Instructor Training for your Department or Agency.

Requirements and conditions for Instructor Training at your Department or Agency:

• The training is 4-5 days in length at your location, depending if your agency is armed or unarmed.  The typical class is five days.

• You will need to provide a classroom capable of comfortably seating the number of participants you wish to have in attendance.

• You will need to provide training room materials such as white boards and markers.  We will be happy to demonstrate the Verbal Judo PowerPoint presentation if you also provide the equipment.

• Certification will be restricted to training the Verbal Judo copyrighted material within your specific department or agency unless specifically agreed before Instructor Training begins at your location.

• Prospective instructors will be required to sign a contractual agreement of understanding of the copyrighted materials and conditions of the right to train Verbal Judo.  This agreement will be signed prior to the start of the first day of instructor training.

• A re-certification for all instructors will be required at the end of the agreement if your department or agency wishes to continue using the Verbal Judo material.  Certification will last three years.

• The certification agreement will authorize your agency or department to reproduce the Verbal Judo manual containing the copyrighted information.  Department or Agency agreement may require your organization to pay a fee to reproduce the manuals.  If your agreement states we will ship the manuals to your department or agency, we will invoice you for the cost of reproduction and shipping.  Agreements will contain the actual cost per manual.  Each student trained under the certification will be required to have a manual.

• To become certified, students in the Verbal Judo Instructor Course will be required to pass a written and pictorial examination at 70% for a passing score on each exam.

• The cost for the class will be $2500 per day plus travel costs to your location.  Payment will be required at the completion of the week of training.  

• Certificates of graduation and letter of authorization to teach the Verbal Judo material will be presented at the end of the class.  If conditions require we will ship the certificates to graduates at no charge to your agency.

Do not forget to read the section on INSTRUCTOR RESTRICTIONS AND CONDITIONS

WISH TO HOST AN OPEN-ENROLLMENT COURSE AT YOUR DEPARTMENT OR AGENCY?

Requirements and conditions for Hosting Open-Enrollment Instructor Training:

• A charge of $750 per instructor trained will be required with a minimum of 20 participants to run the class.  

• After you have enrolled 20 students to complete the minimum requirement, a student may be enrolled at no charge for each additional three paying students.  At 20 your slots are free.  Under certain conditions you may be able to receive compensation for hosting the class.  When marketing to surrounding departments of agencies you are welcome to offer discounts for multiple participants from the same agency or department.  Call or email us for details.  

• Certificates of graduation and letter of authorization to teach the Verbal Judo material will be presented at the end of the class.  If conditions require we will ship the certificates to graduates at no charge to the graduate or their respective agency.

Do not forget to read the section on INSTRUCTOR RESTRICTIONS AND CONDITIONS

WISH TO ATTEND AN OPEN-ENROLLMENT COURSE?

View locations around the United States where open-enrollment instructor courses are currently scheduled.

Requirements and conditions for Attending Open-Enrollment Instructor Training:

• After certification you may only train for the department, agency, or organization specifically outlined in your instructor agreement.

• If you are employed by a for profit organization your company will be required to pay the copyrighted materials fees for each student trained by you in Verbal Judo.  Each student must be presented with a manual and all manuals will be shipped to you at a location of your choice at your organization's expenses.  Cost per manual will be determined prior to training and outlined in your training agreement.

• Your certification will last three years at which time you will be required to attend re-certification or if you wish others to train they must attend the full certification course.  Re-certification courses are typically less time and monies than the initial four or five-day course.

• You will be required to bring a check or authorization for the amount of $750 for enrollment on the first day of the training.  Call us if this is an issue at your department or agency.  You will receive a receipt of payment.

• If more than yourself will be trained and certified as instructors from the same department, agency, or organizations there will be a discounts offered.  Call or email for details.  

Please read the section below regarding COPYRIGHTED INFORMATION ASSISTANCE.  

PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO ALSO READ THE IMPORTANT NOTE TO OUR CUSTOMERS, OUR POTENTIAL AND FUTURE CUSTOMERS, AND TO ALL OF YOU THAT HAVE BEEN LOYAL TO US OVER THE PAST TWENTY YEARS.

WE ASK YOU TO PLEASE HELP US.

SUMMARY

We have received numerous complaints from across North America of people teaching or attempting to teach the Verbal Judo program contents.  Apparently most do not do it very well and many have hired trainers in good failth thinking they were affiliated with the Institute.  When they did not receive the quality of presentation they expected they contacted us only to find these trainers were illegally using our name and copyrighted information.  Since we do not wish to spend all of our time in court we ask you to hire only those you see on this web site listed as certified instructors.  All others who are certified to train are restricted to teach only within their respective organizations and never outside for profit or not.  

By these actions they harm us all financially and do even greater harm to the reputation of the Verbal Judo Institute.  This becomes of even greater importance as we become more mainstream and grow.

MESSAGE TO OUR EXISTING AND PROSPECTIVE CLIENTS

For the past few years we have been the victims of copyright piracy.  Whether purposeful or accidental it has wrought serious consequences for us as a company and our clients, who have spend money thinking the training they were receiving was sanctioned by the Institute and Dr. Thompson.  The number of complaints and problems from people illegally teaching or watering down the information by adding sections of Verbal Judo tactics and strategies to other programs to enhance their own work has become epidemic.  In this case, imitation has not been a form of flattery.  Clients have received poor quality or incomplete training from these pirates, whose goal was to fill their pockets from our reputation or ironically from well-intentioned people that have come into contact with the training in a live presentation or from our product base, actually trying to help others live better.  Clients who have experienced unauthorized training have complained bitterly and demanded we take action.  It has taken too much of our resources in time and money to shut these people down patiently and to do so without involving the courts.

The Verbal Judo program has been an overwhelming success in terms of reducing conflict, saving lives, and changing lives for the better – exactly the objectives Dr. Thompson intended when he first placed words on paper with his first book, Words as a Force Option.  The fervor from the book was enough to generate interest in conducting training classes and so he founded the Verbal Judo Institute. 

When classroom style instruction began it was with the same intent and conviction that helped the Institute grow to sixteen core training people on four continents, the creation of a larger product line including an Audio series, two additional books and a DVD Review of the course as it is taught to audiences all over the world.  We have also tried to meet the demand for the training by certifying and licensing instructors to conduct training for their own organizations under very specific agreements, bringing us again to the current problem.

We tread a fine line and dilemma with our desire to help as many people as we can plus maintain the integrity of both the training and reputation of the Institute.  As we do little if any advertising, our reputation is how we remain in business and ensure the financial security of our core staff, people who have devoted so much of their life to our mission.  Although most of the organizations have been duped or simply did not know they were in violation of copyright infringement there has also been on occasions where some have knowingly hired people illegally train Verbal Judo so to save a few dollars in their training or travel budget.  Most and have been disappointed with the results, or worse, can now say they have satisfied a training requirement with the best training available to reduce potential hot issues.  This has caused us to received calls to defend the quality of our work when things went badly for these organizations on a later date.  This must stop. 

In our case, you do get what you pay for and we do this as our living and not a hobby, and for this reason you receive the best training possible.  Further, we have never turned down a client who requested Verbal Judo purely for reasons of limited financial means, often trying to accommodate people whenever and wherever possible by helping them hook up with other organizations to share costs if necessary.  

We have come to the point that we must move beyond the simple “cease and desist” letters and the occasional lawful action toward these pirates.  With the integrity of the material and the well-earned reputation of the Institute at stake we will now take a hard line position and anyone caught teaching unlawfully or outside the exact scope of their agreement will be prosecuted.  All agreements must now be documented and approved on Institute letterhead, signed by Dr. Thompson as the President and Founder, Lee Fjelstad, as the Vice President, or Michael Manley as the Director. 

We have no wish to spend time in court or spend more money on lawyers than we already do in the creating of these contracts and agreements, but enough is enough and the time to take serious action has come.  In fairness and with the original intent clearly in the forefront of our thinking we will offer below a set of practical guidelines that will keep us all out of harms way.  The rule of the future will be, when in doubt, email or write before teaching to ensure what you want or have been asked to do will properly, ethically, and legally fit the scope of your agreement.  

We are sorry it has come to this and sincerely hope and trust we will always have your confidence and your support in this most difficult decision.  We will continue to provide the best training in the industry and strive to help all of you within our ability to do so.

We would also be unappreciative if we failed to thank all of you with instructor certifications that have lawfully and responsibly upheld your agreements.  You do us proud.

W. Lee Fjelstad, Vice President of the Verbal Judo Institute, on the behalf of Dr. George J. Thompson, President and Founder, Michael Manley, and all the members of the Institute, our thanks for your compliance and your understanding.