What's Clean Language? by Angela Watson

Angela Watson refelcts on her use of Clean, and how it has developed to include a variety of uses since she first trained.

One of the many reasons why Clean Language resonates so well with me is because I am fascinated with the way we each make sense of the world in our own unique way. To be Clean means to put aside our notions of what we might assume is happening and to ask questions instead. 

In a nutshell, Clean Questions are a way of eliciting information in a way that avoids "putting your words into someone elses mouth".

The psychological background of this is the work of David Grove, (deceased), who pioneered the ground breaking technique of Clean Language while working with trauma victims during the 1980s. He discovered that patients would often speak in metaphor when describing their pain and that the most effective way of alleviating the effects was to honour their metaphors by asking open questions which reflected the patient's exact words. This meant he avoided "leading the witness".

Over a period of years, David identified 9 questions that would least influence the client in their metaphorical journey, and he gave this process the name, "Clean Language". The technique was observed by NLP modellers Penny Tompkins and James Lawley, who devoted the next 3 years to modelling David's techniques into a methodology that could be taught to and practised by others, not only in coaching and therapy, but also in business, healthcare and education.

Whether relating to a metaphor or not, Clean Questions can and are useful in a variety of everyday work situations. The purpose is not so much to demonstrate understanding but to help people to understand for themselves so that they can do what they need to do to get the job done... In this context, we have to be prepared to be in a not knowing state, openly allowing our experience to inform us of what's going on in front of us, in the moment, rather than second guessing and thinking we "should" know the answers. How liberating is that? And naturally, this takes discipline and skill.

Angela Watson is a Coaching & Leadership Training

Consultant, a Clean Facilitator, and writer who lives with her family in Hampshire, UK. She is a model of excellence for learning and is exceptionally talented for asking clean questions. For proof, check out her blogs: http://starfishnlp.wordpress.com

She is hosting NLP Practitioner Masterclasses in Turkey teaching Coaching & Leadership Through Self and Others. And for those who are new to Clean and NLP Angela regularly teaches on Introductions to Clean and NLP   and  Clean Masterclasses in the UK.

References:

NLP At Work 3rd edition, Sue Knight, 2009

Rapport Magazine, Sue Knight 2010.

Metaphors in Mind, Penny Tompkins and James Lawley, 2000

Clean Language,Wendy Sullivan and Judy Rees, 2008