A couple of years ago I went on a two day introductory diploma in NLP. Why? I'm not a trainer - but I am a communicator. NLP as a tool is highly useful in many walks of life, not just sales, therapy or training. I'll give you some personal examples:

Meetings with suppliers or potential business partners I have learned enough NLP to watch for body language, listen to the language the person I am meeting uses, and to build rapport successfully.

Business Writing I think about the people I am writing to - what sort of people are they? Just because I choose email doesn't mean they will. I look at the group of people I am addressing and try to amend my copy to reflect what they may be most comfortable with, and offer alternatives for return communication. I also look through my copy to eliminate negative language.

Creative Writing This is something I do apart from running Complete Trainer. I write fiction for personal satisfaction (some published) and find that I think more about the senses when writing. Are my readers going to respond to gustatory, visual, auditory, kinaesthetic or olfactory descriptions? I remember to include each style as appropriate or, for particular effect, use one very strongly. I actually wrote a story called 'The Ghost Sniffer' following the NLP course. Imagine being able to smell history!

Networking I have to network as a business professional but it is not a natural skill of mine. Using the NLP techniques helps me to ease into social situations more quickly.

Well, those are just a few examples of how learning even the basics of NLP have helped me. Oh, yes, it also helps when talking to recalcitrant teenagers too! If you'd like a really easy introduction to NLP, there's a dandy CD called The NLP Secret. It's from the US and if you don't mind the extremely effusive marketing, the actual product is very good. There are some great books too, from the simple introductory pocketbook The NLP Pocketbook, through NLP for Dummies to a whole host of advanced books focusing on different aspects of NLP.

There are also many training companies out there offering NLP training (some even offer free taster programmes) and you can become a Master Practitioner for something in the region of between £1000-£2000.

Why use NLP? I have found two schools of thought on this - from a CBT therapist who is convinced it is pure bunkum and detrimental to therapy through to those who swear by it as both a communication and therapeutic tool. If you do a search on NLP on the internet you can find many instances of misuse of NLP as well as the positive outcomes. If you are interested in NLP, try something like The NLP Pocketbook or The NLP Secret to get a taster. If you like it, then research the training or reading materials available and take action.