<h1>What is an NLP Master Trainer?</h1>

I once presented at an NLP conference in the UK and after my presentation (which was very well received, he stated modestly), I sat in on some other seminars and generally had a good time listening in on other people's stuff and learning about their approaches.

I am not 100% (would have to look at my notes), but I seem to remember enjoying a presentation by Penny Tompkins on clean language and a seminar on sub-personalities by a trainer whose name I forgot (but who I seem to remember was very pretty).

Then there was this guy I'd never heard of before who presented on something called Thought Pattern Management. Turns out that TPM is a very interesting concept and I will be writing more about it in another post. The guy who presented it was not very impressive, but since I was interested in the topic, I introduced myself and asked him where he learned about it and whether he was an NLP trainer. His indignant answer was: "I'm not an NLP trainer, I'm an NLP MASTER trainer!". I was quite shocked that this guy who I had never heard of before should be one of the chosen few. A Master Trainer? Wow! 

So I researched  bit and found that you can actually attend courses to become a Master trainer. You also have to present a certain number of events before they let you get the tattoo, golden underwear and whatever status symbols are bestowed upon NLP Master trainers (I'm just guessing here, as I am only a lowly trainer). I think this procedure is similar for ANLP and INLPTA, two of the largest NLP organisations worldwide. Not sure if the people certifying you are Master Master Trainers or Meta Master Trainers, but at one point your title wouldn't fit on your business card anymore.

If I got my history right, Wyatt Woodsmall was the first NLP Master trainer, because he handed Richard Bandler a certificate stating "Master Trainer" and Richard signed it. Wyatt is grumpy, but very good at what he does and he really contributed to the field of NLP, so he probably would be a good choice for a Master trainer. 

On the other side of the coin, the SNLP side, you can't attend courses, but you can be liked by Richard. Which helps. Allegedly, some SNLP Master Trainers received their certificates because they helped Richard move house, kissed his ass, or just because he likes them. Not a lot of quality control there. 

Truth be told, some of the Master Trainers I've met are really, really good. Many are not and it taught me not to look for the label, but to evaluate a trainer on his or her own merits. Titles in the world of NLP don't mean that much and Bandler seems to think along the same lines, as he once said that we shouldn't take these things too seriously, because, after all, he himself is not even an NLP Practitioner...