Reviews

Mike Soanes

Myers/Briggs has become an essential tool for Barnardos in the North-East and The Buzz will give us a great opportunity to extend its use in our work with young people. It puts quite complex things in a clear and understandable way. I particularly like the way it introduces the important issue of positive and negative thinking which really adds a new dimension to Myers/Briggs. This book could be a particularly useful tool for foster carers, youth workers and residential workers in helping young people to understand themselves and their world – and in helping young people who are experiencing difficulties to think they can do something positive to change their lives.

This book is a great resource for those people who see the potential of using Myers/Briggs with young people but who don’t know how to go about it.

Mike Soanes, Barnardos

Michaela Gill

This is by far, the best motivational resource I have come across for young people and for the practitioners who work with young people.

At Trafford Connexions, we have piloted and evaluated The Buzz exercises and materials with a wide range teenagers over the last 6 months and the feedback has been amazing!

Here are some of the comments we’ve received from young people and from the advisers who work with them:

• “I’ve learned more about myself than I’ve ever done before”
• “The Buzz exercise was my favorite activity of the day”
• “The materials are excellent”
• “The exercises are easy to use and very interesting”

The Buzz is written entirely from the point of view of young people – it is interactive, humorous and relevant to their needs. David explores personality and behavior in a fun, straight forward and easy to understand way, which directly appeals to young people.

It is also a highly effective resource for any practitioner working with teenagers, who is looking to motivate and inspire them to make positive life choices.

Most importantly, it puts young people in control of their own behavior, relationships and emotions and is a truly excellent aid to decision making and self development.

Michaela Gill, Training Officer, Trafford Connexions and Youth Service

Matt Deakin

I think the book is excellent. It is a relentlessly positive message but never patronising that should do much to help raise self esteem and confidence in the reader. Although aimed at young people, The Buzz has enough simple and genuinely helpful techniques, tips and tricks for all.

Matt Deakin, Careers Advisory Service, Durham University

Stewart Farrar

Social psychologist Kurt Lewin once remarked that 'there's nothing as practical as a good theory'. In The Buzz, David Hodgson provides confirmation of this assertion as he combines Personality Type and NLP theory, research, anecdotes and practical activities to help teenagers (and potentially 'anyagers'!) to make the most of themselves and their lives.

For too long careers work has focussed disproportionately on the development of knowledge and skills. David's accessible, engaging and entertaining work reminds us that values and behaviours are an equally important component of personal development and can be developed by everyone and at any time to discover and realise their full potential.

Stewart Farrar, Assistant Regional Manager, VT Careers Management West Sussex

Pete Henshaw

The Buzz aims to encourage young people to make positive life choices. It is written by David Hodgson, a training consultant in the north east of England, who works with young people (and those who work with them) on things like motivation, goal setting, life skills and employability.

The book, which Hodgson has written with teachers and students in mind, looks at increasing young people's confidence, self-esteem, motivation and self-awareness. It addresses topics like how to relax and reduce stress, manage negative behaviour, and improve study and revision techniques.

The book is full of interactive activities, practical tips and is humorous at times. It is well laid out with diagrams and lots of white space making it an inviting prospect. Entertaining introductions and short, to the point sections also help make the book easy to skim through.

Complex theories and approaches are presented in terms that everyone can understand. Hodgson has conducted many surveys among young people, and the overwhelming majority yearned for the same three things in life - to be happy, confident and successful.

Personality and behaviour are main topics with special sections on the moods young people often experience.

The best aspect to this excellent book are the numerous tips and useful lists for creating that buzz, like how to get out of an argument, top 10 employability skills, and the traits of the different character types and how they react to stress.

Pete Henshaw

Rapport Magazine

It's time to bring The Buzz into your classroom. Packed with interactive activities, practical tips and humour, it has something for every student. The Buzz blends all the richness and energy of NLP and Personality type theory and is presented in a style designed to inspire and educate both teachers and students.

The Buzz is an exciting collection of interactive techniques developed with teachers and students which informs and inspires young people to make positive life choices. Contents include: How to become the best you; personality assessment; how to increase confidence, self-esteem, motivation and self--awareness; how to relax and reduce stress, managing negative behaviour; study skills; and revision techniques.

Surveys conducted by the author found that young people consistently desire the same 3 things from life - to be happy, confident and successful. The Buzz shows them how to achieve all of these through a, fantastic and illuminating journey of self-discovery. Complex theories and approaches are clearly presented in an easy-to-understand form. A unique and highly effective method of realising potential and being the best you can be. This book is a good companion for young people, parents and teachers alike.

Rapport Magazine, Winter 06

Human Givens

Surveys conducted by the author have found that young people consistently desire the same three things in life: to be happy, confident and successful. This book aims to show them how to achieve all of these things through an illuminating journey of self-discovery. Designed for teachers and college tutors, careers and education advisers, it is a lively collection of interactive techniques, developed with teachers and students, to inform young people and inspire them to make positive life choices. Contents include how to become the best you; personality assessment; how to increase confidence, self-esteem, motivation and self-awareness; how to relax and reduce stress; managing negative behaviour; study skills and revision techniques.

Human Givens Magazine March 2007

Families South West

If you were to mark your life out of 10, what score would you give yourself? What score would your teenager give his or herself? To help you get the highest possible score, The Buzz tackles three areas : how to make your personality buzz, how to make your behaviour buzz, and how to really buzz (i.e. go for it) in your life. The book is heavily based on NLP and Personality Type theory but is amazingly accessible to teenagers (and to parents, too - I only handed it over to the teenagers after I'd used it on myself, of course!). I LOVED this book. It felt exciting to read, I felt that I was finding out more about myself on every page - and, better still, understanding how and why other people have such a huge influence on how I feel. There are loads of techniques, tips and tricks - but the best bit of all is the motivation to understand yourself better and really get what you want out of life. I'm also a lot better now at turning fears into positive, helpful actions. Excellent.

Families South West rating: *********

Families South West

Amanda Lowe

The Buzz is a no-nonsense, jargon-free book which demonstrates how teachers, therapists, parents and work with those often difficult teenagers to develop confidence.

David Hodgson has worked with young people for many years, and shares his tools and techniques with the reader.

This book provides a framework to get young people talking about themselves, exploring aspects of their personality, and how they relate to others, and offers solutions, alternatives, and reasons for why we do what we do. It covers issues that are common to all teenagers, and offers tools and techniques for coping with them.

This is a useful book for anyone who deals with teenagers, as it uses easily accessible language, there are simple, fun exercises, and it requires no knowledge of NLP to understand. What I like about THE BUZZ is the way it steers clear of any confusing jargon – there is a short explanatory section at the back of the book, if you want to know more about the thinking and theory behind the exercises – and you could work through the book in a conversational mode, rather than a lecturing one.

The book is divided into three sections:

Finding out who we are – discovering personality preferences; how to use them to find out what you’re naturally good at and how to get on better with people.