There are over a dozen design principles presented in the Landmark Forum.  Each of the other courses also has many new design principles.

Design principles, also called 'distinctions', illustrate ways that all human beings tend to operate in life.  Being aware of them in your own life gives tremendous power and freedom.  Simply reading about them may help but getting a real grip on them allows for ongoing transformation.  Most people say that they get much more out of the Landmark Forum in the months and years afterward than during the course itself.  The reason is because of the competency you gain in the design principles.

Example of a design principle:
Winning Formula:  your personal strategy for success; what people know you to be; what works for you in life.  Some examples would be:  humor, determination, friendliness--for me it is being smart (figuring things out).  These things really work but they have two drawbacks.  The first is that it is automatic; there is no choice.  In my case, being smart was not always appropriate as a counselor yet I had no choice.  I now have the option to be compassionate, for example, and to let my automatic reaction not surface.  The other thing that doesn't work about a winning formula is that it never leaves you fully satisfied.  In my case, no matter how smart I become, I would never come to the point where, 'this is it'.  It is where I succeed but it is not where I find full and ongoing satisfaction.  I now can stop my automatic reaction and choose the most appropriate and effective way to be.

These design principles are ingenious things which really make a difference and are readily available when a circumstance needs attention.  They allow you to put the attention on yourself and cause how you would like life to be for you rather than blaming others and being a victim of life's circumstances.

These have been particularly useful at work.  I can now alter how work seems to me and I can also alter how people actually communicate at work.  I am no longer a victim of my job, career, and upper management.  I now have a say in how my life is at work and how it will be for everyone.  My personal communication skills also facilitate this.  I can now communicate without having to be right about things and without making someone else be wrong; I can deal with what actually occurs without personal judgments.  Working like this is an adventure rather than a constant personality battle.