Copywriting and practice

Its Sunday morning and so far I have written an additional 9 pages of content for http://www.nickkemp.com/. I remind myself that the internet is a medium where people seek out information, so this process of updating and adding information is a never ending process! As a writer its also interesting to notice that over the years as a practitioner I have significantly improved and diversified how I work with clients. There really is no substitute for practice, practice and yes more practice when working in this field.

Learning from the best

I always have a policy of learning from the very best teachers and trainers. This not only applies in NLP, Hypnotherapy and Provocative Therapy, but also in studio production and in learning the guitar. Every month I train with one of the world's best musicians and this input is invaluable. There truly is no substitute for experience when it comes for new learning

NLP, Hypnotherapy and Provocative Therapy in Leeds

When I first trained in NLP in the 1990s, I chose to train in London as that seemed to be the best option in terms of attending quality NLP trainings. At that time Michael Breen, Paul McKenna and Richard Bandler ran the NLP Practitioner and Master Practitioner events. In 2004 I set up Tranceforming NLP with Tina Taylor to run NLP events in Leeds. All the trainings are confined to smaller groups than the original London groups which often had hundreds of delegates!

I was also keen for Tranceforming NLP to host the very best in specialist trainers and to date we have hosted Doug O Brien, John LaValle and of course my good friend Frank Farrelly. We use a 4 star hotel for all courses and pride ourselves on a very high standard of training, where attendees learn genuine skills in a relaxed, but fast paced learning environment

Have VAIO will travel, god bless the Japanese!

One of my essential purchases for travelling and working is my tiny Sony Vaio. A few years ago I looked for a really small laptop and at that time Sony made the perfect item, BUT it was only a single core machine which I couldn't bring myself to buy at a whopping cost! Then in 2007 I discovered that they had created a duel core machine which was exactly what I wanted. Even better, this machine is very light and with an extended battery can power for 7+ hours! Both this and my PCM D50 have become essential tools in my work and travel with me at all times!

Private Practice

I have been seeing clients privately for a number of years and this has been a real education on the difference between the theory of change work and the reality of "working in the trenches" Most clients don't care about whether the practitioner "does NLP" or any other approach, they just want results! Being part of the JBW network and having featured extensively on BBC Radio ensures that I have an ongoing stream of clients and this is absolutely the best way to develop skills. I have learned far more in private practice than I ever could from attending trainings and reading books and I have discovered lots of new approaches that don't fit into standard NLP and Hypnosis. Some of these have been outlined on the http://www.provocativechangeworks.com/ site.

Speaking out

Over the years I have on many ocassions spoken out against what I regard as stupidity and carelessness in the world of change work. This has led to all manner of bizzare results. I got banned from a newsgroup when I began to question why the owner was engaging in "very strange" behaviour and have been accused of all manner of activities which I would love to be true! Generally when asked about many of these scenarios I reply "Yes its all true!" as in my experience people believe what they want to believe. This year I joined the advisory board of ANLP to assist in promoting standards in NLP, as these guys have IMO a good code of ethics. I interviewed Karen Moxon for http://www.nlpmp3.com/ for those interested.

More Internut madness and bizarre e-mails

Most weeks I receive a number of bizarre e-mails which are so badly constructed that in many instances I just stare at the laptop trying to figure out just what is being asked! E-mails relating to trainings are often very confused and even though I put lots of info and full training schedule details online at http://www.nickkemptraining.com/ and http://www.tranceformingnlp.com/ people still manage NOT to see it!

In past times I used to respond to questions on newsgroups, but since 2005 the standard of questions and responses has IMO descended to an all time low and interactions are on a par with Facebook, nice social chit chat for those with way too much disposable time...

Peep Show, a wonderful example of internal dialogue

Peep Show is a comedy show on C4 in the UK and is a wonderful example of how people talk to themselves. In "NLP speak" we would call this internal dialogue. Almost half of the dialogue in the show is of people talking to themselves, ie what they are thinking before they respond to others and of course the comedy is in the fact that we can and do relate so well to many of these thoughts!
The 5th series has just been released on DVD and its well worth checking out!

The reality of promoting trainings

Sometimes when people attend an NLP, Hypnosis or Provocative Therapy training, they have no idea of just how much work goes on behind the scenes! I described running trainings as being like running a military campaign. Each year I run NLP trainings, Provocative Therapy and Provocative Changeworks Trainings as well as The Art of Good Fortune events

(see http://www.theartofgoodfortune.com/)

Most people book online, so each day there is a flurry of e-mails and questions about events. I have learned to take breaks in between ruuning workshops to recover! Another annual activity is to host some of the great trainers from around the globe with te added advantage of being able to hang out with them outside the formal training!

Frank conversations

Since first meeting Frank Farrelly in 2004, we have become good friends and speak most weeks on the phone. Some conversations are specifically about Provocative Therapy and some are just social chat where we talk about life and the universe. Many of the PT discussions have been recorded and some will be transcribed for future release. Even at the age of 76, Frank is still razor sharp and does not suffer fools gladly! He is IMO one of the great communicators and will be hosted by Tranceforming NLP in Nov 2008

See http://www.tranceformingnlp.com/provocative_therapy_frank_farrelly_workshop_leeds_uk.php

The Association of Provocative Therapy

After an intensive 4 years of training with Frank Farrelly this month I set up "The Association for Provocative Therapy" or AFPT to promote Provocative Therapy as created by Frank Farrelly.




All AFPT Members agree to adhere to the code of ethics:

Respect each person's right to self-determination in deciding upon therapeutic treatments



Act at all times with integrity, professionalism and impartiality



Represent themselves, their qualifications, experience and membership of professional bodies honestly, and also (to the best of their knowledge) the skills, qualifications and experience of any third party to whom they refer any of their clients.



Only practise Provocative Therapy within the limits of their competency and to update skills and knowledge on an ongoing basis.



Present PT as a professional and effective approach



Respect legitimate needs and requirements for confidentiality at all times
Ensure that clients' expectations, and the basis on which they will be met, are understood by both parties



Act within the law and not encourage, assist, or collude with others engaged in unlawful conduct.



Represent PT as an option rather than 'a certain solution' for any given problem.





Further information can be found at





http://www.associationforprovocativetherapy.com/





Also check http://www.provocativetherapy.info/ for PT articles and downloads

Great graphics and use of professional photos

I continue to be amazed by the number of websites where the owners have not taken the time to take quality photos and to use good graphics. The NLPers especially seem to all to often miss the point that the internet is primarily a visual medium! I have a team of great specialists including an excellent photographer to ensure that everything looks as good as it can be.

Many of the logos for projects can be found on the home page of www.nickkemp.com

Busy times...

This has been a very busy month with setting up The Association for Provocative Therapy (http://www.associationforprovocativetherapy.com/) as well as running a very busy private practice, seeing a number of corporate clients and preparing to the 3 day seminar this weekend on Persuasion and Influence. Increasingly time is spent on building onine resources and running nine active sites, I employ a host of different tech guys!

Later this year I will be presenting at the IASH conference (see

http://www.associationforprovocativetherapy.com/IASH_conference_2008.php )

on my Provocative Change Works (http://www.provocativechangeworks.com/) approach as well as talking about NLP & Provocative Therapy.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog for random thoughts, insights and observations. I make no apologies in advance for occasional rants and promotions of my own ideas!

Take a look at

http://www.nickkemp.com/

to see my articles, free mp3s and current training schedules. This is "the hub site" for a range of different projects and interests