Revealing Metaphors: a Clean-based candidate Liberating Structure

There are loads of connection points between Liberating Structures and Clean Language, and between their respective communities. So when Matthew Mezey suggested recently that I put forward a Clean-based ‘candidate’ Liberating Structure, for potential inclusion on the LS website and in a future edition of the book, I jumped at the idea!

My initial suggestion is below (updated with feedback from Keith McCandless 2 October 2024). Please try it out with your groups and let me know what happens, ideally in the comments area below this post. If you have a lot of detailed comments, please contact me for a link to the Google Doc version.

Revealing Metaphors (aka Jediplication / Speed Clean)

Quickly Reveal the Hidden, Unique Essence of Each Person’s Approach to an Activity (20 mins)

What is made possible? Help people to share their individual way of navigating an activity – such as doing their work, or attending an event – by combining the revealing power of metaphor with a series of simple interactions. When people are hesitant to engage with each other, for example at the beginning of an event, you can help them to actively feel heard, and create a space where discovering and sharing rarely-noticed personal talents and insights becomes straightforward. Once participants feel heard and have begun to share, they will be more inclined to trust, to work together, and to take interpersonal risks. And each person will have created an enduring personal image to carry with them and to share with others.

Five Structural Elements 

Structuring Invitation

• Invite participants to draw their answer to a “starter question” relating to a shared focus topic on a small piece of paper such as a sticky note or name badge. 

• Invite participants to have a series of short conversations in pairs,to find out about whatever the other person has drawn.

How Space Is Arranged and Materials Needed

• Space for people to form pairs in quick succession [breakout rooms online]

• Drawing equipment – coloured felt pens and sticky notes or name labels

• Bells or other way to signal in a noisy room to swap roles or partners

• A way for all participants to see the questions during their pair conversations

3. How Participation Is Distributed

• Everyone can participate, and has an equal opportunity to contribute as Talker and Asker

• Participants will alternate in the roles of Talker and Asker (the Asker uses two questions and the words of the Talker only)

How Groups Are Configured

• A series of three conversations (rounds) in different pairs. If there is an odd number of participants, a different person in each round should step out to act as an observer

Script for Sequence of Steps And Time Allocation

Alright everyone, get ready for a fun, fast-paced, and playful activity! We’re going to dive into the amazing ways you organise your life using metaphors.

Step 1: Draw It Out
Take a look at this question related to our focus : “When you’re [doing focus topic] at your best, you’re like… what?”  [on a slide or handout visible to all]
Take a few minutes to think about it and then roughly sketch or write your answer on a sticky note or your name badge. Don’t worry about being an artist – messy is good! We have about 4 minutes for this.

Step 2: Talkers and Askers In Motion 
This is a quick-fire exchange where you’ll have a bunch of short conversations in pairs about your drawings. I’ll let you know when it’s time to switch roles or partners.
You’ll only have two questions to ask each other, and you have to use the other person’s words to figure out their metaphor.
One of you will be the “Talker” describing your drawing, and the other will be the “Asker” using the two questions to dig deeper. We’ll take a couple of minutes to go over this in detail. 2 min

Step 3: The Demo
I’ll do a quick demo with a colleague so you can see how it works. 
 [On a slide or handout visible to all].

What kind of X?
Is there anything else about X?

The X in these questions stands for any of the person’s own words. The questions can be asked in any order, as many times as you like, about anything the person says. Keep going until the time is up!  

Demo example:

“When I am designing LS at my best, 
I am like an octopus!”
Demo Asker’s Script

What kind of octopus?
Is there anything else about octopus?

Further questions incorporating other words the Talker says. For example, “What kind of legs?”

Step 4: Ready, Set, Action
Find a partner and start chatting! The Talker kicks things off by saying a few words about their drawing. The Asker then uses the two questions to explore and reveal more about the metaphor. You’ll have 2 minutes for each role. 

Step 5: Switch it Up
Now swap roles and do it again! Another 2 min. 12 min total
We’ll repeat those last two steps a couple more times so you can chat with different people and hear more amazing metaphors. 2 rounds, 4 minutes each, 8 mins total

Step 6: All Together Again
All right, is there an insight or reflection on this activity you think everyone should hear?  Take two or three comments and start a transition to another activity. 2 min

WHY? Purposes

• Participants gain clarity on their personal approach and can articulate it through metaphors 

• Personal insights, shared with others, foster empathy and appreciation for diverse perspectives within the group 

• A foundation of trust and understanding encourages participation and community building, increasing the warmth and depth of subsequent conversations

• Each individual may create an enduring metaphor that captures their unique approach

• A shared set of perspectives are developed on an activity of group interest

• Participants experience the value of the two most-used Clean Language questions

Tips and Traps

• This can get very noisy with a big group. Make sure you have a reliable way of letting people know it’s time to swap roles or swap partners, and to end the activity 

• Clean Language questions like the ones used here have the capacity to take conversations very deep, very quickly. So it’s best to:

  • Keep things moving, with a maximum of two minutes per turn in each round. If you have extra time available, add more rounds (up to max six) rather than extending the time of a turn 

  • Choose your focus topic for the starter question with care. Use something that all participants will have had experience of, and give it a positive spin with “at your best”

  • Keep your tone lighthearted in the set up, for example by framing it as a game

• The starter question is designed to generate a metaphor for most participants, but it’s OK if some people have an answer that’s not metaphorical, or if they prefer to write rather than draw. The activity will still work.

  • The ellipsis in the starter question is intended to indicate a longish pause between the words “like” and “what”. Using this pause makes a metaphorical answer more likely 

• Let participants know that the quality of their drawing isn’t relevant. Provide small sticky notes rather than big sheets of paper, and bulky felt tips rather than ballpoint pens or pencils. In the demo, show a very rough drawing!

• The demo is important. Have a confederate lined up, briefed to show a very simple/rough drawing and to keep their initial statement, and their question answers, short. As demonstrator, ask “What kind of X?” and “Is there anything else about X?”, ideally using the very first word they used to describe their drawing as “X” (same word in both questions)

• The iteration of multiple rounds is important for two reasons: 1. The talkers’ answers will change and develop and 2. The askers’ confidence in using the questions improves. Do make sure you run at least three rounds (max six)

Riffs and Variations

• If you have time, consider adding a debrief. Typically, participants will report feeling very awkward or uncomfortable in the asker role. That’s inevitable with something this unfamiliar to most. But will almost all have enjoyed their time as talker, will feel deeply heard, and will have gained an enhanced sense of their own approach to the focus topic

• After the activity, drawings can be used as a reminder of the “at your best” state, for example by being displayed together in an area of the meeting room

• Online, using random pairings may be most practical, even though the same people may be paired twice. This isn’t ideal, but people seem to manage 

• A useful alternative starter question for this activity at the start of a longer event can be, “When this event goes just as you would like, it will be like… what?” (Question by Caitlin Walker)

• If you have Lego available, consider inviting the group to choose a brick that represents their answer to the starter question, instead of drawing.

Example: 

A group of healthcare workers in Staffordshire, UK were asked: “When your service is delivering at its best it’s like…. what?” 

Answers included “a sparkly star with lots of points of the star, with each point having lots of facets”; “a swan gliding above surface but legs paddling”, and “a mocha, a blend of two drinks that’s warm and comforting.” (Example from Lyse Edwards, September 2024)

Attribution

Activity devised by Judy Rees, originally known as Speed Clean (and briefly as Jediplication)

Clean Language questions were created by the late David Grove

Starter question format devised by Caitlin Walker

Post updated 2 October 2024 following feedback from Keith McCandless – including simplifying the name to “Revealing Metaphors”.