What's Your Opinion On Self Help Seminars?

[Tim Brownson]

I ran a guest post yesterday in which the author talked about the death of the self-help seminar.

I'm toying with writing a counterpoint as I have been to some cracking seminars (as well as some horrible ones too).

I was wondering what your take was, have you been to any? Did they make lasting change or did things slip back to normal a week or even a moth or so later?

Very curious to hear, especially to anybody that has been to either Steve's or Tony Robbins.

[James81]

IMO, they are overpriced for the value that they truly offer.

I think that they are almost like a drug in a sense in that they produce a temporary fleeting euphoria that cannot be sustained on its own without any lasting results.

Real change doesn't happen in a seminar. It happens when you are out swimming in the river, it happens when you are climbing a mountain, it happens when you are out meeting people, reading a book, playing with a child. It's the scars and the pleasures of life that change you, not a meeting.

Although you could argue that if you traveled to a seminar, you are changed by the travel experience itself and not necessarily the seminar.

[Angela]

Depends on the seminar, I reckon. I've never been to Steve's or Tony's, but I've been to some good ones and some not so good ones.

I agree with the author that change is the key -- I think a seminar is worth attending only if it not only inspires insight and change, but also provides tools for you to get yourself into an insightful state and effect change in your life whenever you want to be insightful or change.

For me, personally, I would also agree with the author that five or ten minutes per hour of exercises is woefully inadequate -- I'm a "how" person, so I'd get pretty antsy sitting there listening to lecture or a stage volunteer. That is, unless the lecturer is giving me mind-bogglingly valuable stuff and sparking change right then and there as I listen, and if the stage volunteer work is skillfully done in such a way that the audience can get in touch with their own inner resources by seeing themselves in the volunteer's experience and deliberately break through.

Landmark Education is a great example of doing that really well -- but they also have you doing a tremendous amount of personal exercise work. (the trick is to not let the push for word-of-mouth marketing bother you. Repeat after me: "I'll pass.")

Just did a 3 day NLP/hypnosis/TIME Techniques seminar on presenting, and that was a great example of extremely helpful seminaring -- it was mostly review for me, but I still got a huge amount of new information, insight, strategy, confidence and motivation in standing up in front of a group powerfully and effectively -- just in time for a big presentation I'm giving tonight. Yay!

The most important self help seminar ever was when at age 11 I learned self-hypnosis from Frank Genco, the one-legged hypnotist. He was so funny and inspiring, and I credit him with really lighting the spark of personal development in me.

I think you, Tim, would put on an excellent seminar!

[Gene]

I attended Steve's CGW2. I found Steve's presentation good. I believe Steve provided some important value to the group. He provided this value by being:

The commonality that attracted participants who were interested in change.

Providing the location and other logistics for the workshop.

Explain his framework of understanding.

Encouraging people to spend time with fellow attendees.

I believe many participants received value from their attendance. I liked hanging out with others at the conference and discussing where we were and where we wanted to be. I think this bonding with real people is at least as important as the material presented in this and most other workshops.

I know of some participants who benefited from the weekend rather dramatically. For them the change seems to have been sticky and not temporary.

I've been to other events as participant. The workshop was better than many I have attended. There are many less healthy and productive ways to spend a long weekend.

I didn't expect Steve to be perfect or the ultimate guru. I did not view him as a guru. I've worked with celebrities before and know they are human as am I. In my opinion Steve was good as a presenter. As with all people offering a perspective I embraced the part which I believe to be useful to me and discarded the rest.

I would attend another of his workshops. I had fun with the event, the presenters and especially with the people attending. YMMV

I had fun at the event and just for the entertainment and fun the price of admission was reason able.

[Tim Brownson]

@ Gene - Thanks for the feedback on Steve's seminar. I'd love to hear which other ones you have attended both good and bad.

Interested to hear also how only a week or two after the event you know some people have made permanent change?

[Angela]

Originally Posted by Tim Brownson

Interested to hear also how only a week or two after the event you know some people have made permanent change?

I'm wondering that, too. I can kind of tell, somewhat, when it's my own changes that are sticky, but how do you know when other people's are?

[Divajules]

I think it has more to do with where you are when you attend one, if that makes sense. I attended the "I Can Do It" seminar in 2008. And, I attended Steve's CGW#2 so those are the only points of reference I have. ICDI was good but I wouldn't say I made any significant changes because of it. It was more like a re-affirming of my direction/belief type of thing. Steve's workshop, on the other hand, was a totally different experience. I would say that significant and lasting changes did result. I also think, however, that it was because I was already so strongly headed in that direction way before I ever got there. Also, Steve's workshop was comprehesive and all him rather than many topics/speakers like at ICDI. So, I'd say that seminars are the best thing you can do for yourself... when the timing is right and you are really ready for the changes to take place!

[Gene]

Originally Posted by Tim Brownson

@ Gene - Thanks for the feedback on Steve's seminar. I'd love to hear which other ones you have attended both good and bad.

Interested to hear also how only a week or two after the event you know some people have made permanent change?

Permanent change, that was an overstatement. I will correct the statement by saying that I know some people who have made dramatic and significant changes to their lives during and after the workshop. Permanence of the change is still in question. As an outside observer they seem to have listened and learned from the presenter and their peers which helped them to take action in their lives.

Thanks for calling me on the inaccurate statement.

[Tim Brownson]

Originally Posted by Divajules

I think it has more to do with where you are when you attend one, if that makes sense. I attended the "I Can Do It" seminar in 2008. And, I attended Steve's CGW#2 so those are the only points of reference I have. ICDI was good but I wouldn't say I made any significant changes because of it. It was more like a re-affirming of my direction/belief type of thing. Steve's workshop, on the other hand, was a totally different experience. I would say that significant and lasting changes did result. I also think, however, that it was because I was already so strongly headed in that direction way before I ever got there. Also, Steve's workshop was comprehesive and all him rather than many topics/speakers like at ICDI. So, I'd say that seminars are the best thing you can do for yourself... when the timing is right and you are really ready for the changes to take place!

Excellent points!

[ericonoahu]

Originally Posted by Tim Brownson

I was wondering what your take was, have you been to any?

I can offer my take from the perspective of someone who has never been to one and has no current plans to go to one regardless the teacher/facilitator/whoever.

Actually, I should say I have no plans under my current life situation. If I had a lot more disposable income left over after my other priorities it might be an option. Right now I haven't seen anything where I felt like I would receive a significant enough return on the investment. This is not to say that any particular person's seminar is not worth $xyz.00, I'm just saying it doesn't look like it is worth it to me right now.

I am gaining in my understanding, growth, and effectiveness without devoting a weekend and a big chunk of money by devoting time daily to those things. I read, I journal, I meditate, and I talk about things with other people.

I expect I gain more lasting benefit from consistent daily practice than these shots in the arm. I'd probably gain even more lasting benefit from daily practice AND a shot in the arm, but that's where the cost/value thing comes in.

[TiffyLove]

Hesitant to say but I have been to dozens of seminars.

Peak Potentials, Warrior Sage, Marcia Martin, PAX, Frontier Trainings, etc...

I find that most of the "high" wears off after a while, but I think for anyone who is stuck in the "average" way of thinking almost any helpful seminar can break through to cause awareness and open their mind to a more beneficial way of seeing the world. However, there is no instant cure or magic fix as most people think when attending these seminars.

Most of my seminar days are over, I don't regret them, I met a lot of wonderful people and connected with like minds. But they are very expensive for what you get out of them. They can be exhausting and mostly the effect doesn't last too long. You can get most of the awakenings from reading a book. Some of the experiences are wonderful memories and can be the reason for some of my break through points but I really don't know for sure.

I do plan to continue going to one of Warrior Sage's intensive (Once a year) because it is purely spiritual. Not one thing is taught to me, everything I take away from it are things I have discovered for myself but it is more like a silent meditative retreat than a seminar.

So to sum it up, after all of my experience's with seminar's they have been beneficial in some ways but have not in my opinion been worth the money. Although I do not plan on continuing to attend any more seminar's I wouldn't do it differently if I had the choice to change my past.

[JasonC]

Just my thoughts:

I've spent thousands of dollars attending various seminars. I got the most out of NLP seminars, but I also agree that seminars in general are way over priced. They may be life changing (at least for a time), but I find that your money is better spent on an actual coach who will keep you accountable to your goals, rather than attending a weekend or week long seminar and then no longer having that assistance from a coach who can remind you of your goals or important principles that will keep you focused. But I digress..

[Tim Brownson]

I think there is a difference Jason between a seminar and training/workshop environment.

I did my 2nd NLP Master Prac for $600 and it was as good as any I have undertaken. Some companies do charge insane amounts, (Society of NLP for eg), but I guess you have to work out the ROI as to what it's worth to you as the individual.

[Froztwolf]

I've gone to a number of smaller seminars offered by my JCI club, which mostly helped my gain clarity about what I wanted to achieve but didn't to much to help me get there.

I've also gone to a large Brian Tracy seminar. It was absolutely exhausting but it did drive me to some introspection and realizations I wouldn't have made otherwise. (at least not as soon)
These things do inspire you and charge you with energy but it is short lived.
The best thing to do is probably to use that energy to take massive action and build a "scaffolding" around your goals, changing your environment to increase the odds of you achieving them.

I felt it was worth the price but that I wouldn't go more than once a year at most.

[Marko500]

My opinion on self help seminars?

Life is the best teacher. Mistakes and successes. Experience.

Then come, books, seminars, other people, blogs....