Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is an applied psychology of performance excellence and is used by many major organisations to enable sustained business and individual success. It has become an accepted model of excellence that can be applied in many different contexts from private and public companies, manufacturing, retail and service sectors and from individuals through teams and departments to whole organisations.

NLP had its beginnings in the 1970's when Richard Bandler, a student, and John Grinder, a Professor of Linguistics, studied the methods and particularly the language patterns and belief structures of three therapists, all of whom had success in bringing about behavioural change. Virginia Satir, a family therapist, achieved her results by getting more and more specific; Milton Erickson was a legendary Psychiatrist and Hypnotherapist who achieved his results using ambiguous language; and Fritz Perls is the Psychotherapist who founded Gestalt therapy and was the first therapist to utilise the senses in therapy. Grinder's understanding of language and Bandler's background in coding and structure combined to enable them to notice the patterns, structure and processes that the people they were studying used and were not consciously aware of.

Although NLP was first used in the world of therapy, it soon expanded to be used in many other fields. The outstanding results that NLP can enable an individual to achieve have led to NLP being incorporated into areas such as Leadership, Team Working, Selling, Training and Development, Sports Coaching, Customer Service and Health work.

NLP is defined as an attitude, and methodology that leaves behind a trail of techniques. It encourages an attitude of curiosity and experimentation, through a methodology of behavioural modelling that is encapsulated with the trail of techniques that are taught as NLP.

NLP can be read about, and there are many books on the subject. However, because NLP is about the 'How' people do what they do, it can only really be understood by working with people and finding out what makes them tick. If you do decide to pursue study in this area, some books that we would recommend are listed below.

NLP Workbook, by Joseph O'Connor (a practical book with applications and exercises)

Ahead of The Game by Jeremy Lazarus (The use of NLP in sports coaching)

NeuroLinguistic Programming, Volume 1, The study of the structure of experience, by Robert Dilts

Many people decide to find out more about NLP and it is possible to undertake courses of study that lead to certification at a number of levels.

Introduction to NLP -  these are usually a one-day programmes, run during the year or as Communication Skills programmes for businesses, that gives students a flavour of some of the NLP concepts and skills.

Diploma in NLP - these 4-day programmes, run each spring & autumn, are designed for managers and coaches who want to grasp some of the tools of NLP without studying the personal development techniques.

NLP Practitioner Certification - these programmes, run each spring & autumn, provide students with additional personal development skills over and above that at Diploma level. Our open programmes are run over 16 days (4 modules each of 4 days), layering in the techniques module by module so delegates have both a conscious awareness of their knowledge and unconscious competence in the skills. There is no requirement for previous training to attend a Practitioner programme.

In-House Business Practitioner Certification - we also regularly work with organisations to provide accelerated (CD assisted) programmes for groups of their staff. Run over 8 days (usually 4 blocks each of 2 days), programmes can be designed to the specific needs of your business, at a time to suit your training cycle.

In addition, by completing Awaken Consulting's certified NLP Practitioner programme, successful students can be awarded 30 credits towards a MA in NLP & Coaching run by The Performance Solution through Kingston University.   

Master Practitioner Certification -  these courses, run each spring & autumn, teach students mastery of the advanced NLP techniques over and above that at Practitioner level. Taught over 18 days (3 modules each of 6 days), Master Practitioner training builds on your Practitioner knowledge giving students advanced personal development skills in both business and coaching. There is a requirement to have successfully completed a certified Practitioner programme before attending a Master Practitioner programme.

In addition, by completing Awaken Consulting's certified NLP Master Practitioner programme, successful students can be awarded another 30 credits towards a MA in NLP & Coaching run by The Performance Solution through Kingston University.

Certified Trainer of NLP - this course, run each summer, is designed to allow successful students to be able to teach their own NLP Introductory, Diploma, Practitioner & Master Practitioner Certified programmes. Run over 19 days (13 days training, 4 days evaluation and 2 days off), this course teaches students advanced presentation skills, how to structure information, group dynamics within a training environment, assessment methods and criteria and how to structure programmes. There is a requirement to have successfully completed a Master Practitioner programme before attending a Trainer's training.

In addition, by completing Awaken Consulting's Certified Trainer of NLP programme, successful students can be awarded 30 credits (90 credits if they have attended Practitioner & Master Practitioner programmes with other training schools) towards a MA in NLP & Coaching run by The Performance Solution through Kingston University. 

Successful students will also be able to award their students 30 credits towards a MA in NLP & Coaching run by The Performance Solution through Kingston University if their programmes use a similar structure to that of Awaken.

Further details of our courses can be found on this website and if you wish to discuss your particular requirements, please feel free to contact us at the offices

Tel:  0845 873 2036 or 07802 985282

Email: info@awakenconsulting.co.uk