Sisli – Phillip Holt's World

A large number of staff from the Turkish Bank, DenizBank, (deniz meaning sea in English), attended one of three, three hour presentation I gave at their wonderful academy facilities in Şişli a district in Istanbul. My presentation was part of a larger course they were attending.

I had worked with a number of DenizBank staff before, when they attended a course called “Learn English with NLP“, given by a previous company I worked with (see Category Archives headed English Courses in the left hand column). I provided the NLP portion of the training. The course to learn English lasted nine days, from 9am until 9pm. I had three sessions with the attendees, in the morning 9am till 9:45am, at lunch time from 1:30pm until 2pm, and then in the evening from 6pm until 6:45pm.

Each of the three presentations given in DenizBank’s Şişli academy had nearly three hundred attendees, and I covered three aspects of NLP for them to understand and learn from. What are the anchors they are giving to fellow staff members and to customers, what impressions are they leaving people? What feedback do they give others? How to stay strong with Mustapha, Antonio or Fred.

Under the spot lights on the stage it was hot, and time just slipped by so quickly, but my timing was spot on. I had been given exact times to start and finish, as the attendees had other presentations to catch.

Phillip Holt with translator Arzu at DenizBank seminar

Phillip Holt works with attendees at DenizBank seminar

Tuesday started off with half my computer keyboard not working, having had the tea spilt over it the previous night.

I could not let this incident distract my trainings, but why not “reframe” it, and use it as a metaphor in the English class. As an international trainer of NLP, I can use my experience to teach a concept via a story to feed the inner mind, the unconscious mind, what you need to know, now, after all the years of experience I find is easy.

I talk about sick dear, and how just one word can affect the way we are, our state, how at a conference, a person stood in for someone who was ill, and how knives, fire and steam came from the participants, but they learnt how to keep state.

I was asked to visit a company in Sisli, on the Western side of the Bosphorus, a computer company which is very proactive on training their staff in communication skills, dealing with clients and staff. The meeting went on longer than we had planned, which meant we missed the ferry back to Kadikoy to conduct the afternoon trance. Upon arrival, I was immediately driven away to another client, one hours drive across Istanbul, in heavy traffic, which seems to be ever presenting traffic jams, a journey taking two hours.

On arrival, it was a joy to meet so many of my previous students, with big smiles on their faces as they greeted me. So many people who know me. Wow.

I know I can do more work with them to help reach the goals, the outcomes they gave me.

The journey back to do the late English class was very tiring, as the countryside drifted past, I am amazed at the amount of new roads new infrastructure there is. New high rise accommodation, flats, apartments, are springing up.

The class starts one hour late, but I am in a good state, so I deliver so much to the participants.

I tell them about the beautiful “female” I saw in Singapore, and the first time my mother met Mee Len, mother never meeting a Chinese person before nor eaten a Chinese meal.

I know that during this session they tried many things, and perhaps liked them.

I added so much to the evening session I was late leaving the office/school, so much so that I missed the last train on the Tunel train, which runs from 7am till 9pm.

I was too tired to think, I needed sleep, rest, but I had to prepare for the next day, iron my shirt and suit, prepare my props to teach Mind Maps and Memory Skills to a major Turkish telecommunication company, and eat a meal.

I hope those who know me realise I am not the Wizard of Oz. I need rest today.