Tom Vizzini is the guy behind Essential Skills Seminars and the 3D Mind technique/process.
I never met him in person, but we had quite a few fights on the old alt.psychology.nlp message board. The closest I got to him was (if I remember correctly) one time in Manchester, where I presented to an NLP practice group and one of the attendees asked me if I had met Tom, because he had presented at the same venue the day before.
So my experience with him and his stuff stems from video tapes (tapes, yes, he's been around for a while...).
I am not privy to any inside information, so I don't know how much influence his partner Kim McFarland has/had on the whole Essential Skills and 3D Mind thing, but I will just focus on Tom Vizzini for now.
Would you like to hear the good stuff or the bad stuff first?
Sorry, I'll be starting with the good stuff:
The 3D Mind technique is fantastic! One of the best change techniques I have ever encountered and I recommend it unreservedly. I hear that he updated the technique a few years ago, but even without an update, it is an essential tool for every NLP/Change/Whatever practitioner.
Really. No snarky comment from me. Go out and buy it!
Now the bad stuff:
Tom is an absolutely horrible presenter. Granted, he might have improved (the last info my spies gave me was from 2008), but he certainly used to be so bad that I nearly missed the greatness of the 3D Mind technique, because I was so annoyed with his presentation style. Horrible sense of humour, always laughing at his own jokes - just awful. And, Tom, here is a piece of advice from someone who is a good presenter: STOP FIDDLING WITH THE PEN!
Rant over.
His Essential Skills tapes are very basic, probably far too basic for anyone who has attended an NLP intro session, but again, the 3D Mind stuff is fantastic, and you can easily tweak it to fit your own style. Highly recommended!
Update:
Tom was kind enough to point out that the tapes I was talking about are not available anymore and they now ensure that only their newest stuff is available on their website.
Thanks for the review. Yes believe it or not our presentation has changed quite a bit as well as the 3D Mind itself.
ReplyDeleteHey I will admit... I am not a showman. I am not a professional presenter. If you want a show or to be entertained then there are people out there who will do that. I would rather deliver value and focus my attention there than on becoming a professional presenter.
We get results. That is what is important to me. We genuinely care about our clients getting results. We help them long after they get a product or come to a seminar.
I will say that the newest version of the 3D Mind is even better. We removed anything that was not essential and simplified the process. I agree that it is a great tool to add to your skillset.
WE also have taken most of our tapes off the market. We focus now on the 160 hours of videos from our Gold Members area. That way we have the most current skill sets available instead of 15 year old tapes.
Thanks again and the best of luck to you.
Hi Tom,
DeleteI admit that I am a sucker for great presenters, which caused me to fall for some snake oil salesmen in my time.
Your attitude about your clients is highly commendable and sorely missing from so many people out there.
Thank you for the info about your new products, I will amend the post to reflect the current situation.
Glad to hear that you are still around and still doing great stuff!
Best of luck to you!
Just came across this... years later.
DeleteThanks for having an open mind and check out our facebook page for the latest stuff. https://www.facebook.com/Essentialskills