Questions with Owen
Owen takes time to answer your questions
Owen on his Day to Day Schedule
My day to day is one of two things. I am either teaching a course or I am doing research work. What I call research work is everything from doing tv/radio interviews to researching for my new books or projects, answering emails or up-dating the website. Presently, I am researching more deeply in the areas of language, neurology, metaphorical communication, persuasion, brain washing, criminal psychology and the travel / hospitality industry. The courses are either business training courses where myself or Brian are hired to teach a module we have designed to improve performance in a company or an NLP course that we teach in Ireland or one that I teach around the world.
Also recently I have been working on a television programme that I have been presenting for Irish television known as 'Not Enough Hours'.
Owen on his Approach
Basically I use whatever works. With a large focus on NLP and Psychology, I make use of the latest technologies of personal development and latest research on hypnosis, advanced langauge skills, psychology of persuasion, the philosophy of success, and the art of excellence. I draw from many different fields, philosophies, geniuses and add in my own attitudes, perspectives and ideas into the mix based upon my experiences.
Owen on his Life Experience
I've been very fortunate to have travelled around the world a few times and having had the opportunity to train in various different countries in four different continents. That has also allowed me to meet thousands of people including well known Gurus in India, Shaman in South America and I've learned from the best in the world of personal development. I also have a policy of doing as many different things as possible and experiencing as much as possible which has taught me a lot about life, business and the world itself.
Owen on Success Philosophy
By success philosophy, I simply mean a persons philosophy of success. How a person thinks about success will play a large part in determining how much success they actually achieve.
Owen on Conversations
Conversations is a book I wrote with co-founder of NLP, Dr Richard Bandler. Richard is the greatest geniuses I have ever met and the book is a series of conversations that I have with him where I ask him every and any question I can think of and I do my best to relate the answers to my own personal and professional life. It is a honest book and I've been delighted with how well it's been received so far.
Owen on The Charisma Code
The Charisma Code is a book yet to be released in English yet although it's selling well in Italy. It's based upon some of my masters thesis in Psychology which examined Charisma as well as the work I've done with clients and the things I've learned from Dr Richard Bandler. It's a very practical book full of things to do to help you become more Charismatic.
Owen on the Irish Institute of NLP
The Irish Institute of NLP is an Institute that I set up in 2001 with my friend Brian Colbert. Brian and I realised that we made a good team and so we created the institute. We have since become the largest and most popular NLP training company in Ireland and we are moving from strength to strength.
Owen on Psychology
I have a Masters in Applied Psychology and I do feel that Psychology is something which has many good and bad points attached. On the bad side, I feel that there are far too many rules, too much status seeking, closemindedness and bureaucracy in the field of psychology. This leads to defensiveness and a religious fervour being attached to many of the basic principles. This can also be applied to NLP sadly.
On the other hand, there are some wonderful and very valuable insights to be gained in many areas of Psychology including Positive Psychology, Social Psychology, Organisational Psychology, Cognitive Behavioural Psychology to name but a few. Also there are some terrific psychologists out there that although I mightn't always agree with get super results and I, for one, am still an avid Psychology student and do my best always to keep up with the latest research.
Owen on his Critics
Whenever you become popular or known in the public domain, you are often forced to face up the sad reality that not everyone will appreciate, understand or like what you are doing. Whether it be because of jealousy, insecurity, ignorance or simply misunderstanding the point sometimes critics will have a go. Haha and I suppose it would be wrong to say they are never close to the mark. Everyone is entitled to their opinion so it's important to just live and let live. The field that we are in sometimes makes it seems like we think we have all the answers. Instead, it is important to acknowledge that we do not but we have some proven solutions that do work. It's not that people aren't good enough or happy enough or successful enough. It's that they aren't getting the results they want in their lives and if you can help them get it then that's a good thing. When people remember that then it's a good thing. It's not about you and your name... it's about the work you do with others that helps them that really matters.
Owen on NLP
NLP is probably the single most powerful educational tool I have ever come across for helping people to make changes in their lives, become happier, more successful and better at communicating.
The downside is that there are plenty of people in the field that again treat it with religious fervour or are busy trying to make themselves look important by making it seem more complicated than it really is. There is also a lot of status seeking and insecurity attached but that is usually only with some of the trainers. The up-side is that there are plenty of down to earth people in the field as well who have the real attitude of NLP, a great sense of humour and can help people change powerfully. I can honestly say that what I have learned from Dr Richard Bandler and John LaValle over the years forms much of the basis of a lot of the work I do.
Owen on his Irish television show 'NOT ENOUGH HOURS'
The opportunity to work on this programme has been a fantastic experience. Working with the crew and production team was a pleasure and honour and they certainly created a programme that I had a lot of fun on and am proud to have been a part of. Not everyone's cup of tea of course but the participants I worked with seemed very pleased with what changes they got from the show and from my side it was great to meet so many different, unique and lovely people and help them in this different kind of format. Time management is something which has been largely underrated and has never been so important.
Owen on Success
Success is the result of learning how to do something well and then doing it. It means we have to become ok with failure and rejection and become determined to make all of what we do better each and every time. We have to demonstrate quality at every turn.
Owen on his Training Style
I do my best to use a lot of humour, some stories and metaphors and I use NLP to teach NLP. I would use a lot of language patterns and anchors through my trainings and use plenty of exercises as well. I also tend to use examples which involve me so many of my stories include me as the protagonist. This is simply because it's easier to teach with true stories that you know first hand than to tell stories second or third hand about somebody else. To a degree, I think most teachers are self absorbed in so far as they use their own lives as examples of successes and mistakes made along the way which is what I tend to do.
Owen on his Sense of Humour
The humour that I use in working with people is often joking about how wonderful I am. It is designed to give them an example of someone who doesn't take themselves too seriously. By being overly cocky and confident, I put across the idea that says that I am mocking myself which gets people laughing at me in such a way that they feel they can get me better while simultaneously demonstrating a useful confidence and attitude to myself that they can adopt for themselves. Praising themselves in the mirror is a great way to start developing a better attitude towards yourself.
Owen On Business
Business is about two things: the potential of Products and Service to be exchanged for money and People. What this means is that a Business works best when it's product or service is quality and the people and their relationships with each other and the customer are working. When we work with people we do so to ensure that the people are sorted out... happier, more motivated, better at performing, better at communicating, better at working together, selling, being creative… whatever it is that they need to be at their best for their benefit and the benefit of the company.
Owen on Business Modules
The Business Modules are short modules which are focused specifically on different areas in which we can help the client improve, significantly.
Owen on Coaching
Coaching is helping people to go from where they are to where they want to be. You do this by helping the person define specifically what they want and how they are going to get there and helping them overome any mental blocks that might be in the way.
Owen on Creativity
Creativity is something that we all have purely because we all have brains. Like anything, it requires that we learn to use our brains more effectively and to do that there are a whole host of skills, strategies and techniques that we can employ in order to generate the most creative states.
Owen on Charisma
Charisma is not something which some people have and others don't have. It is something that can be improved on just like any other skill. It is an impression we create in others minds and we can learn how to create a more powerful and favourable one once we understand some basic principles.
Owen on Hypnolinguistics
Hypnolinguistics is a course I designed with my friend and co-trainer Brian Colbert. It takes some of the best patterns, basic and advanced that we've learned through NLP from Richard Bandler with other ideas of the power of language and explains how to develop brilliant skills in using language hypnotically for mesmerising effects.
Owen on Personal Freedom
Personal Freedom is your own ability to take control over the way you think and feel and decide to become happier and more successful.
Owen on seeing Clients
Due to my hectic schedule I have a waiting list which is a few months long at all times but I'm lucky that I know of a number of brilliant therapists and coaches that I can refer people onto as well.
Owen on Happiness
Happiness is something that we create through the way that we think. We need to practice it to become good at it.
Owen On Love
Love is possibly the single most important experience we have in the world. There are many different types of love. I think, in many ways, life is about finding ways to create and experience and share more love with more people.
Owen on Therapy
Therapy is something which I think benefits some people by helping them to take a look at some of their issues and help them come to terms with things so that they can move on. Most of the most effective therapies work best by the person learning how to think differently about things. Counselling is slightly different and I believe is also a good idea in the event that a person feels the need to talk out their issues in such a way that it will help. (eg. Grief, Relationship break-up)
Owen on his Influences
I have so many influences from my friends and family right the way through to all my clients and students and people I randomly met including many of the indian gurus, spiritual leaders and south american shaman. With regards to teachers or authors, my greatest influence has undoubtedly been Dr Richard Bandler. I have also learned a massive amount about persuasion, language and business from John LaValle. I also have gotten a lot of insight from Robert Anton Wilson and have learned lots from my friend and training partner Brian Colbert. Some of my colleagues in the field of NLP like Gabe Guerrero, Eric Robbie, Kathleen LaValle, Kate Benson, Hugh Street, John Carey, David Northrop Barbara Stepp have also had a hand to play in my development. Also I can't forget Liz Dunne, my tutor and supervisor in college for all she has done for me. Really there are far too many influences to count here, which I think is a good sign.