Conversation 6, Rex Sikes & Jonathan Altfeld discuss Presenting & Speaking

Out of the many seminars and trainings I've participated in over the years, Belief Craft tops them all. If you make the decision to take this course, you'll not only get everything you wanted, but also things you never imagined."

Since using your CD, I used the technique on my answerphone. And since the new voicemail, I never have any problems getting favours or work done from my male colleagues!!! Easy!!!

Michael Vanderdonk here. I'm an NLP trainer licensed by NLPTRB in Australia, trained primarily by Chris & Jules Collingwood and John Grinder, with a wide range of other trainer experiences as well. I also assist at Inspiritive's NLP trainings. Some years ago, I used to be a very highly paid IT consultant, and now I'm using and training NLP and hypnosis in corporate Australia. I've seen some of the best, I've seen incredibly poor training, and I've also seen a wide range in between. I'd like to take a moment and share with you why US-based NLP trainer Jonathan Altfeld is one of my favorite trainers by far, not to mention why he's highly regarded by some of the best and most experienced trainers around the globe. My interest in Jonathan's work after having attended most of his courses in Australia led me to travel all the way to the UK to attend one of his seminars in particular. Jonathan's trained primarily by Richard Bandler, through the Society of NLP. He started training in '97, has trained all over North America and regularly trains in the UK and Australia. Unlike some who've trained with Richard Bandler, Jonathan seems to be able to navagate his way between the different NLP "camps". Jonathan even sports a gracious review from Chris & Jules Collingwood (John Grinder's favorite trainers!), and James Tsakalos in Melbourne. These high quality reviews aren't any surprise to me. When I first met him, over 6 years ago now, was struck immediately with his effort and care that he gave to his students that was far beyond the call of duty. I was surprised he joined and and even encouraged his students to continue on after the seminar, taking the new skills learnt in the classroom and applying them out in the real world. Jonathan, socially, is amazingly memorable. I remember one evening dinner with a small group from the course, and after a small demonstration with our waitress, every other waitress and waiter, and even a chef, came to our table to find out what was happening. Then there was the time he had the bar staff in stitches of laughter, so captivated they ignored the other waiting patrons (which is usually when Jonathan says "go help your customers")! While he does use several tricks to get these results, he's happy to teach these -- and usually does. His ability to communicate powerfully at different levels at the same time is what guarantees his results. His personality is magnetic, and the way he teaches quickly and easily transfers the skills. There was this time in Melbourne where once again I join him for a drink after the event. He's not even been in the country 48 hours, and the barman yells "Jonathan!" as he enters. His communication is memorable, even to those people who only meet him for a few minutes. I immensely enjoy Jonathan's work - If I didn't I would not be writing this, and I would not have attended most of his events in Australia. Nor would I have traveled around the world in May 2004 to see him and a fabulous hypnosis trainer Doug O'Brien co-train together in London. I've attended his NLP Skills-Builders course (an intro course). I've attended his Linguistic Wizardry course twice (language patterns). I've attended Knowledge Engineering (modeling & belief systems). I've attended his Belief Craft course with Doug O'Brien (combining Modeling Belief Systems with Sleight-of-Mouth). He is an outstanding trainer, able to lead a room mixed with 'beginners' and seasoned NLP trainers to a common goal - His village council exercise in Linguistic Wizardry in particular is a great example of this. If you want to train with the absolute best, start interviewing lots of NLP Practitioners, Master Practitioners, and trainers -- and find out who they think continues to be worth training with. There aren't many, but they are out there. And Jonathan is one of those few!

In this program, Jonathan teaches how to elicit and influence emotional states in elegant and natural ways. Although the program focuses on one-on-one communication, all of the skills and knowledge taught can be applied to product demonstrations and group presentations as well. In the Sample Track from CD 1, Jonathan says: "Lead your audience to an Action State in a way that aligns with their values and beliefs." That sums up what you will get from the program: the ability to elicit and influence emotional states in your audience. You will learn how to lead someone from an Encounter State to an Action State through the chaining of smaller state changes in between. This is a skill that will set you apart from other presenters. Thinking about how your audience will feel will most certainly help you add great stories, and sequence them for maximum impact. For me, this program is a keeper! I recommend it to any product demonstrator as a secret weapon. Armed with it, you will be able to elicit and change the emotional states of your audience with elegance. I consider this the main ingredient that will lead to truly memorable demos.