Rating: 
Summary: THE TITLE OF THIS BOOK NEEDS TO BE SUBLIMINAL INFLUENCE
Review: IT TOOK ME OVER A GOOD DAY TO READ THIS BOOK, I HAVE READ A LOT OF SELF-HELP BOOKS, AND I FIND THIS ONE TO BE MORE THAN ITS MONEYS WORTH. I WAS LOOKING FOR ANOTHER BOOK CALL SUBLIMINAL SELLING, IT HAD SOME OF THE BASICS OF NEUROLINGUISCTIC PROGRAMMING INVOLVED INTO THE BOOK. THIS BOOK HAS NOW ONLY OPENED THE DOORWAY OF UNDERSTANDING AND INFLUENCING PEOPLE ON A UNCONCIOUS LEVEL IN AREA OF LIFE.THIS BOOK GETS AND NEED THE HIGHEST RATING OF 1
Rating: 
Summary: Too drawn out
Review: Its not a bad book, I learned some useful information from it. However, as other reviewers have stated, this book could have been a pamphlet. Halfway through I was begging for the author to hurry up and stop wasting some many words re-explaining the same topics over and over and over again.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad; reads like an infomercial
Review: Just like the reader from San Diego, I thought this book could have been written in a 20 page pamphlet. And unlike the reader from San Diego, this is not my first NLP book. I have read severals and found this book to be a simple rehash of the deeper stuff on NLP. It seem like Mr. Brooks was trying to stretch representational systems into a book.Nothing too insightful for those who already know NLP, but not a bad starter to get your feet wet.
Rating:
Summary: Enhance How People Experience You
Review: Many years ago, as I observed charismatic people, from a distance, I thought that they were being phony. And,in the 80's, as I made a commitment to endlessly grow beyond my wildest dreams, I told myself that I envy the very people who I once thought were phony -- They had something that I wanted, and definitely needed. And I am happy to say that with "Instant Rapport," I made the commitment to learn how to be charming, fully in the moment, my highest self, and wise. I had many opportunities to see how I have evolved, as a result of reading "Instant Rapport." One example was when I happened upon someone who was once my "arch rival," at the office. With the help of reading this book, I walked up to this person, in the grocery store, not having seen her in many years, and sincerely chatted with her - there was gratitude in her entire demeanor. And I felt at peace, because I was emotionally, and psychologically free to be fully in the moment, focused upon the best in my interlocutor. The lessons in this book are a strong part of my everyday experiences. And a more recent experience is that through reading this book, I have given myself the label, "The Barter Queen," which leads me to be in strong rapport with local businesses, to get things that I want, in exchange for my connections as a journalist. Read this book, because the lessons in this book guide you to belong - which is our basic human need.
Rating: 
Summary: How to reach author and explanation of book
Review: My book is a starter for those interested in learning NLP and how to influence others. Although it's been a bestseller, most reviewers have reported that it's the first hardcover book on the subject released by a major publisher (Warner) that fully explains the subject in an easy to get language.A follow-up book, "The Power of Business Rapport" is also available.
I can be reached for comments, clarification, and consultation at mbatcomcon@aol.com
I hope yo find the book enjoyable and enlightening
--This text refers to the Paperback edition
Rating:
Summary: A good argument for active listening
Review: PROLOGUE
Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) makes high claims for itself. Michael Brooks is an NLP Trainer and founder of the Rapport Technology Group, (which organization, oddly enough, I cannot seem to locate on the WWW). My initial reaction on listening to this CD was disappointment. On reflection, however, I think Brooks' ideas can be helpful to anyone genuinely trying to empathize with another person's point of view. PROVISOS
1. My first proviso with Brooks' presentation is his repeatedly affirming that, in human relationships, likes attract and stick together, while opposites, if they do attract, won't last. This is an unfortunately glib overgeneralization by Brooks, because it is a fact that opposite temperaments typically *do* attract; the "like attracts like" angle really applies to a successful couple's worldviews, ideals, dreams, politics and religion, not their temperaments. Brooks ignores this fine distinction, because his intended meaning is that we like people who *think* like we do. If we can convey to someone that we think like he does, not so much by what we say but how we say it, we enhance our ability to bond with that person. Further, if we learn to speak in a way instinctively congenial to another person's thinking style, we can truly be emotional bridge builders. 2. My second proviso is that there is a decidedly manipulative side to NLP, as Brooks makes patently clear. 3. My final proviso is that Brooks is not a particularly engaging speaker. THE PLOT
Brooks' schema is simple:
1.The first rule of rapport: people like people who are/think like themselves.
2. The human mind processes information in three ways: visually, aurally, and emotionally-physically. (We'll call these V, A, and E, respectively.)
3. Each individual instinctively favors one of these three "processing strategies."
4. Each individual also instinctively (and usually unconsciously) associates specific, linear, sequential sound bytes of these three types of processing with specific types of events and feelings.
5. The telltale sign of a person's processing strategy is the "processing words" peculiar to each of these three types of processing strategies. The goal, then, is to make yourself "more like another person," thus establishing "rapport." You speak in a manner that mirrors the processing strategy of the person with whom you are speaking. To do this, you have to get the other person to describe the sort of event, or feeling, you wish to recreate: a satisfied experience dining out, a wonderful real estate sale, a great first date, so on. Again, Brooks claims that the mind invariably links sequential processing strategies with specific events and specific feelings. This is the major claim of "Instant Rapport." The second claim is that people's eye movements and word choice are clear signposts to their individual processing strategy. The third claim is you can use these facts to your mutual benefit and establish rapport. PARADIGM
An example. A husband comes home from a busy day and his wife angrily sets dinner down. She is furious for no apparent reason. His first reaction might normally be angrily to demand an explanation, and, once he gets it, to get even angrier. Using NLP, this husband asks his wife what's wrong and, at the same time as paying close attention to what actually *is* bothering her, he also makes a mental note of the processing strategies her mind associates with being unhappy right now. The husband, let's say, in hearing his wife's answer, notices that her processing strategy appears to be of the form "V-A-V-E." For example, she says, "I knew you *saw* [V] dinner was ready and yet you didn't bother coming to the table! I even *called* [A] you and you didn't answer! So now I am *looking* [V] at a spoiled dinner and a spoiled evening! This really meant a lot to me - for us to have a *cozy romantic* [E] meal." The husband will NOT reply using processing words in that same sequence because, says Brooks, this only will compound her feelings of anger. He wouldn't say, "The light [V] just came on. I hear what you're saying [A]. I see [V] what a lovely dinner this is, and it makes me so happy to know you loved [E] me enough to go to all this trouble. I apologize." According to Brooks, such a reply resolves nothing at all, and might accelerate the argument, because the form of the reply unconsciously reinforces the emotional pattern underlying the wife's agitation. Knowing the processing strategy to avoid in answering his wife, the husband now must "unpack" his wife's "strategy." He will ask, "Please tell me exactly how you pictured this perfect evening." She now displays a different processing strategy, say, of the E-E-V-A variety. The husband commits all this to memory: what he did wrong this evening (coming home from work in a foul mood); the processing strategy to avoid with her; and the E-E-V-A processing strategy to assure her he really is in rapport with her. The ideal reply: "I've really mishandled [E] things, my dear. I had a gut feeling [E] I was doing something terribly wrong, but I just didn't' see [V] how badly I was behaving. I'm really grateful you've told [A] me how you feel. I'm sorry." The husband ALWAYS will use this specific processing sequence, (E-E-V-A), in future WHENEVER he wishes to calm his wife about domestic issues and reassure her of his love and appreciation for her. This processing sequence is unique to her, and works only for domestic matters; the husband will have to unpack her other strategies for other settings. POSTSCRIPT
If you've ever had the experience of arguing with someone and wondering why -- when it seems that your viewpoints really are so close -- NLP might be an effective tool to help bridge the communication gap before it becomes a communication breakdown. The ideas DO seem simplistic, but I see no harm in introducing another dimension to human discourse - as long as it is done with respect for others, and without any covert attempt to manipulate them. Perhaps the worst that can happen is you'll feel a little more in control, and become a more active and creative listener. "Instant Rapport" leaves you to work out the details, but the message is clear: if we want to enhance our interpersonal effectiveness, we must resolve to be active listeners who choose our words circumspectly.
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I thought it would be, but still interesting
Review: This book delt with the authors ideas of people and conversation/body language. It has some interesting ideas. If your into effective communication, you may want to consider this book.
Rating:
Summary: Good Basics but not flawless......
Review: This book is a very good in setting out some basics of NLP. It will give one a sort of "first base" regarding succesfull humanoid communication.
One of the most important issues of this book is that one perceives the world trough ones senses, being mostly sight, sound and touch. Together with these perceptions emotions are linked and interlinked through the syntaxis of perception. One for example remembers a beautifull women by first thinking of how she looked, then how she sounded and then the way she shook hands. These tree perceptions are categorized in modules (being: visual, auditory and kinesthetic). An important axiom Michael Brooks puts forth is that a person has a "prime-modus" for his perception strategy's. I find this very wrong. One should, in order to callibrate people, look in what modus his subject is AT THE PRESENT time, and not look for a sort of prime. Evolution has forced humanoids to be multi-sensory in order to survive. But with that in mind this book can be great, I'm especially talking now about eye-accessing cues, mirroring/matching process, strategies and anchoring. This book is even a little bit NOTTY with its entry on SEXUAL RAPPORT. Habba, habba!
Rating:
Summary: Instantly getting someone to like you
Review: This book on tape was incredibly brief and I have already forgotten a lot about it. It went on talking about visual people and other kinds of people and then drawing from there in order to find how can we make someone connect with us. It does not take a rocket science to reproduce their analysis, but then why should you care to produce an 'instant' connection. Many times, it takes some time to like a person.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Guide for NLP. A must read for success seakers!
Review: This book outlines clearly the tools needed to communicate effectively in every sort of relationship; be it personal or business. I have found it to be highly inspirational and quite intriguing. Mr. Brooks pares down a complex technology to an easily understood form. Your perception of human relationships will be altered forever. I highly recommend it!
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