By John T. Cox

"And now for something Good and New" Thus starts each segment of the day at IDEA Seminars Trainers Training where each student is given the full attention of Master Trainer Rex Steven Sikes. The express purpose of the course is to teach people effective platform skills. If you are asking yourself what might be in this for you just consider this list of techniques, skills, and exercises that we covered in the six full days of fun, laughter and hard work.

• Building energy in your self and others
• Impromptu speaking without fear
• Making mistakes and enjoying it
• Walking like a fashion model to the beat of the music
• Making entrances and greeting people powerfully with charm
• Building powerful emotional states in yourself to create passion and purpose
• Finding the magic moment to begin speaking in any size group
• Speaking with good diction and resonance
• Projecting your voice to individuals at different distances without yelling
• Good voice tonality for bathing your audience in the sound of your voice
• Connecting with people in your audience using your eyes and everything else too
• Making your voice and words match your powerful and effective gestures
• Creating emotional anchors with your voice, body and gestures
• Using your anchors to propel your audience in the direction you want them to go
• Using embedded commands and questions eloquently
• Using universal stories and examples to punctuate your talk and draw people in
• Talking to music for drama, mood, and energy
• Modeling effective speakers and comedians from video tapes of their performances
• The powerful use of humor and smiles in creating the mood that you want to give to your audience.

Rex's genius shows in his use of his experience of his many years as an NLP Master Trainer and actor to teach material quickly in a fun and humorous way. NLP is one of the sources for the training but it is not the only one. Rex's other sources come from his own modeling of effective people, from techniques of accelerated learning, moviemaking, acting, magic, and meditation. This course is not about teaching people to teach NLP it is about teaching people to use what they have and what they see in others to be more effective. If you want to be an NLP trainer you will learn a great deal from Rex by watching him at work before you go to an NLP trainer certification program.

All of our significant exercises were videotaped so that we could review them later. When we watched these tapes we criticized each other. Does that scare you? Some people are afraid of giving critiques or of hearing them. How else can one improve if not by suggestions for improvement? During the class Rex taught us to use a very powerful method of critique which encourages and promotes improvement. You may recall your mother or a well meaning friend saying "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Well, that is a useful idea in some situations but you could improve it by finding something to praise and then giving a suggestion for how things could be even better if one thing were improved and then closing with another positive comment. I can use my art teacher as an example of this. She could say "John, your use of lines in this painting makes a very powerful statement. I think that using more variety of line could make your statement even stronger. Overall, the painting has a real feeling of joy" rather than say "I like that, what does everyone else think? Hmm, yes, that's pretty good." Right, I'm left with a feeling but nothing to learn.

Mixed in with all of the platform skills Rex teaches (and we practice, practice, practice) is Rex's own personal growth material which allows you to come to realizations about your present limitations and what you can do about them. Rex recognizes what each person needs and provides opportunities for them to grow. Personally, I came to the realization that my emotional expression could fit in a small thimble. The exercises that we did during the week led me to be much more expressive than I had ever been before. This is a skill that I will find useful on and off the platform. Other people showed considerable improvement in skills by the weeks end. One man learned to focus his boundless energy, another to use his natural comic ability, the men learned to flirt with the audience and the women learned to be in command of the audience, and many learned to allow themselves to be as dynamic and interesting on stage as they really are. Everyone took the abilities that they started with and expanded their mastery of those abilities.

Rex and his wife Carolyn spend their time with the seminarians at meals and will stay up late into the night to make sure that each person is getting what they need. Carolyn organized the logistics beautifully as she is very good at that. She had an assistant and two interns working with her to run the sound taping and video taping operations. Carolyn taught specific skills having to do with posture, walking, poise, and emotions. Rex and Carolyn provide a copy of the audio tapes for a very reasonable price as well as other tapes, videos, and their new NLP home study course.

My only regret was that I didn't have enough time to explore the lovely rolling hills at Cedar Valley. I did get a chance to visit with the hobby farm animals and feed them apples a few times.

Who should go to this training?

In my opinion, the design of the course is such that anyone will get benefits. Rex has put together or developed a whole series of positive exercises which can give you new directions for your thinking and for your life. Many of the elements which support good public speaking, teaching, and training are life skills which can be used everyday from intimate conversations with lovers and friends to persuasive business relationships. The emphasis in this course is on acquiring, demonstrating, practicing and improving skills. There is very little theory and this is not a lecture class. This is a class about seeing, hearing, recognizing, and doing effective things.

If you are someone who gets up in front of people to speak (even occasionally) this course is for you. If you are planning to go into teaching or training or motivational speaking you will learn the skills that will make you effective and powerful.

Where is the training site?

IDEA Seminars holds trainings at Cedar Valley Center in the hills to the west of Milwaukee. This full service facility provides 100 acres of land with native trees and grasses, paths, a jogging trail, a laundry, a hobby farm with lots of animals, a pond for swimming, a good buffet style dining hall, and compact motel style rooms. Cedar Valley and IDEA Seminars president Carolyn Sikes go out of their way to provide for special food requirements. The seminar rooms are in the same building as the rooms and the dining hall. There are eclectic art pieces around the property. On each of the three floors is a lounge area with comfy chairs. They even provide late night snacks!

How Much does this training cost?

Tuition $1900
Room and Board $420.40

The bottom line The food is good, the rooms are good, the service is very good, the training is great, the facility is great, the personal attention is really great and the whole learning experience is grand.