courses they offer.
There is a range of courses specifically aimed at applying NLP in particular areas such as education, business, selling, presentations, meetings, negotiations, music, acupuncture, counseling, psychotherapy and hypnotherapy. There are also update courses offering new and recent NLP patterns and developments.
Practitioner or diploma level training is a substantial step. This normally involves around 150 hours training spread over some 20 or more days. Increasingly, more training organizations are offering a short training first with a variety of different names, and an optional longer part to bring this up to the diploma or practitioner level.
Following on from this, is master practitioner or advanced diploma level training, involving a similar time commitment. There are also courses in new developments, and trainings for trainers.
In practical terms, the first question to ask yourself is what sort of training do you want? You may be clear from the start, or you may need to formulate your ideas by gathering information. Do you simply want NLP training or do you want it specialized in an area of application? If so, which one? Do you want a certificate or qualification from the training?
The cost of the course is an obvious consideration, and where the course takes place is an important factor, both in terms of convenience and time. Remember to add travel and accommodation costs to the course fees.
How long does the course last? How does it fit in with your other commitments?
How flexible are the arrangements? Do you buy a whole course that you are then locked into whether you like it or not, or is it organized in units that you can take or leave at your convenience? What are the deposit and cancelation terms? How is the course spread over time? Is it on weekends or weekdays? In practitioner trainings there will often be some practice evenings that you will need to attend.
The trainers will have a big influence on the course. Some organizations use internationally known trainers. This will add to the cost, but it is worth bearing in mind that these trainers will usually have had a long involvement with NLP and be more experienced.
Perhaps most important are your own personal feelings and assessment of the training and the trainers. NLP is about subjective experience. Be aware of your personal evaluations of quality and what is important to you.
Do you like and respect the trainer/s? Do you have rapport and do they have a personal integrity you can trust? Trainers have very different personal styles. Does their style suit you? Can you learn well from them?
Find out as much as you can first. Telephone the organizations and ask about their courses. Tell them your requirements. Beware of training organizations that belittle others. This is unprofessional conduct and may be used to cover their own weaknesses. A good organization will not find it necessary to put down others. Many organizations have open evenings when you can go and speak to the trainers. For many people word of mouth recommendation is a key criterion. You may know of friends or acquaintances who have done training and they can give you invaluable feedback. Many people will prefer to take the recommendation of one particular friend that they trust and respect, whereas others will make up their own mind.
The American Board of NLP, runs conferences where you can speak to many of the organizations and trainers. National conferences are excellent places to learn about NLP and find out more.
If you have enjoyed this book, you may like to know that the authors are also the longest established providers of NLP training courses in the UK. You can contact them directly for further information. See the section at the end of this book called “About the Authors'.