X-Ray ListeningFacilitating individuals and groups

using the ‘Clean Language’ approach

Judy Rees

• Co-author of Clean Language: Revealing Metaphors and Opening Minds

• Former news reporter, then worked on large IT projects in digital TV, web, mobile phones

• Since 2005, training people to use and apply Clean Language, particularly in business

• Currently rebranding Clean Language as ‘X-Ray Listening’ to emphasise its value to business

The value of Clean Language

Can be used in:• Interviewing (e.g. user testing of web site)• Running workshops (e.g. focus groups)• Speeding up meetings • Understanding individual and shared goals• Coaching (e.g. PricewaterhouseCoopers, BBC)

The value of Clean Language

Can be particularly useful to:• Get ‘under the skin’ and help tacit and

unconscious information to surface• Clarify communication, e.g. between different

professional/cultural groups• Encourage people to listen more effectively• Deepen rapport• Develop metaphors

Origins of Clean Language

• Created by psychotherapist David Grove in the 1980s and 90s, to work with trauma

• Developed as a coaching technique from 2000• More recently, used more widely in business

e.g. running faster meetings, social research, IT requirements gathering

Clean Language

Consistent with:• The latest in cognitive linguistics e.g. Steven

Pinker, The Stuff of Thought • Current ideas about empowerment,

individuality, multi-culturalism, creativity• Other facilitative approaches e.g. Deep

Democracy, Thinking Environments, NLP (and can be combined with them)

Key principles

• Listen attentively• Suspend judgement, opinions and advice-

giving until later• Use a limited set of carefully-worded

questions which reduce presuppositions• (Optionally) work with metaphors, particularly

metaphors for goals and resources

Further reading

Clean Language • Wendy Sullivan and Judy Rees, Clean Language:

Revealing Metaphors and Opening Minds• James Lawley and Penny Tompkins, Metaphors in MindOther books• Steven Pinker, The Stuff of Thought• Daniel Pink, A Whole New Mind• Myrna Lewis, Deep Democracy• Nancy Kline, Time to Think• Gerald Zaltman, How Customers Think

Other resources

Judy Rees• www.xraylistening.com• info@xraylistening.com

Other Clean Language websites• www.cleanchange.co.uk• www.cleanlanguage.co.uk• www.cleanconference.co.uk

Clean Change Cards I-Phone applicationhttp://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=312401540&mt=8

Further training

• Half-day, one-day and two-day customised courses to learn specific applications in depth

• Ongoing coaching, development, mentoring

• Open trainings leading to Certified Clean Facilitator qualification (Foundation and Advanced) – 22 days in all