How do you prepare for an NLP Training? I decided to write this article as I heard many students say, “I wish I had known … !”
10 Tips to prepare for NLP training
1. Make sure you selected an excellent NLP training company,
Not just with the right credentials, but also with experienced trainers (who were experienced experienced NLP Master Practitioners BEFORE becoming a trainer..) Pick an NLP Training company with the right size group for you, with personal attention, and the ability to ask questions. Legitimate certification approved by the creators of NLP are the: Society of NLP and ITANLP.
2. Sleep!
This is the most important tip I can give you to prepare for NLP training!
As silly as this sounds, time and again I have students flying into my European or US training from around the world, arriving that same morning. Sleep is important. Arrive a little earlier and make sure that you have a place where you can safely sleep! This is easier said than done for some, I know. But if you can afford to do so, you should! The price and experience of your NLP Training is actually worth it … to be present 100%! You are only going to have this (learning) experience once.
An excellent book about sleep, everyone should read is “Why we sleep?” by Matthew Walker.
3. Bring multiple layers of clothing.
We provide NLP Training in Amsterdam, sometimes at its coldest; Miami, sometimes at its warmest; and in our Los Angeles or San Diego training, the weather can switch from moment to moment! Also, I have never found a single training room in the world where it was easy to regulate the temperature. Having multiple layers with you allows you to put on and take off your clothes to create maximum comfort.
4. Stop reading NLP.
I actually find it much easier to teach a person NLP when he or she has had no previous knowledge at all. Not just because the student comes with an attitude of I know nothing (versus the student that thinks that after reading a few books they know everything.) I have yet to find a good NLP Practitioner level book that properly teaches NLP, so I often times find myself retraining someone or helping them unlearn and then teaching them good NLP habits.
5. Bring your glasses of curiosity.
I like to step into certain experiences or meet new people with a chosen set of glasses. A good pair of glasses to wear in NLP Training is one of curiosity. It will allow you to come from a place of discovery, truly experience NLP, and get to know the other students. It’s better than coming from a place of critique, judgment, or not caring about anyone else.
6. Everyone has a story worth telling and listening to understand that every person has a story worth telling and, therefore, for you to listen to.
There is a lot to learn from not just the trainers but also the students. It will significantly aid your experience and your practice sessions with others.
7. Keep an open mind!
Most of us remember learning being slow, taking many years, and teachers teaching in certain ways. A good NLP Trainer can teach experientially, and you learn by doing and story telling. If your NLP trainer’s teaching style reminds you of how your were taught in school, you probably didn’t select the right trainer (sorry!) A good trainer keeps you riveted, engaged, doing activities and practice, and helps you drift off into daydreams at the perfect moment! Keep an open mind. Your trainer will be unique from what you ever experienced before.
8. Show up at a good time in class.
This means not too early, not too late! Generally a good time to arrive is approximately 20-15 minutes before the training starts. It helps you to poke your head in the training room to see what is going on. Some students decide to show up an hour early, and for your NLP trainers this might be a challenge as they are still preparing for classes and possibly setting up. Showing up late disrupts class, and you miss out on properly introducing yourself to a couple of people.
9. Keep traffic into account.
For most people the NLP training location is not a place they frequently go (by car!) We train at beach destinations mostly, for instance, and in the center of Amsterdam (where few people would choose to bring a car.) I would recommend leaving early for the first day of class, and have breakfast in the location of the training if need be. Keep in mind that the traffic on weekends and weekdays may differ.
10. Bring an umbrella!
I can’t tell you how many times we have had a tropical downpour in Miami, a never ending cold drizzle in Amsterdam, and an unexpected shift of rain in Los Angeles or San Diego.
11. Bring snacks!
You don’t want to go hungry.
12. Relax
Make sure you show up cool, calm and relaxed. It helps to show up in a calm state during your NLP Training, instead of your head running a mile a minute.
13. Bring a yoga mat or pillow.
In my training I want people to be as comfortable as possible, barring if this interrupts others. We have had people bring their own chairs, yoga mats, pillows, fitness balls to sit on, etc.
14. If you are coming with another person, set some rules!
Openly talk with each other as to what the ground rules are. You cannot only drive each other nuts, but you are going to have a hard time experiencing NLP if you spend the entire class with only person! This doesn’t allow for good practice either. I think it is wise to agree to not work together during practice in bigger patterns or ones that may end up becoming personal. I also recommend against sitting next to each other every single day. This will allow you to properly mingle and experience others! For a person taking the training alone, they are less likely to approach you if you are always hanging around the same person.
15. Boost your confidence (we will love you!)
Some students are near having a panic attack before going to class and meeting new people. Some experience a level of anxiety about what everyone will think about them, or if they will make new friends. I can tell you from many years of experience, you can easily let that go. Most students come to a training alone; people come in from all walks of life. And the NLP training environment will be one of the most accepting places you have ever been!
Ask your NLP trainer if you have more questions to prepare for an NLP training.
