Some people are so enthusiastic about NLP that they regard it as a panacea - a cure for all ills. NLP is simply a set of tools for being more personally effective. If you're an occasionally great salesman now, you could become a consistently great salesman. On the other hand, if you're occasionally great at totally annoying customers now, you'll get much better at it. NLP just amplifies your existing skills, so be careful what you wish for.

Be absolutely clear on what exactly you want people to do differently as a result of training. That's such an important point that we'll say it again. Be very clear on what you want people to DO differently. Don't worry about capabilities or values or beliefs. Concentrate on how their behaviour will change, as this is the evidence on which your customers will judge your company.

This advice is aimed at people considering NLP training as an alternative to traditional 'business skills' training. Clearly, our advice would be different if your business is therapy or coaching in which case NLP can be regarded as a core skillset.

Our advice on NLP trainers is to work with those that are sensitive to your business outcomes and are prepared to adapt their training accordingly - just as you would for any other kind of training!

Are you using NLP training as an individual development tool or as a 'basic skills' development tool for a number of people? As a basic toolkit, NLP is very useful. You should bear in mind that, in order for people to be an employee of your company, they must already have well developed communication and personal management skills. In fact, for them to still be alive, they have proven their ability to communicate, negotiate, achieve goals and influence others. Be sensitive to the different reactions that people have to highly introspective experiences such as NLP training. NLP Practitioner courses usually require people to work through personal problems as part of training exercises. Not everyone is comfortable about this and we would therefore advise against using NLP training as a blanket approach.

Our advice is to engage a trainer with NLP skills who can deliver the changes that you want in your people without the need to air their private problems. If you have a team of people who work together and who go on a Practitioner course together, they can learn things about each other that they may not want to learn. If you are using NLP Practitioner training as an individual development tool, you should not encounter this problem.

Remember too that NLP Practitioner training is not directly related to your business applications. People will learn how to set goals, manage their state and communicate effectively. They won't learn how to deliver first class presentations. You may need to help them make the leap from theory to application, although most of them will make the necessary connections themselves.

If you are very clear about what you want from NLP training, and with the great majority of people who attend, you will find that they have a renewed enthusiasm for their jobs and will delight in trying out their new skills at every opportunity. This can be very trying for their colleagues until the skills become fully integrated with the person's existing knowledge and style. Typically, you will end up with someone who is both more effective and more motivated as a result of that increase in effectiveness. Often, they will have acquired skills to solve problems in their personal lives too, which is a definite bonus.

With individual development, you should consider the risk that people will return from NLP Practitioner training with a new focus in life, and it may not be on your business needs. Some people, typically those who already yearn for a career change, will return with a greater desire to pursue their own dreams. Many people return from NLP training with a rekindled desired to work in a caring profession such as personal therapy. Amazed by changes they see taking place in people on the course, they realise that they can make a difference in the world. Of course, this is an admirable and commendable desire and they should be congratulated for being brave enough to make such a career change. It's up to you how that fits with the needs of your organisation.

Are you using NLP training to replace other business skills training, such as presentation skills, time management etc? NLP training contains skills and tools which are useful - even vital - to all business skills. On the other hand, how did anyone manage to run a successful business before NLP was "invented"?

The answer is that NLP is the study of excellence. Learning about NLP can make an average presenter awesome, an able negotiator formidable or a competent salesman unstoppable. However, NLP training does not teach the sales cycle, nor business ethics, nor how to use an overhead projector.

Here's the advice. If you have someone who has never formally presented before, send them on a presentation skills course. If you have someone who is already able to present but who is unhappy with their performance, send them on an advanced presentation skills course which uses NLP techniques. If you have someone who is competent across all areas of their job but has the potential to be outstanding, send them on a NLP course.

NLP is not a replacement for practical knowledge - it is a tool that enables people to apply that practical knowledge for maximum benefit.

NLP training is a very personal experience. On a NLP Practitioner course, you will learn many techniques which are used for personal change. In order to practice the use of these techniques, you spend a lot of time dredging up old problems, so it is vital that you are entirely comfortable with the trainer.

Possibly the most important factor in NLP training is the relationship between trainer and student. Therefore, you should make use of free taster sessions and public events to check out potential training suppliers. If the trainer that you're talking to doesn't run free tasters, ask to go along to one of their training courses and sit in for a while. If they refuse, make sure you're comfortable with the reason.

The Skills Network hosts regular workshops which are delivered by a wide range of NLP trainers and consultants. These workshops represent a great opportunity to see a variety of trainers and styles so that you can decide what is best for you.

What will you do after the training course is finished? NLP Practitioner training often asks more questions than it answers and opens more doors than it closes. You should consider what you will do to support the ongoing development needs of people as the NLP skills integrate into their personalities. You can encourage people to visit local practice groups, or you could provide people access to the application workshops organised by The Skills Network - these are designed to provide a bridge between 'pure' NLP skills and practical business applications.

Well, talk to people, visit The Skills Network and go to free taster sessions.

Use a search engine to find websites. There are so many trainers now that you shouldn't have to compromise on location, although it's worth balancing the cost of travel and accommodation against the cost of quality.

If you're planning to go beyond Practitioner, it's a good idea to try different trainers to get a balanced perspective. One NLP trainer does not know everything there is to know. A good NLP trainer is just there to open the door for you, you must take what you learn and make it your own. There's not much point in just becoming a clone of the trainer!

Whilst there are trainers who don't have web sites, it's worth considering that regardless of the topic, you should expect a trainer to be well established, stable, reliable and professional. These days, that usually goes hand in hand with having an easy to find and use website. Some people run NLP training courses out of their living rooms with cushions on the floor. Others hire professional training venues. Neither is right, just choose which suits you best.