When I was asked to review Sue Knight’s updated book, the first thing I did was ask: what is NLP? I discovered that neuro linguistic programming is the study of what works in terms of thinking, language and behaviour, and how these things can be coded, modelled and replicated to achieve consistent excellence in all areas of work and personal life.
The second thing I did was to mention the book to five colleagues. To my surprise I received five strong reactions: some positive, some negative. NLP is clearly an area that sparks discussion, controversy or debate, even with people such as myself, who, prior to reading this book, had heard of NLP but knew little about it.
When NLP at Work was first published in 1995, it was heralded as the definitive volume on the topic. This updated edition is an excellent introduction to the subject.
A clear, thoughtful structure, divided into What is NLP? The Elements of NLP, Self Modelling and Leading with NLP, take both novices and experienced practitioners through the subject in a logical, coherent, and easy to understand and enjoyable way. I particularly enjoyed reading some of the new content, such as the sections on body language and conflict resolution.
The style of writing is realistic and practical and it is easy to become immersed in the book. It offers a range of easy to apply tools, techniques and theories that can be used to support and endorse the theory offered.
The author declares she intends the book to be a “total source of learning for NLP” which can either be read from cover to cover, or dipped in to. I have certainly learned from this excellent book and will try and change and improve because of it. I will certainly keep it close to hand.
NLP at Work |
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Alan Rankin is senior employee relations adviser at British Nuclear Fuels, Sellafield. He is currently reading Leadership Skills for Boosting Performance by Terry Gillen, The Manager as Coach and Mentor by Eric Parsloe and Good to Great by Jim Collins.
