The PPD Learning NLP Practice Group Book: The Special Guest Sessions

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Here is a year’s worth of ready-made NLP practice group sessions – in a book!

It’s for the millions of people all over the world who love NLP and who want to deepen their skills and have fun together practising and experimenting with the core practitioner curriculum.

The book also offers a stimulating and rewarding introduction to the contemporary field of NLP and shows you how to apply NLP tools and skills effectively to both your personal and professional issues.

Compiled and introduced by Judith Lowe, with forewords by NLP co-developers Robert Dilts and Judith DeLozier, each chapter offers practical knowledge and step-by-step instructions to make the topics easy to follow and rewarding to understand. All the contributors are experts in their own application areas and experienced in advanced NLP. They share their stories, their models and some of their tips for success, making each chapter a uniquely fascinating exploration of a particular topic.

You can learn how to be more resilient, negotiate well, coach in a limited time frame, enhance your leadership skills, study effectively, network, communicate expertly, nurture your intimate relationships, enrich your creativity... and much, much more.

All of this is supported by an introductory NLP manual and a checklist for running a successful practice group.

The PPD Learning NLP Practice Group Book is packed with ideas and practical suggestions for NLP enthusiasts – there’s something for everyone in these pages!

REVIEWS

"Well, done, Judith - What a fantastic collaborative book, gathering ideas and exercises for Practice Group facilitators to delve into and enjoy…there must be at least a year’s worth of material for Practice Group meetings contained in this gem of a book.

We are great advocates of Practice Groups…after all, becoming an NLP Practitioner is a little like passing one’s driving test – the real practice starts once the test has been passed! So we are delighted to support any venture which provides additional resources for Practice Groups around the UK…and beyond."

Karen Moxom

Managing Director ANLP

The NLP Practice Group Book is for organisers of NLP Practice Groups as well as coaches/therapists, managers, educators and individuals who benefit from self-directed learning. There is wealth of knowledge to be had from each chapter written by a specialist in the field. These demonstrate the diverse richness of NLP applied to topics that affect us all. And the numerous activities provided will support you to go beyond understanding to embodying the experience. Having run NLP Practice groups for many years, we know the difference this book can make to those who seek a path to mastery. It is a genuine contribution to an important area of NLP that is seldom put in the spotlight.

Penny Tompkins and James Lawley

Authors, Metaphors in Mind: Transformation Through Symbolic Modeling

This book is such a brilliant idea. It introduces, highlights and captures the ethos, essence and contribution of a successful NLP Practice Group to participants. It is an inspirational, practical and rich resource of ‘How to run a session in a nutshell’ with subjects, learning objectives and exercise guidance clearly laid out and explained. Guest speakers generously share their personal expertise, around a breadth of subjects and contexts, that can be introduced and immediately utilised to enhance the learning and application of NLP in different contexts.

Henrietta Laitt

Richmond NLP Group

The NLP Practice Group Book from Judith Lowe and PPD Learning is a wonderful and inspirational contribution to all the big and small practice groups out there helping to keep the spirit of curiosity and learning alive. All of the articles are beautifully framed and explained, the exercises produce measurable and meaningful outputs, and work with all levels of skills and experience. In short they fit perfectly into the typical practice group structure of a few hours dedicated to NLP every so many weeks, come one come all. Viewed as a whole they demonstrate the depth and breadth we can reach with simple NLP ideas and tools and will motivate and inspire groups everywhere to create, to model, to share - to practise.

Sean Owen-Moylan

Co-creator Cardiff NLP Practice Group

I really enjoyed reading this book of authentic richness. It is engaging, easy to read and unpretentious. None of these writers pretend to be gurus, they are just ordinary people dedicated to applying NLP to cope with the complexities of living in the 21 st Century. They have shared their own learnings and experiences with other practitioners and doubtless have already added value to the lives of many. Now they are taking the opportunity to share further, through a different medium, whilst adding value to, and expanding the field of NLP.

They gently take on a challenge, which anyone involved in facilitating NLP faces whether they realise it or not, and that is how to develop the field. The originators are a small and ageing group; new and creative work generated collaboratively, by modelling those early methods and sharing applications is urgently required and here we have a sound contribution from motivated and genuine people, who have honed their craft as a team whilst keeping their individuality through diverse offerings.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in ‘being’ human – whether from business, health, education or sport we can all learn from these reflections.

Dr Sally Vanson

Executive Coach and Director of NLP based post graduate programmes

I am enjoying savouring the chapters. I really relish this display of ‘feminine’ NLP at work and it is a pleasure to immerse myself with people who share my values of relationship. A lovely collection and it does speak so well of your work and efforts of the last mumble mumble number of years. You should feel well proud.

Fran Burgess

Author of The Bumper Bundle Book of Modelling and The NLP Cookbook

What I love about this book is the way that Judith and the contributors are able to be both transformational and highly rigorous at the same time. To become an NLP Maestro, just like becoming a concert pianist, requires a dedicated approach - I am sure you’ll find the way within these pages!

Robbie Steinhouse

The NLP School and Author of How to Coach with NLP

This book contains a small number of select and well described examples of excellence in human attributes. All of these examples are the result of rigorous modelling, followed by a commitment to making them accessible to others.

I am privileged to have seen Judith Lowe exquisitely support other people’s development of many such skills.

No doubt there are many other good books out there. This is amongst the best of them.

Neil Harris

NLP Trainer and Coach

This book contains real life ways to approach solving a variety of common ‘problems’ we see in our day to day lives. It has been written by an outstanding collection of practitioners from business and coaching backgrounds. Forget the jargon this is a great guide for anyone interested in new perspectives and methods of change. Buy it and try them out for yourself !

Sean Finnan

Non-executive and MD SF&A Coaching, MSc in NLP

THE PPD LEARNING

NLP PRACTICE GROUP BOOK

The special guest sessions

Judith Lowe

Forewords by Robert Dilts & Judith DeLozier

Published by Maxfield Press

© Judith Lowe October 2015

The right of Judith Lowe to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First printed 2015.

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under current legislation, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a data base or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 9780993452215 (e-book)

Foreword by Robert Dilts

I have long maintained that one of the distinguishing features of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), and one of the reasons that its use has spread throughout the world, is that it has developed and evolved less through theories and laboratory research than it has through the heuristic approach of applied practice. The PPD Learning NLP Practice Group Book is an excellent demonstration of that assertion.

As modern dance pioneer Martha Graham pointed out, We learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practising dancing or to learn to live by practising living, the principles are the same . . . Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired. Since its founding more than 40 years ago, NLP has emphasized the importance of interactive practice as the foundation for personal growth and development.

As a member of the early META groups run by Richard Bandler and John Grinder in the 1970s, I witnessed and experienced the profound and generative impact of practice as a way to both embody and creatively explore the transformational principles and skills that were to become NLP. In fact, one of my favourite sayings is the New Guinea proverb which states, Knowledge is only a rumour until it is in the muscle. Knowledge gets into the muscle through practice.

The PPD Learning NLP Practice Group Book is a collection of diverse exercises illustrating the impressive and ever expanding range of applications of NLP. These exercises explore how NLP can be pragmatically applied to such varied areas as coaching, creativity, leadership, resilience, negotiation, study skills, strengthening relationships, communication and even horse training. An exceptional collaborative effort, the book is also an example of how collective intelligence is the key to the future of NLP. As we share ideas and applications with one another, we stimulate new ideas and applications in other areas. As early NLP influence Gregory Bateson pointed out, Everything is a metaphor for everything else.

Both the book and the practice groups from which it emerged are the fruits of the sustained vision, sponsorship and efforts of Judith Lowe of PPD Learning. I have known Judith for several decades now and have always been impressed by her level of energy, commitment to excellence and creativity she brings to everything she does. A superb trainer, coach and leader, Judith also inspires others to be proactive and pursue their passion with confidence and creativity. May this book and its authors inspire you to do the same!

Robert Dilts

NLP University

Santa Cruz, California

Foreword by Judith DeLozier

It is a pleasure to write a foreword for this generous contribution to the field of NLP. It rings some echoes of the past. In the eighties John Grinder and I edited a book called Leaves Before the Wind. It was a gathering of articles by people in the field of NLP who were making contributions or breaking new ground. The spirit of the book was to honour the work and commitment of these people to making new applications and for pushing into new territory for the time. It was, at least, my hope that somehow it would set a precedent that would continue. I saw in my dream many volumes of new contributions and new applications that would benefit the whole field of NLP. I wanted the book to honour those contributors who might be missed in the bright light of the gods and goddesses. It is wonderful to see this delightful, rich and diverse offering.

I was moved by the commitment of these individuals who showed up to practise the practice of NLP and through this practice as you will see there emerges both mastery and artistry. I remember the early days of NLP and the amazing energy, curiosity and learning that were sparking to bring some ideas into the world. It was then a generative effort and I can see the beauty of generative effort and individual contribution in this beautiful book. I see these authors as models of inspiration and commitment for us all in the field. They are models of possibility for us all.

I love the diversity of articles and strategies, from leadership to cross species communication, from creativity to negotiations and beyond. There is truly something for all of us to learn regardless of our context of application. The processes offered are thoughtful, full, practical and transformational. They are also evidence based which is key for us NLP folks. Through their work the authors are validating other peoples intuitive processes. I thought that the processes were elegant and they work. I had a friend read over the manuscript and thanked her for making the effort. Her response was, I am not helping you, and I am being helped. This says a lot. These lovely people are colleagues yes, and many friends as well. They are unique and extremely kind people who I feel that I have walked the walk with for these ten years and more. I feel so honoured to be with them all on the journey. I see each person’s passion reflected in their words of wisdom.

Now I feel it is also important to honour PPD Learning and Judith Lowe for creating the space and the focus for this ongoing opportunity to explore deeper and wider into the models, skills and techniques of NLP. Judith Lowe has consistently sought out the edge, she consistently asked us who come to train at PPD Learning to push the edge and develop new ground. She is a creative force for me and a kindred spirit. She is committed to making a difference through PPD Learning and makes a point of sustaining a social contribution through her organization. Again, both Judith Lowe and PPD Learning are great models and serve as inspiration for us all. Judith the catalyst, Judith who takes us to eco-learning.

It is my hope that this book becomes a tradition, a breath of fresh air that comes to us periodically to enliven us all and honour the amazing contributors and contributions.

Thank you all for shining the light and bringing awareness.

Judith Delozier

Contents

Foreword by Robert Dilts

Foreword by Judith DeLozier

Introduction by