Find out more by using Clean Language questions
I’ve recently been doing a bunch of interviews to find out how people do their jobs. We’re working at Preformed Windings, a small factory in Rotherham, South Yorkshire where they make a very niche engineering product, helping the team to create a set of internal training materials.
It’s fascinating! I’m absolutely loving the jargon: I’ve already compiled a ‘dictionary’ of 100+ words which have a specialist meaning on this shop floor.
I tend to treat the more esoteric jargon as if it was part of the person’s metaphorical landscape -which, in many ways, it is. In practical terms, that means I make a note of the term, guessing at the spelling if necessary, and come back for an explanation later if one doesn’t emerge immediately.
Of course, I’m using the occasional Clean Language question in these interviews. And perhaps more importantly, I’m maintaining my Clean stance: I’m deeply curious about how this other person experiences the world and I’m keen to find out about it, without seeking to change it.
Here are a few of the benefits of ‘staying Clean’ that I’ve noticed.
benefits for the person being interviewed
They’ll feel heard and respected, and that their actual life experience and struggles are being acknowledged
The conversation automatically acknowledges their real-world business context
They may become aware of specific gaps in their knowledge, which they can fill in later
Used skilfully, Clean Language questions will adjust their focus of attention towards what they want and away from what they don’t want – the “shopping list method”
When their story is put to use – in a blog post, a training manual or whatever – it’s much more likely to be recognisable as theirs, and to feel ‘right’.
benefits For the interviewer
You’ll get a much richer picture of the person’s world from their point of view, understanding the specific challenges they face and the context in which they work
Have sharp awareness of the specific language / jargon used, noticing subtle changes in the meanings of words in specific contexts. Not everyone will use the same jargon word to mean exactly the same thing!
Interviews become conversations which are genuinely centred on the interviewee, and which are therefore more satisfying and complete
Shift emotional gears – the interviewee’s and your own – quickly, by elegantly changing the focus of attention
Be useful to the interviewee! They’ll find themselves thinking differently, typically more deeply, about the work that they do, discover interesting subtleties, and perhaps discover things they want to change in how they do things.
For more about interviewing with Clean Language, I recommend Clean Language Interviewing, edited by Heather Cairns-Lee and featuring examples from many friends and colleagues