NLP in the Sun – Reflections

For the Practitioner course, there were people who travelled from, Singapore, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, South Korea, Australia to name a few countries further afield. Closer to home people came from all over Spain, Britain and the rest of Europe; it was a beautiful cultural mix and a truly international experience which offered the participants an excellent opportunity to stretch themselves by working with people from different cultures. The course was taught in English with a simultaneous Spanish translation for the Spanish and Latin American people. The group bonded really quickly and by the end of the first day everyone was settled and there was buzz around the hotel that was remarkably different from the beach front hotel where most guests were on holiday. We were also on holiday; the difference was our holiday was one of learning and self-development.

From a training perspective, it’s great to watch a group grow develop and this group were certainly quick learners who embraced the NLP patterning with enthusiasm and growing skill. As trainers our style is to take the leaner beyond where they feel comfortable and through exercises challenge their existing map of the world. This creates an opportunity for the person to unconsciously reorganise for higher levels of performance which is a key aspect of NLP. This was certainly happening here as I observed so many people having personal breakthroughs.

For the second module, New Code NLP, people who had already studied NLP with other schools could attend, the group doubled in size and John Grinder and Carmen Bostic St Clair took the stage.  It’s always an interesting experience, merging what is in essence two groups, the new people were welcomed by the people who been with us for Module I and the group albeit much larger, worked together very effectively.  It’s interesting to observe the differences in how people who have already studied NLP ) embrace or resist new ideas. In some cases, I was wondering what was the motivation for some people, who were NLP certified,  in wanting to attend a New Code NLP seminar when all they wanted to do was stay in Classic Code NLP. This is akin to watching a video when you can see the same film in Blue Ray DVD. John Grinder co-created the Classic Code of NLP, his wish for the NLP field is they work with what is best from the Classic Code (and there is a lot of good stuff there) and embrace new ideas as well. That’s a good goal for the field overall, well I think so.

One key aspect of the New Code is having access to high performance states for self-application. It was not long before the New Code games and activities were launched on the group, and the through the high performance states the buzz around the hotel increased. We were really rolling now and even the people who had been ‘less than open minded’ began to free themselves from pre- existing maps and open up. We finished the course with an evaluation, where the participants showed us how much they learned. They did a great job.

The course that followed was something very special, ‘First Fluency Spanish’ over four days . John Grinder is known for many things, one is his ability to rapidly learn a language and speak that language with natural physiology and tone as that of a native speaker. This skill was of great interest to his bosses when he was an undercover agent. In the context of undercover work, his life was at risk if he was not convincing in the language he was speaking at the time. WHAT A SKILL, and one that had been latent in the Grinder mind, something he had not taught others. So in February 2012, I proposed over dinner that John share his language assimilation skill and First Fluency was born. We tested it in Murcia this summer, and the results were superb. We had a team of 5 superb mentors, a mixture of Spanish and Latin American people. The group was to access know nothing states, and to model the physiology and tone of the native speakers in real life contexts. On the first morning we were in the market shopping, well I was negotiating as one does in markets. By lunch we were ordering our food in Spanish. Much of the work was in the street, with sessions back in the seminar room on state and development of phrases. The end result was most of the group had First Fluency ”“where they could engage with 5 people in the street for 5 minutes each, the people in the street were naí¯ve to the project and could be traders, passers by taxi drivers etc. What a course!

For Trainers Training, we shifted venues and 20 km north to LaTorre Golf resort. This resort is nested in the Spanish Country side and is ideal for the intensity of Trainers Training.  Again we had an international group, with people coming from India, Japan, and Vietnam as well as all over Europe. The NLP Academy Trainers Training is the premier NLP Trainers Training in the world, it’s for the person who seeks to excel as a Trainer and occupy a high position in the field of training they work in. I say this firstly because we really challenge people throughout the whole course with a rigorous testing procedure at the end. The second part of my claim is based on the evidence; the Trainers out there who have graduated from the course are successful.

Module I (6 days)  of Trainers Training is based on using NLP to be an excellent presenter. The course is open as a stand-alone module for people who simply want to develop themselves as a presenter. Module II (7 days) is focussed on delivering various types of NLP courses from Practitioner courses to introductory courses and everything else in between. In this module you get right into the heart of NLP Training and learn from John, Carmen any myself different takes and styles of NLP trainings.

Once the people have been through the thirteen days of module I and II, it’s time for them to show us what they can do, and that is what module III is all about. In this module participants go through various aspects of being evaluated including presentation style, ability to demonstrate NLP, ability to handle challenging circumstances and written tests. If you pass this evaluation you ready to be a trainer and benefit from John Grinder direct lineage as a trainer. No matter which angle you look at NLP, it was created only by two people, people who are seeking to make a career out of NLP are wise to be authentic and go to the source, a trainer certificate signed by John Grinder carries authenticity. I have to say the group of Trainers in Murcia were superb and the pass rate was the highest we have ever had. Well done to all! A few people still have some work to before passing the course, they will be there soon and will be better trainers as a consequence of the tasks.

What I have written here is an insight into our summer of NLP in Murcia. It’s like telling your friends about a fantastic holiday and your words capture only a part of the experience. I have focussed in this article mainly on the international experience and course style. There is so much more to say, the beach activities, great food, salsa dancing, people making friends for life, wonderful social activities. My thanks to those who often go unmentioned, superb hotel staff, superb staff in local establishments, a great team of mentors and resource team people across all courses and the wonderful people at Hacienda Riqueleme where I live when in Spain that amplify this experience for everyone.

The good news is we are doing it again next year. The course line up is a bit different, see below

First Fluency
Healer Within
NLP Trainers Training
If you fancy a superb NLP experience reply to this email to be eligible for the pre published prices