How to keep track when you’re suffering from information overload

Ever been on the receiving end of a brain dump? You know the kind of thing: someone starts talking about something that’s happened… and just doesn’t stop?

That kind of thing happens all the time when I’m coaching. A couple of Clean Language questions often seem to clear a mental blockage, and before I know it I’ve been hit by a flood of words.

Wham! It’s like a wall of data. Names, dates, people, places, relationships, opinions, emotions… and it just keeps on coming.

As you may know, the “rules” of Clean Language mean I need to remember some of my client’s words, because I need to use them in my next question. So my students often ask me: “How do you keep track of everything?”

The simple answer is, “I don’t!” In this kind of brain-dump situation, I don’t even try to keep track of everything. If I did that, I’d be underwater in no time.

Somewhere, years ago, I learned what to do if you ever find yourself swept over a waterfall. They say you shouldn’t try to swim out. Instead, the emergency drill is to relax, and allow the natural movement of the water to carry you back to the surface.

I think the same principle applies when you’re swept away in a brain dump. The thing is, it’s not about you. The person talking has something they want to say, and to them it’s more about getting it said than anything else.

So don’t fight it! Relax and let the natural movement of the water carry you, and your client, along. You’ll be useful just by being there, another human being, witnessing what is said.

Interestingly, the more you can relax, the more of what’s said you’ll notice and remember.

And when the flow eventually eases and it’s time for you to speak, I have a reliable, go-to Clean Language question. “And when all of that, what would you like to have happen now?”

Often, there’s nothing else to be done or said. The point was just for my client to say it all, out loud.

Often, the next step is to move on from the story and create a new and different outcome. The details I’ve just heard are barely relevant: the future is what matters.

And sometimes, my client will want to set to work on certain aspects of what he’s just told me. Knowing that, I’ll invite them to guide me through the story slowly, so that I can take notes and ask questions. And it’s a whole lot easier second time round!