This July saw an event in London which brought one of the co-creators of NLP to the forefront of training and future direction of NLP training of the next generation as he put it.
The new 'International Trainers Association' was put together by Grinder,Bostic and Carroll as an initiative by Grinder to raise the standards in teaching and training for future generations in NLP.
Grinder has placed emphasis in setting a training standard. The intention that new ideas can flourish within a dialog of new trainers actively out there in the field and have a feedback loop with one of the co-trainers to expand NLP in what he sees as the important aspects which have being misunderstood from his perspective historically in the development of NLP. This is an opportunity to understand and appreciate the intention and purpose of what NLP can be for the future by one of the co-creators who still has ideals that he would like to see realized and advanced by new trainers.
To this end the' ITA' respectively have set a training standard that is formidable to put it mildly. Like any training organization they have their perspective and in this case attention to detail of understanding content of NLP is coveted and expected as a pre- requisite in obtaining the certificate to teach with Grinder/Bostic and Carroll's name attached. However it is not the only perspective and is a means to an end in the structure of evaluation.
The training was set in three modules.
Module one lasted six days and covered presentation skills and presentation process.
The days were long .9am -7:30 pm. with an hour and a half for lunch.
The venue was the The New Connaught Rooms in Covent garden which was a good sized venue with many rooms very appropriate for break out exercises in small groups.
The group size was around 50 I believe at the start of the course.
The sessions were split into individual training sessions by all three trainers who would do 4 hrs per session.
One particular aspect which set this apart from other trainers training's I have attended (two others in the UK) was that there was a practitioner course running parallel downstairs in the same venue. The beauty of this was that they were sharing trainers with us and we as trainers were able to see John Grinder training N- step reframe (old 6 step) to the practitioners straight from the horses mouth so to speak. Then afterwards he would debrief us trainers as to what he was doing when demonstrating the various techniques.
A perfect example of congruency in action and an invaluable experience for us to see how it can be handled by a master.
Each practitioner was allocated a trainer as a mentor coach. Our job was to help them in any way they needed to get the best out of the course.
The partitioners gave feedback regarding our assistance which was used to help the trainers.
Several evenings were used as a joint exercise between the two groups which were imaginative and useful for both practitioners and trainers alike.
Module two lasted 7-days. On this module the training team concentrated on NLP content.
Grinder used open frame sessions to encourage debate and feedback regarding our understanding of the importance of content and process and content imposition which Grinder clearly feels very passionate about. One of many aspects of NLP as we discovered through out the week in his intensely engaging style rapport and style of delivery.
He was open and approachable and intellectually formidable in the most elegant and humble of ways.
Several times due to his passion and interest with the group he over ran his sessions when in dialog with us and it was appreciated that he was there for us 100%.
There was also the opportunity to learn some 'new code NLP' which I found very interesting as we had the chance to learn these exercises with the practitioners with JG teaching us all.
Carmen Bostic shared alternate sessions with Michael Carroll who covered more of the skill drill aspect of NLP. This worked well in keeping a balance between the mind stretching sessions with John and the application of the skills Bostic and Carroll were imparting in their individual styles. It was nice to see that individuality is respected and there were no 'Grinder clones' to be seen anywhere!
The last Four days were devoted to evaluation.
Carroll was implicit throughout that it was their intention that a new set of standards would place the 'ITA' at a leading edge in training providers and that the evaluation process was put together with a lot of thought by the three of them.
Here is the info we were sent.
Module III:
At module III is about assessing your skills as an NLP Trainer
You will sit a written exam, on core NLP patterning, consisting of 2 papers over 5 hours. The marking criteria is as follows:
69% and below: Fail
70 -75 %: Low pass
76% - 90%: Pass
90% and above: High pass
Design and deliver an NLP presentation with a demonstration
You will be graded either fail, low pass, pass, or high pass
Conduct an NLP teaching demonstration that is chosen for you by the certifier
You will be graded either fail, low pass, pass, or high pass
Present under challenging conditions
You will be graded either fail, low pass, pass, or high pass
The standards are high
If you fail one element of certification, you will be invited back in December to demonstrate competency.
If you are a low pass in two areas of the evaluation, you will also be invited back to demonstrate competency.
The ideal target is four high passes
Four passes will hold you in good stead
One low pass and three passes will also get you through
Our suggestion to you is to prepare well
Suggestions for how to prepare
Review your Practitioner material to become versatile in the core patterning of:
Outcomes
Calibration
Accessing cues
NLP Epistemology
Representational systems
Submodalities and submodality interventions
Anchoring formats
Unconscious signals
Six Step Reframe
Parts interventions
Milton Model
Meta Model
Belief change formats
The distinction between process and content
Metaphor construction
TimeLine interventions (process not content)
New Code NLP
It was appreciated that many people like myself came from different training backgrounds and I was pleased to say that there was total respect for the other training organizations who had taught us. There was absolutely no "this is the way to do it " attitude. Also it was fair in the respect that if you had no new code experience that this would in no way penalize you in the evaluation or training sessions or written paper exams. Michael Carroll was aware of what each candidate was likely to know from their particular training background and this was taken into account in the demonstration of techniques evaluation.
It was pointed out that their was a free re-sit for anyone not getting through.
This was of no commercial gain to the 'ITA', in fact it could cost them more money in the long run as well as inconvenience. Some people opted out to sit the exams at a later date which was optional after the second module.
Their were a good number of assistants to help throughout the course with questions and they were all very encouraging and keen. All had been previous attendees and it was a bench mark of congruency to see what kind of standard the 'ITA' were after.
As with all courses there are weak points and strong points depending on your map.
I have personally always found good points on every course I have attended as I look for what I can learn not for what I am not learning, I like to question what I thought I knew with an attitude of curiosity.
Of the two other T.T. courses I have attended each one concentrated on different aspects of training and presenting styles. I found each totally complimentary to each other and have given me an all round appreciation in experiential learning, course preparation and performance application.
If you are thinking of doing a trainers training for what ever reason this course has the potential to stretch you in many ways. However the sense of fun was not lost in the purpose of raising the game.
Recommended!
