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These are some thoughts I have been having on NLP Practice Groups. I start off with an overview, and finish looking at our own situation. I would be delighted if this sparked off some debate and conversation, since I do believe that Practice Groups are a vital component to NLP development.

BIG PICTURE

NLP Practice Groups are almost a mythical being. Anyone wanting to track down a local practice group near to them could be met with widely different results.

There are a variety of types of Practice Groups.

Defunct: The address has somehow stayed on the files, possibly in the hope that the idea will have a renewed lease of life. The named contact may well sigh at the evidence of non-fulfilment.

Showcase: This is a group which meets, usually in a central location, possibly independent of a provider, and has evolved into a surrogate training event. Guest trainers or interested practitioners present a topic, and the audience listens and participates in set exercises as directed. It is a means of marketing forthcoming commercial events or raising the profile of the provider. It can serve to introduce newcomers to NLP, it provides low cost learning, it supports diversity of description and actively breeds learning dependency.

This type of group thrives as long as the coordinator(s) maintains focus and motivation. They can so often run out of steam. It is unlikely to be a big money earner, even though the trainers give their services for free. The most successful are those which are truly independent of any school, and suffer should one school take dominance over others. This is the format most commonly considered to be a "Practice" Group. Yet whilst there is plenty of opportunity to learn, there is limited occasion to practise and refine existing knowledge and skills.

Organised Learning: This type of group is much more rare, though in my opinion much more useful. This is a group established by an interested individual, who may be a trainer or representative of a School. It seeks to provide the opportunity and resources for participants to actually practise and explore new ideas, in the mould of the early pioneers.

Ideally people come knowing that there is no set agenda, and bring with them their skills, their development needs, and possibly their issues to be explored. If a trainer is present, then their role is to act as a facilitator to promote self determination, activate curiosity, debrief practice and to be on call to step in if required. Occasionally the trainer could provide demonstrations if that seems appropriate or stimulus materials.

However this is not the trainer's platform - this is not a formal training event. The aim is PRACTISE. This is an opportunity for participants to cover activities that they may have missed, didn't have time for or want to develop greater skill in. It is an opportunity to take one aspect and really work on it with others, to make distinctions and model the range of experience. It is a way to of offering changework amongst fellow NLPers.

This group, which is driven by the personality the instigator(s), relies on sufficient numbers being available to allow for a mix of regular and occasional attendees. It could call upon the school's marketing arm and database, and promote its presence to the new NLP practitioners in the pipeline.

Informal Gatherings: These are ad hoc groups instigated by an interested individual and attract fellow learners in a local area. These people may share the same training provider, or may come together through common interest. They are likely to be independent of a provider, although possibly sponsored by one.

These groups are by far the most successful, since they are the product of current interest, motivation and commitment. They are personality driven and offer the best chance of generating skill development and deepening knowledge and understanding. That is of course, provided that they don't mimic and fall into the trap of a presentation/exercise format.

These gatherings may be short lived, since they are often stimulated by a specific need like looming certification, or by the needs of the leading light.

These groups thrive if there are sufficient numbers in the catchment area that can sustain a weekly turnout. However their nature is such that numbers as little as three or four keep it being viable. Since they are informal, they can start up, disband and reform as needs and desires arise. A lot of learning can take place, promoting spontaneous growth and development, mirrored by our early developers in Santa Cruz.

OUR CURRENT SITUATION

Central Lancashire
The School itself hosts a Practice Group, on the second Wednesday of every month to check it out click here

As well as running our own group, our desire to support self determined learning is met by providing an Exercise of the Month, which has not been previously published. Should Practice Group members or individuals run out of things to explore, these exercises hopefully offer an experience to stimulate and widen practice and experience.

Fran Burgess
Director of Training
The Northern School of NLP
5 November 2004