Customer Reviews

NLP at Work, Second Edition: Neuro Linguistic Programming, The Difference That Makes a Difference in Business (People Skills for Professionals)

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Oh dear. I thought long and hard about whether I should write a review on this book.

Clearly work has gone into writing it and I did pay quite a few dollars for it, so I really wish it had been good.

But no, I have to be honest, I think it has done more to turn me off the subject of NLP than even the most skeptical write-ups on the subject.

I was looking for a book that would give me a proper guide to NLP skills I could use in the workplace or business.

This neither explained properly or simply the NLP skills, nor their application in business.

It did make an attempt, but it did the worst possible thing it could - it bored the hell out of me.

To say that NLP is meant to be software for your brain, the science and practice of human excellence and is said to be as potentially limitless as the imagination itself, this book bored my socks off.

Sorry, but I found it so dry and dull.

None of the techniques, theories, etc, seemed to be very practical or hang together, it just seems to go from one subject to another with no accumulation of value or learning, which is ironic because that is what NLP is meant to be about.

I'm no expert, but I can tell you that one of the first books I ever read on NLP doesn't go into all the dull as dishwater complexities that this book does, but it has 100 times the value. That book is Change Your Life in Seven Days by Paul McKenna (see my review). It doesn't actually even mention NLP but contains all the useful techniques without the dullness of this work, and it's much cheaper, too, with a free recorded guided mind reprogramming session which is the true power of NLP in action.

Back to this book - it seems to have little application in business and is pushing a bright and frothy agenda. Well business isn't all like that. Alot of the time it's tough stuff and I can't see anything here helping even remotely.

Yes, I know all that stuff about mirroring and matching the language and gestures of the other person, but really, unless you are extremely quick, the transactions between people are so subtle that you are not exactly likely to get some negotiation breakthrough of massive proportions by the means described here.

I have since discovered a number of books that are much more effective in outlining persuasion/negotation and communication techniques in business and blow this book out of the water.

As I say, it put me off NLP for some time. However, from other books I have seen some merit in the subject and I still have some interest in it.

I have checked out a book on Amazon called Introducing NLP and have only read the searchable pages online.

However, those few pages seemed to give more clear and compact info than the first 250 pages of NLP at work.

Even the subject matter in NLP at Work is just poorly applied to business. Modelling is apparently just copying what someone else does to get the same effect. Well I learnt how to do that at school, and it's not that revolutionary a concept.

And meta-messages. What is the overall message a business is trying to give? This is not a meta-message. This is known as corporate image/identity and again is not a revolutionary concept.

If you need tips from this book on it, in the very brief way it is mentioned, then you are probably sunk already.

The only slightly redeeming part is that the section on anchoring is reasonably well described.

However, I think this book needs to decide what it is trying to be.

If you want to give a business person, who is fresh to the subject, the tools of NLP to use in a business setting, you have to come from a business perspective.

That perspective is a practical one. One that doesn't have time to trawl through all the hokey-pokey that is dragged through here.

After all, NLP is meant to be about what works. And this book sure doesn't work for me!

I find this book an excellent introduction to the field of Neuro-Linguistic Programming. While there are a few other good introductory level books, this one is specific to the work context and for many people this is the best place to start improving your communication skills. Most challenges in the work place arise as a result of ineffective communication. Improvements in this area can lead to greater job satisfaction and more opportunities for advancement. Sue Knight writes in an easy to read style that will be accessible to all readers. I had purchased the first edition, but this newest edition has so much additional information that I purchased a second copy.

Neuro linguistic programming, which sounds like a diabolical technique straight out of A Clockwork Orange, is actually a relatively straightforward method of paying attention to the verbal and non-verbal messages that people constantly emit. By noting the inflection, body language and eye movements of others, you can glean a better understanding of what they are really thinking. Conversely, by controlling the signals that you send, you can make sure that people are getting the right message. With the caveat that many elements of NLP are straight out of Communications 101, we from getAbstract recommend this book to anyone in business whose communications skills could use an upgrade.

I took this book on holiday with me and when I picked it up for a quick flick through I was amazed that I couldn't put it down! The only problem was that I was constantly drawn into the book by wonderful revelations about how to improve your personal effectiveness and there is so much in the book that deserves really thorough study, like the "thought provokers" at the end of each chapter. It will take me a long time before I have really extracted all the goodness from this remarkably accessible book.

NLP at Work is delightfully free of jargon. The style and language Sue uses are very attractive, and an excellent example of how to deliver messages effectively. She illustrates points with mini real life case studies. The stories which punctuate the book are delightful in themselves, but also rich in wisdom and wonderful catalysts to greater understanding.

Sue invites the reader to explore their heart's desire, and to understand that whatever they desire, they are capable of achieving. "What you think is what you get." Achieving potential, both one's own, and that of those around us, is a very attractive proposition. Sue leads the reader through a wonderful journey of exploration. She helps us to understand ourselves and our own individual map of the world in a new way. She shows us how to be more effective in our business and personal lives. She helps us to acknowledge our own true values, and to ensure that our lives are in harmony with them.

NLP at work is satisfyingly well constructed and laid out. It is delightfully surprising and entertaining, and it is deeply rewarding and helpful to anyone wanting to learn and grow.

I got this book a week ago and it is just great, one I will be going back to many times.

An Excellent Book

This is a well-written book on NLP in the workplace. The author's style is clear and easy to follow. There is little jargon and an emphasis on getting ideas across in plain English. A very good overview of NLP and its applications. Highly recommended.

I like the updated version of the book very much. Sue's style makes for both an easy and engaging read. The book is now even more comprehensive, covers all the key NLP topics, with a few new ones added. In particular, I like the new hypnotic language chapter - it's powerful stuff!. I like the way you can dip in and out of areas and it still makes sense. Plus the stories, thought-provokers and various quotes etc. make it a much more enjoyable read.

The author has touch on many a NLP techniques and has not talked enough about them to enable the reader to learn those techniques.