The enormous value of IMPROV... to NLP'ers.
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I've been thinking quite a bit lately about the value NLP'ers can gain from doing a bit of study of Improvisation (Improv / Comedy).
Whether it be in social settings (flirting, out with students at night), or in coaching, or during a training, a lot of my repeat students have commented that one of the things they keep coming back to model on an ongoing basis is a combination of my banter skills and also my ability to jump rapidly to widely variant perspectives that still have usefulness or relevance to the current situation -- sometimes therapeutic value, sometimes social value.
I've made an informal study of Improv for years, and one of the core tenets of Improv is to "accept fully the truth of what's presented to you, no matter how bizarre." And yet I find so many NLP'ers, while pacing someone else, often fall shy of this depth of pacing required either for rapport or for Improv purposes.
I'll often hear some NLPers respond to others opinions with comments like "I can understand that perspective, and I'm wondering if you've considered this other perspective?"
Now oddly, that's also similar to another good technique arising from NLP which my good friend Doug O'Brien calls the "Agreement frame," where people learn behaviorally to replace "but" with "and." I.e. "I agree with you that X, AND have you considered Y?" *But*.... the "Agreement frame" is an influence process, not a total agreement process.
For the purposes of banter, flirting, or of stepping inside someone else's reality and making it more desireable (or even undesireable, as in some therapeutic scenarios) from the inside out... you really have to step inside it, and speak & act as if you truly are inside it.
Improv... is just that -- it's the art of total acceptance (and rapid use) of every new piece of information emerging. But then to really excel at what we're doing, to take the lead, we then also have to blow our next contribution out of proportion, too... and add something else newer back into the mix that uses the previously emerging new piece of information.
I've even gone to the point of modifying & customizing some traditional Improv exercises for NLP purposes in a couple of courses I run; I think it's that valuable a skillset to include in our study.
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- Kevin HillNorwich, UKBought Audio : Metaphor Machine CDs
The material is presented clearly and cleanly, the technique is deceptively simple. It seems easy to start using the technique to create useful metaphors immediately, with the exciting prospect that with practice and imagination the same technique is capable of delivering really masterful results. It is completely focused on this one technique, there is no waffle and no distraction from the desired outcome. Jonathan gives the unconscious mind a clear step by step process to understand and then works at embedding the learning unconsciously, and for me this seems to work brilliantly. It seems that when I use the step by step process (the conscious bit) the results at each step "just come to me" (the unconscious bit) and the end result just seems to work. ... Overall, I'm delighted with "The Metaphor Machine". I've got plenty of NLP stuff on my MP3 player that helps me access positive states but this material is sharply focused on one sophisticated and powerful techique and it delivers practical results immediately. By far the best example of NLP training on disc that I've come across so far.
2008 - Richard CampoProject Manager, London, UKAttended Course : Belief Craft MP3 Set
"KE is pure Dynamite and when used with [SoM], the combination is explosive! The tools compliment each other so well, you'll find you can not only smash a nut with a hammer but also finely craft and cut and piece back together an issue or problem with the finesse of a skilled craftsman."
2005 - Michael DeBuskNLP Master Practitioner, MarylandAttended Course : NLP Skills-Builders (course)
Jonathan, I absolutely loved spending the weekend training with you in DC. As a Licensed Master Practitioner, I was delighted to find myself learning new ways to further refine my skills and discovering new parts of my brain. That fingertip exercise you demonstrated--the one that increases interhemispherical communication in the brain--I use it daily and am impressed with the results. And I'm noticing that I have an even greater ability with language patterns. My favorite part of the weekend, though, was watching the personal transformations made by other members of the class, specifically the skeptics. These folks went from "show me" to "show me more!" in an incredibly short period of time. You've helped them begin the process of dramatically improving their lives, and it was an honor to observe and take part in it. Thanks, too, for spending extra time with the class... running longer than scheduled so you could share "just one more cool thing" with us, even having meals with us "out in the real world." We all got much more than we paid for. I'm very glad I trained with you and Mastery InSight, and I'll very likely do so again in the future. Thanks again.
http://nlphilia.net/1998 - Oscar RodriguezHypnotherapist, Real Estate Agent, Hypnosis Washington DC,Attended Course : NLP Sales Wizardry
Hey, my name is Oscar Rodriguez, I am sitting here at the end of an amazing class by Jonathan Altfeld. There's a couple of things about Jonathan that I've liked. He's kind of a person who (Oscar meant to say DOESN'T!) makes promises that he doesn't intend to keep. And it's really cool because, the promises that he makes, are always exceeded at every event that I have been with. So he taught us the 5 step process in Sales. Not only did he go meticulously through that step, but he helped us to break it down and to focus on the areas of weaknesses we had, or how to empower or become even stronger in places that we already knew we were doing, He told us very specific events, steps, and processes that we need to do to take to go to the next level. So were my expectations met, well, of course, I already expected great things and I got blown away once again. If you're a sales person, if you're any type of hypnotherapist, any type of a process-oriented person or any type of an individual who really needs to connect with others, persuade others to really get your message across. If you're a teacher, if you're the President of the United States, and want to get re-elected, Come. Listen, get action, and you'll be able to get not only the stuff that you need, but you'll be blown away by being able to get the results. if you're in the Washington DC area, if you take this class, come and join me for a refresher of this so that you can get what you really need. Thanks Jonathan!
http://hypnosiswashintongdc.com/2011 - Nick FortuneIT Consultant, London, UKAttended Course : Knowledge Engineering
"In three days time", he said, "you are all going to be better knowledge engineers than most of the people I've worked with." I blinked. That sounded like quite a claim! Of course, we needn't have worried. Mr. Altfeld conducts his seminars like a Grandmaster laying a trap for a particularly wiley opponent. The opening moves seem so innocuous & then, it all comes together, & by the time you realise you've learned something, it's too late...to do anything except have fun using your new understanding, that is! The real topic of the seminar is modeling. Modeling is arguably the heart of NLP &, until now, a subject that has been pretty much opaque to me. No longer. Jonathan melds techniques from the world of computing with meta-modeling to produce a solid methodical approach to the subject, which is uniquely his own. What can I say? We had a lot of fun, we learned a lot, & most important, what we learned was useful & obvious in its application. If you get a chance to attend one of these events, do it!
1998 - Cesar GutierrezNew York, NYBought Audio : Finding Your Irresistible Voice
Hope you and yours are doing well. I just wanted to share this recent compliment I received about my voice from a young lady I just met. "I also think you have a very nice voice. I would like to hear it some more." This of course led to us exchanging numbers and a potential relationship. So, with that said, when is "Irresistible Voice 2" coming out!? Thanks again for making a product that exceeds expectations.
2006 - Silke ScheidereiterGermanyAttended Course : Knowledge Engineering
Thanks again for a wonderful & mind altering weekend; it was worth every single penny! I'm just after getting back to Germany & my brain just can't stop generating new ideas & solutions, identifying patterns, going through the huge pile of new information! I think the drive from the UK to Germany never seemed that short & productive before. I still don't have a clue as to how you managed to get that much data into these few inches of my brain in such a short time! NLP seems to be much more effective & powerful than I ever dared to dream of. You're a brilliant trainer & I'm glad to have had you as my "personal introduction" to NLP & Knowledge Engineering. Thinking back I can still feel the excitement of learning (& I still DO...) & the warm welcome I got from you & the group. Being relatively new to the whole field of NLP that means a LOT...at least to me! Thanks a million & I hope to see you again in the future. Maybe for another training!
1998 - Michael LovasConsultant, Author, Speaker, About People, Spokane, WAAttended Course : Speaking Ingeniously
"With considerable experience giving keynotes, I thought I was very good on stage. The new skills & confidence that Jonathan has guided into my mind make my previous level of professionalism pale and insignificant by comparison. This class is the best preparation for public speaking that I have ever seen, heard of, or experienced."
http://www.aboutpeople.com/2002 - John SchertzerVice President, Securities, & NLP Master Practitioner, New York, NYAttended Course : Linguistic Wizardry
"Right after coming back from his training in Boston, I was cooking! A few weeks after the training I did what many people said was my best poetry performance ever -- actually had people calling be up, asking me to email poems to them, and to put them on my mailing list (but I don't have a mailing list) -- and since then I've been a very useful to my friends, family and clients, helping them deal with emotional and mental obstacles, and make creative breakthroughs and achieve their goals. Jonathan sets a great example, and blasts through beliefs that are holding you back from being your best. But I'll let YOU find out how."
2005 - Aaron SpurlingNLP Master Practitioner, Indianapolis, INAttended Course : NLP Master Practitioner
One of the things people interested in NLP often wonder about is where they can get high quality training. I did my Master Practitioner training with Jonathan Altfeld and Doug O'Brien, and in my opinion they are two of the very best trainers out there today. Both Jonathan and Doug have vast knowledge and experience in NLP, and they are both gifted teachers. Furthermore, Jonathan's unique Knowledge Engineering" approach to modeling, together with Doug's mastery of "Sleight of Mouth" and Ericksonian hypnosis, make for an incredibly powerful combination that is not being taught literally anywhere else. I recommend that anyone who wants to take their NLP skills to truly world class levels should sign up for Jonathan and Doug's training immediately!
2008