2020 in Review: Creating Powerful Virtual Rapport & Our New Trainers

I’ve seen so many acts of heroism and care and concern for others this year! 

Each of you has inspired me with your personal flexibility and kindness towards others.  

Even if we don’t keep in close touch all the time, the way you’ve handled yourself on Meetup, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other places has taught me that warmth, connection, and sponsoring lasting personal and societal change are possible - perhaps required - during a pandemic.

And the Austin NLP Meetup and NLP Austin are changing too.

We’ve been on Zoom since March and will continue on Zoom for a while longer.

The NLP Master Practitioner training class that transitioned with a few days notice from an in-person class format to online began immediately modeling what it takes to create powerful virtual rapport.  For all those interested, we discovered:

• Approach online classes with the presupposition that powerful virtual rapport is possible, even if it takes time to discover how.
• Leave optional time before/ after classes to allow people to arrive, check out each others’ houses and pets, and get settled.
• Build in time in breakouts for casual conversation and the kind of sharing that happens before and after classes.
• For classes that last a full day, keep the 1.5 hour lunches.  In person, this meant we could all take a nice break and get away.  Online, it means we can each take a nice break and get away!
• Keep the format of tried-and-true NLP teaching format involving stories, demonstrations, and small group practice, even if it means taking time to show participants the different ways to use breakout rooms and other Zoom features.
• Experiment with new formats for visual aides and class instructional materials until you find some that work for each trainer and participant.
• Anything that brings light-heartedness, such as humor or a story or movement practices or a breathing technique, is even more important when teaching online.
• Keep learning, as participants’ comfort levels with online classes and Zoom’s functionality continually change.

In March and April, inspired by the deep personal connections and change we all experience in the Master track weekend, and seeing the struggle others had in organizing online events, we started hosting daily 1-hour Attention Experiments programs at a low cost donation.  Our intention was to invite others to get more comfortable with the online learning format available for live online Zoom classes, while also offering up how NLP can help with coping with change, isolation, society strife, and more. 

We taught 20+ programs to hundreds of participants over that time and saw our first participants show up from other US states, countries, and continents.  

So many people appreciated what we were doing that we had multiple invitations from nonprofits and corporations to take our Attention Experiments programs to their online team meetings, board retreats, and lunch-and-learns.

We also have a group of 10 dedicated NLP Practitioners who are studying, practicing, and teaching in an effort to officially become certified trainers with me.  If you are eyeing the Design Your Powerful Life classes we’re offering in 2021 (there are six weekend dates!) then you will have the chance to personally enjoy the fruits of their labor and growth.  Some of these trainers are long-time contributors, others are newer to the field and have worked hard to get the necessary road time to teach others.  And all bring their own expertise in other fields, making each Design Your Powerful Life class a little bit unique, a little different in flavor, even as they all have the dependable course design and reliable format that I have been teaching for years.

So, I hope you’ll take a peek at our 2021 offerings and discover if there’s something here for you:
The Winter 2020-2021 NLP & NightWalking Course Catalog.

If you haven’t tried out a class with us, try one - we think that most people will find what we’re doing and how we use the online format different, refreshing, personal, and life-affirming. 

Here’s to life,

Katie