I was getting my regular massage and I was chatting with my therapist about how I'm updating my EFT practice to utilize Clean Language in session, as well as share it with colleagues.
She knew about the Tapping already but never heard of Clean. I started to tell her how I do it in sessions, but then I immediately jumped to showing her how it would work even in a massage.
I said when she's asking a client what they need that day, I used myself as an example with "this knot here", suggested she could simply say, "... And what kind of knot is that knot?". I said that could happen while on the table as well. I said, "whoa I can really feel that one," I suggested she could actually say, "and what kind of really feel that one is it?"
I didn't dive much deeper, but I mentioned how it can be used in any relationship, helping each other feel truly heard. She did seem to be impressed! She asked for my card!
Love it! When I used to see a massage therapist regularly she used the Clean Language questions with me on my various aches and pains. I'm not sure whether she used them with other clients, though!
I love this clear, actionable invitation to actually do it rather than just admire the elegance of Clean Language from a safe distance.
As a visual practitioner I find that the moment of “what to draw” is often a silent fork in the road: do I impose my own assumptions, or do I pause and get curious? The pragmatics of drawing the first thing that comes to mind often win out.
That simple question, “What kind of X is that X?”, becomes a game-changer. It gives permission to hold back on interpreting and instead listen for resonance before making meaning visual.
Thanks for the reminder and for breaking it down with such clarity and heart.
I've often wondered about the practicalities of combining Clean Language with visual facilitation - if you stopped to ask about every word you'd never get anything drawn. And sometimes, a quick question would make everything so much clearer. When to do which?
Absolutely agree. It’s a dance, isn’t it? If we tried to clean-question every word, we’d end up paralysed by inquiry. For me, it’s about calibrating to that internal tug to pause before drawing something. An intuitive moment when something feels fuzzy, loaded, or layered, and a Clean question could unlock it.
What helps is pre-framing the process right from the start. I’ll often say something like, “I’ll be drawing what I hear. If something doesn’t land right or could be clearer, please interrupt or offer a better word or image.” That invitation can open the door for participants to co-shape what gets drawn, and makes it easier to choose when to pause and dig a little deeper with a Clean question.
Sometimes the question lives in the pen. Sometimes, it lives in the pause.....
I was getting my regular massage and I was chatting with my therapist about how I'm updating my EFT practice to utilize Clean Language in session, as well as share it with colleagues.
She knew about the Tapping already but never heard of Clean. I started to tell her how I do it in sessions, but then I immediately jumped to showing her how it would work even in a massage.
I said when she's asking a client what they need that day, I used myself as an example with "this knot here", suggested she could simply say, "... And what kind of knot is that knot?". I said that could happen while on the table as well. I said, "whoa I can really feel that one," I suggested she could actually say, "and what kind of really feel that one is it?"
I didn't dive much deeper, but I mentioned how it can be used in any relationship, helping each other feel truly heard. She did seem to be impressed! She asked for my card!
Love it! When I used to see a massage therapist regularly she used the Clean Language questions with me on my various aches and pains. I'm not sure whether she used them with other clients, though!
I'm sure you did convert her lol!
I love this clear, actionable invitation to actually do it rather than just admire the elegance of Clean Language from a safe distance.
As a visual practitioner I find that the moment of “what to draw” is often a silent fork in the road: do I impose my own assumptions, or do I pause and get curious? The pragmatics of drawing the first thing that comes to mind often win out.
That simple question, “What kind of X is that X?”, becomes a game-changer. It gives permission to hold back on interpreting and instead listen for resonance before making meaning visual.
Thanks for the reminder and for breaking it down with such clarity and heart.
#CleanLanguage #VisualThinking #ListeningDifferently #Sketchnoting #FacilitationTools #CuriosityFirst
I've often wondered about the practicalities of combining Clean Language with visual facilitation - if you stopped to ask about every word you'd never get anything drawn. And sometimes, a quick question would make everything so much clearer. When to do which?
Absolutely agree. It’s a dance, isn’t it? If we tried to clean-question every word, we’d end up paralysed by inquiry. For me, it’s about calibrating to that internal tug to pause before drawing something. An intuitive moment when something feels fuzzy, loaded, or layered, and a Clean question could unlock it.
What helps is pre-framing the process right from the start. I’ll often say something like, “I’ll be drawing what I hear. If something doesn’t land right or could be clearer, please interrupt or offer a better word or image.” That invitation can open the door for participants to co-shape what gets drawn, and makes it easier to choose when to pause and dig a little deeper with a Clean question.
Sometimes the question lives in the pen. Sometimes, it lives in the pause.....