Clean Language Goes “Mainstream”
“If you’re not into Clean Language, you’re very much behind the curve this year.”
That was the comment from one participant at the NLP Conference as she realised just how much Clean Language had featured in the presentations.
Even I can’t be everywhere at once, so with up to seven streams of activity at any one time, I missed many sessions. But my “spies” were keen to let me know how much of a role Clean was playing.
Almost every presenter seemed to have a Clean Language question up their sleeve – ready to be introduced to power the central activity of their session.
For example, Jackie Arnold mentioned that she used Clean Language more than 80 per cent of the time in her coaching super-vision sessions. Why? Because it works.
Participants in her session considered the question: “When you are coaching/supervising at your best, you are like… what?” Then we discovered more about our metaphors by asking each other Clean Language questions about those eagles, owls, clowns and mirrors.
You might like to try it for yourself. When you’re working at your best, that’s like… what? Then ask: “What kind of X?” and “Is there anything else about X?” about the various aspects of your metaphor.
It’s not just within this conference, either. Penny Tompkins and James Lawley have two chapters on Clean in the new Innovations In NLP book. Big NLP name Shelle Rose Charvet is to be the keynote speaker at the Clean Conference next year. Wendy Sullivan and my book Clean Language is selling steadily – and is about to be translated into Russian.
Clean Language works. It helps people to understand what they are really thinking, and what motivates their friends and colleagues.
And it doesn’t work only in the airy-fairy world of personal development and NLP. My friend Caitlin Walker told the stories of how she’s been using Clean Language to model the metaphors of everyone from street-smart school dropouts… to committee-hardened lecturers… software developers… and the management of a large UK company.
Are you Clean Languaged up yet? If not, what would you like to have happen next?
Do you use Clean Language? In the New Year this site will carry a number of real-life stories about how David Grove’s technique is being applied around the world. If you’d like your story to be included, please contact me.
Comments from original on judyrees.co.uk
caitlin walker
23 November 2011
Hello Judy, I had a great time at the NLP Conference; bright people, interesting topics and wide applications.
I was amaed at how many people were including Clean in their approach to personal and professional development at the conference.
My take on Clean has always been on how to teach it to groups and organisations so that instead of learning a new business model, they are able to learn modelling itself. We’ve been developing bitesize processes for managing meetings, appraisals, conflict, staff development, and culture change and then ruthlessly evaluating them in diverse cultures to check that they really work.
Like you we love Clean because it’s easy to learn and it lasts! We’d love to share some of our real life stories and wonder which would be of most interest to your readers? Police Interviewing? Welfare to Work? Aligning a disparate board? Moving a culture from Drama to Karma? Improving Student Attainment at Uni? Clean is a fantastic tool in the hands of expert coaching AND a fantastic coaching tool in the hands of nearly every group we’ve come across! Looking forward to sharing whatever is most relevant. Caitlin
Peter Wright
25 November 2011
Hi Judy,
It’s great to hear how Clean is storming ahead in its usage and capabilities for everyone who opens up to its amazing simplicity!
I’ve just realised it’s two years since my own discovery of Clean and I’ve just been revisiting all my articles from those early months when I was continually being astounded at people’s metaphorical landscapes!
Now, of course, I find I use it all the time without even noticing I’m using it -which is a great place to be in terms of unconscious competence. It’s like having a can of Linguistic WD40!
Your continued help, encouragement and inspiration through my ‘Clean Years’ have been invaluable and, although I’ve said it before, huge thanks for all you do!