Random thoughts on over learning:

Stay curious. Stay open. The best learners aren’t the ones who know the most—they’re the ones who never stop questioning.

Learning is far too important to take seriously. Play with ideas. Experiment. Get it wrong. Laugh at yourself. That’s how real learning happens.

Keep the child alive in yourself and others. Ever seen a child learning something new? They dive in, make mistakes, and love the process. Be more like that.

“Practice makes perfect.” But what if perfect isn’t enough? Because perfection is a dead end. Mastery happens when you practice past perfect—until it becomes effortless, instinctive… you.

The moment you think you’ve “learned” something, you stop learning it. Keep going. Go deeper. The real magic is in what you haven’t discovered yet.

Repetition isn’t boring—it’s the key to fluency. Watch a musician, an athlete, or a great speaker. They don’t just know their craft—they own it. And that only happens through relentless practice.

Mistakes are proof that you’re pushing the edges of your ability. If you’re not messing up, you’re not learning—just repeating what you already know.

You don’t rise to the level of your knowledge; you fall to the level of your habits. Over learn to where excellence is your default setting.

If you only practice when it’s easy, you’ll never be great when it’s hard. Train yourself to perform under pressure—because that’s when it matters most.

Think about learning to drive. You pass your test, get your shiny new license, and suddenly realise… you’re still terrified of roundabouts. (Or is that just me?) The real learning happens after the test—when you’re dodging potholes, handling last-minute lane changes, and figuring out why your sat nav insists on taking you down the most questionable back roads.

The more you drive, the more automatic it becomes—until one day, you’re navigating traffic like a pro while singing along to your favourite song.

That’s over-learning. And it’s the key to NLP mastery.

Because knowing an NLP technique isn’t the same as owning it. True skill comes when you’ve practiced something so much that it becomes second nature—so natural that you don’t have to stop and think, What was that language pattern again? Instead, it just flows.

Everyone forgets most of what they learn. On average, after only a month people forget 98% of the totality of facts and ideas they have experienced.

Over-learning is the antidote to forgetting. The more you over-learn, the more you will remember.

EBBINGHAUS EXPERIMENT

The rate of forgetting meaningless syllables

TIME FROM % OF MATERIAL % OF MATERIAL

FIRST LEARNING REMEMBERED FORGOTTEN

After 20 minutes 53% 47%

After 1 day 38% 62%

After 2 days 31% 69%

After 15 days 25% 75%

After 31 days 22% 78%

Conclusions:

The greatest amount of forgetting occurs directly after finishing the learning task.
After the initial loss, forgetting slows down, but then there’s not so much left to forget.

SPITZER’S EXPERIMENTS

The rate of forgetting of textbook material

TIME FROM % OF MATERIAL % OF MATERIAL

FIRST LEARNING REMEMBERED FORGOTTEN

After 1 day 54% 46%

After 7 days 35% 65%

After 14 days 21% 79%

After 21 days 19% 81%

After 28 days 18% 82%

After 63 days 17% 83%

Conclusions:

The greatest amount of forgetting occurs rapidly during the first day.
Forgetting is still sizable during the first two weeks.
Forgetting slows down after two weeks, but again there is not much left to forget.

Self-Learning: Becoming Your Own Best Teacher

If you’ve ever tried to teach yourself a new skill—whether it’s playing an instrument, learning a language, or mastering an NLP technique—you’ll know this: at first, it’s exciting. You dive in, full of enthusiasm. But then, the honeymoon phase ends, and suddenly, you’re stuck. Frustration creeps in. Why isn’t this clicking yet?

That’s the moment most people give up. But not you.

Because here’s the secret: the real learning happens after it gets difficult. When you push past the struggle and keep practicing, your brain starts rewiring. That’s why self-learning isn’t just about repetition—it’s about intelligent repetition.

So, how do you make NLP techniques stick?

Talk to Yourself (Yes, Really!)
Ever tried explaining a technique out loud, even if nobody’s listening? Teaching—even to an imaginary audience—forces you to clarify your understanding. (Bonus: you might also get fewer interruptions if people think you’re talking to yourself.)
Experiment Relentlessly
Don’t just read about an NLP pattern—test it in real conversations. Play with it. If it works, fantastic! If it flops, even better—you’ve just discovered what not to do. Adjust, refine, and try again.
Make It Uncomfortably Easy
Ever noticed how musicians drill the same notes over and over until they can play them in their sleep? Apply that mindset to NLP. Repeat key patterns so often that using them feels as natural as breathing.
Fail Faster, Learn Faster
Mistakes aren’t roadblocks—they’re stepping stones. The quicker you mess up, the quicker you refine. Give yourself permission to fail spectacularly—because that’s how you grow.

The best NLP practitioners aren’t just those who study the material. They’re the ones who live it.

So, are you ready to become your own best teacher? Let’s get started.:

What Should NLP Trainers Keep in Mind When Training?

Understanding How Adults Learn

Training adults isn’t about dumping information into their heads and hoping it sticks. It’s about creating an experience that’s engaging, relevant, and—most importantly—transformational.

So, what makes adult learners tick?

1. Learning is a Lifelong Journey

Just because someone’s left school doesn’t mean they’ve stopped learning. Every experience, every interaction, every challenge is an opportunity to grow. Your job? Help them want to keep learning.

2. Learning is an Active Sport

Ever tried learning to swim by reading a book? Exactly. Adults don’t learn by passively absorbing information—they need to do, test, and experience for themselves. Make your sessions interactive and immersive.

3. Ownership is Everything

Adults take responsibility for their own learning. They’re not kids in a classroom—they’re here because they want to be (or at least, they’ve chosen to be). Give them autonomy. Let them explore.

4. The Three Keys to Learning: Head, Heart, and Hands

Learning isn’t just about understanding—it’s about feeling it and doing it. The best trainers engage all three:

Cognitive (Intellectual) – Make them think.
Affective (Emotional) – Make them care.
Conative (Action-Oriented) – Make them apply.

When you hit all three, real learning happens.

5. Make it Relevant or Lose Them

Want an audience that tunes out fast? Give them abstract, unrelated theories. Want them engaged? Give them real-world problems they care about. Speak their language, use their experiences, and show them why it matters.

6. Connect the Dots

Adults don’t learn in a vacuum. They relate everything new to what they already know. Use analogies, build on their past experiences, and help them connect the dots.

7. Keep it Relaxed, Keep it Fun

People learn best when they’re comfortable. No one enjoys a tense, overly formal environment. Make learning light, engaging, and even playful—because when people enjoy learning, they remember it.

8. Intimidation Kills Learning

Want to shut someone down? Make them feel stupid. Adults hate feeling judged or embarrassed. A safe, non-judgmental space allows curiosity and confidence to grow.

9. Variety is the Spice of Learning

Monotony is the enemy. Change it up. Use visuals, stories, hands-on exercises, discussions, and even movement. The more senses you engage, the deeper the learning.

10. Create a Win-Win Environment

Learning isn’t about proving who’s right. It’s about growth. When trainers and learners collaborate in an open, supportive space, everyone wins.

The Trainer’s Role: Be the Guide, Not the Guru

Your role isn’t just to deliver information—it’s to facilitate transformation. Here’s how:

1. Be a Change Agent

You’re not just teaching—you’re helping people shift mindsets, develop new skills, and reshape how they see the world.

2. Facilitate, Don’t Dictate

Adults don’t want to be told what to think. Give them the tools, ask the right questions, and let them discover insights for themselves.

3. Share the Responsibility

You create the environment, provide the tools, and spark the conversation. But learners must take responsibility for applying what they learn. When they do, real change happens.

Great trainers don’t just teach—they inspire. They don’t just deliver content—they create experiences. They don’t just transfer knowledge—they unlock potential.

So, the real question isn’t what you teach—it’s how you empower others to learn.

Are you ready to make that kind of impact?

Now it makes sense why we offer all our students the chance to repeat the NLP training as many times as they wish. Please check out our NLP Practitioner or NLP Master Practitioner or NLP Train the Trainers

Random thoughts on over learning:

Over-learning is the antidote to forgetting. The more you over-learn, the more you will remember.

What Should NLP Trainers Keep in Mind When Training?