The Importance of Documentation

The business world has changed significantly over the last 5 years with more emphasis on protection…of ourselves as Business Owners and our clients.

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The Importance of Documentation

The business world has changed significantly over the last 5 years with more emphasis on protection…of ourselves as Business Owners and our clients.

When you are aware of the potential risks of delivering NLP in whatever format you have been trained to deliver, you know how powerful the change work can be and how you can be ecologically aware of the impact your skills can have. The result of your work can be amazing and, in this way, you build a reputation for successful interventions. 

Protecting that reputation and keeping your clients and potential clients aware of how you keep up with current legislation and best practice surrounding the delivery of your products and services gives them confidence…it is another layer of comfort that demonstrates you are a true NLP Professional…knowing how to run a business and look after those whom you serve.

To support members, ANLP has put together some basic document templates that cover some of the key areas of legislation that professionally-run companies may require. You can access these from your members dashboard. There are some fundamental procedures that follow industry best-practice to maintain a strong and safe relationship between you and your clients.

Here are some questions you can consider when starting or formalising your company and you can also use the exclusive ANLP Member document templates to give you a starting point for your company protection.

Do you have insurance for your business?

This is a becoming far more important as a safety net for you and your clients. Being properly and adequately insured and stating this in your practice area gives clients added confidence that, if anything goes wrong, you will have the means to cover their reasonable financial requirements.  Many Insurance companies also offer legal cover for you to protect yourself if the claims made require a defence.

Do you store your client’s data electronically? 

You now have acess to a template GDPR and Privacy Policy that you can tailor for your business.  Security, confidentiality and availability of the data you store and how you process it, is a serious consideration.
 

Do you have company policies that protect you and your clients? 

ANLP have set up three policy templates that are recommended for any company delivering NLP services. 

  • Safeguarding – if you work with or are approached to work with children and/or vulnerable adults, it is important to have an understanding of the boundaries that are in place and that you set out in order to deliver the best service within the context of the client’s personal situation.
  • Anti-Bullying and Harassment – To protect you, your staff and contractors and your clients, this policy sets out the definition you choose to apply to Bullying and Harassment, how to report it and the potential consequences.
  • Whistle-blowing – It is also important for your clients, staff, contractor and anyone you work with, to know that you operate within the Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct of ANLP.  The Whistle-blowing policy ensures that anyone who views your practices as breaching rules, regulations or laws has clear direction and protection in order to report what they have witnessed. 

Do you have contracts?

In other words, do you ensure that your client signs an agreement that sets out what both parties will commit to, what the expectations are and any other delivery considerations you want to set out? 

ANLP have Coaching and Training Agreement templates that give you an idea of the terms of your agreements and we encourage you to amend and add to it to make it your own for your own particular services.

Do your clients complete a disclosure document? 

To protect you and the client, it is important to record any medical, medication, physical and mental health issues before any sessions commence.  The template that covers this is the Pre-screening Agreement and you can tailor this to your business.

ANLP Members who want an even greater choice of company documentation, covering a whole range of services, can take advantage of the members discount available with Simply Docs. Access the discount code and instructions via your Members Dashboard.

All the templates provided must be read and amended to be specifically appropriate for your business and the products and services you provide.