A comprehensive study written in an easy style., 29 Oct 2001

I found it easy to read and it did not confuse with unnecessary technical details. The three-minute seminar sums up the whole approach:
1.Know what you want,
2.Be alert so you know what you are getting
3.Be flexible to keep changing what you do until you get what you want.

Practical advice and strategies are offered to guide you towards what you want - your 'Desired State' - and to raise your awareness of what you are getting - your 'Present State'. This awareness is achieved by drawing on the power of the imagination through all the senses, although sight, sound and feelings are the strongest influences. Anyone with a little effort can apply this approach to almost any area of his or her life. Techniques describe ways to build rapport with others and recognise the way their thinking is dominated by the senses. Those with predominant visual awareness 'see what you mean' whilst those where feelings dominate can 'grasp the meaning'.

I found the chapters on the way language is used particularly useful. Valuable lessons are given so that you can get the whole story through the type and quality of questions you ask, yourself and others. The reader is also warned that used inappropriately or insensitively the approach can end in mayhem and disaster. It made me realise just how much of an art it is to ask the right questions in the right way.

It is this sort of practical activity that I shall find most useful in my work as Project Manager, where I need to find out exactly what my customers really want, when I often feel they do not really know themselves.

The material covered is neatly brought together in the closing chapters. It is then that you start to realise just how much has been covered. Before selecting this book I had a vague notion NLP might be useful to me in my work. It is now clear to me that the skills described can be learned and applied in a wide variety of work and personal situations and is not restricted to counselling or therapists skills.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in practical self-development.

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Very good book for an introduction and overview of NLP, 23 Jan 2000

This book provides a good overview about NLP and offers also different exercises (which are not recommended to do without supervision since they are very powerful and effective and could do harm if not used properly!) in terms of developing different belief systems and changing representational systems. Very imporant as well at the end of the book the different links, addresses, etc. regarding NLP trainings.

I am convinced that NLP will become a major branch in modern psychology. Good book to start with!

Christian Hohenstein, M.D., PhD

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Well set out introduction, 9 Nov 2002

If you want a more in depth understanding, books by Michael Hall or Robert Dilts offer a more up to date look at what is happening in this field.