President’s Message

This is the year to tell as many people as we can about how hypnotism can help ordinary, everyday people with ordinary, everyday problems.  Just imagine … the immense power of 12,000 NGH  consulting hypnotists in 73 countries telling our story just once a day for 365 days … we can reach millions of people around the world.

But to really work we need your voice. You can be responsible in your sphere of influence for contributing your voice to our international project, and it won’t cost you anything except a bit of enthusiasm and positive action. In our Every Member PR Project we’ve been urging every member, in every country, every day, to talk with somebody about our profession. Recently I was asked if it counts if you talk to the same person two days in a row … of course! If that person is interested in talking with you about hypnotism that’s great! Every conversation helps you to become more at ease and smooth in what you have to say.

Another by-product of our project is that networking in this way is also a very important part of attracting new clients. More people will become aware of what you do and will look to you as the hypnosis expert. Even if you aren’t in practice yet you will still be building your confidence and reputation for your future endeavors.

It may seem strange that after all my years as a hypnotist I can  still get enthused when I talk to people about hypnotism. Generally, I find that people are intrigued with hypnosis and that really gets me warmed up to talk about what we have to offer. I really love to see the reactions I get—and rarely has there been a negative one.

However If they’re not interested … they’re not interested, and I switch to something they are interested in, such as “and, what do you do for a living”? After all, everybody is interested in #1—themselves. When you do your “elevator talk” it should express your enthusiasm about what we do as consulting hypnotists. If you are enthused you will naturally want to share that enthusiasm. Once you develop your personal comfort zone in doing an Elevator Talk it will become second nature and as interesting to you as to the listener. Why? Because what we do is interesting! You should try it— we’ve made it easy—just go to NGH.net and click on the Member Resources tab. There you can download How to Develop Your Elevator Talk, a document to help you get started.

We will continue on our NGH website with information on How to Develop a Group Talk, How to Get Personal Publicity, plus other valuable practice building tips and ideas. Enthusiasm for life … enthusiasm for who you are … enthusiasm for what you do should all be automatic for us as hypnotists. We all have the know-how to achieve this enthusiasm through self-hypnosis … you can help yourself, help your friends and family, and your clients to have better lives. Speaking of enthusiasm, I’d like to share an enthusiastic e-mail from a first time attendee who attended the 2011 NGH convention:

“The 13 hour pre-convention workshop with Don was unbelievable … The other 12 hours in the actual conference days (11 sessions) all rated 5 out of 5: the two who were not polished presenters had so much information, useful hand-outs, and genuine enthusiasm, it didn’t matter! All had more to offer by personal chatting afterwards and/or by Email, both of which I availed myself. The demonstrations, personal experiences and exercises, and in-depth information were awe-inspiring.What a line-up of first-class, world-class mentors! Was it worth it? Well, I’m signing up for next year this month. Hope to see you there!”
Gary R. C. Cameron, B.Sc,B.Ed, M.Ed,CH.

Thanks to the above “first-timer” from Canada, as well as our outstanding attendees and presenters from 23 countries, we enjoyed our usual  “open forum for a free exchange of ideas concerning hypnotism.” It was a friendly and professional success-generating gathering of consulting hypnotists comprised of 65% females and 36% males. The abundance of comments/evaluations were that the positive energy was really great! There is nothing else like our world’s largest and friendliest hypnotism convention and educational conference, so plan ahead for August 10 – 12, 2012. Convention Link

In the past 24 years the National Guild of Hypnotists has developed and refined the art of presenting conventions, conferences and continuing-ed workshops. Our efforts are often copied, but never equaled. Our New Hampshire NGH headquarters is already preparing for the 13th annual NGH Solid Gold Weekend to be held at Embassy Suites South in Anaheim, California on February 24 – 26, 2012. This smaller, West Coast conference starts on Friday afternoon with a bonus presentation at 1 pm. so early arrivals can start right in with an information-packed session instead of sitting around waiting for check-in time. On Saturday and Sunday twelve fabulous presenters cover a wide range of topics in one and two hour presentations with plenty of in-between breaks for personal networking. Embassy Suite guests will enjoy a spacious suite, cooked-to-order breakfast each morning, and complimentary Manager’s Reception at the end of each day. Be sure to ask for the “NGH” rate of $132 for a single or double occupancy and our rate is good until January 20th. Early registrants can receive up to $149 worth of never-before-released Solid Gold workshop CDs. All attendees will receive printed handouts/notes, CEUs, Certificate of Attendance, and complimentary luncheons on Saturday and Sunday. All of this plus ample social time for networking with colleagues, so make plans now for February 24 – 26, 2012. It’s easy—go to our website at www.ngh.net to sign up for the conference and make your room reservation.

It’s Early-Bird savings  time right now!

Dr. Dwight F. Damon, President
National Guild of Hypnotists, Inc.
National Federation of Hypnotists, Local 104 OPEIU-ALF/CIO