Comments on: Can Clean Language replace the NLP Meta Model?

By: Joe K Fobes

Joe K Fobes — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:02:56 +0000

Thanks JP and Judy for the info about how to switch the state. Thats the exact bit I was missing.

My next few clients are in for a fun ride

Joe

By: Ben

Ben — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 17:59:46 +0000

You’re absolutely right there James. The active listening part of clean language (plus facilitation) is what works so well for me. Its one reason I keep a blog: the “just talking it through” approach that so many people naturally do (its what close friends and family are really good at) is a non-clean version of the same thing and writing out blog articles like this I find that I’ve answered my own question half way through the post. Powerful stuff!

By: James Tripp

James Tripp — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 13:02:05 +0000

Hey Ben, how’s it going.

Nice post. Regarding Clean Language and Meta-Model, the former cannot replace the latter because they work very differently:

> Meta Model challenges and deconstructs
> Clean Language explores and develops

So the different tools give you different choices.

It would be fascinating to do some research on the qualitative effects of meta-modelling versus clean-languaging though.

“This is good”

MM: “compared to what?” (the attention moves away from “good” and into something else).

CL: “…what kind of good…” (the attention goes ‘deeper’ into good)

Now I wonder how using the CL full syntax with MM:

“And ‘good’, and when ‘good’, that’s ‘good’ compared to what?”

I think a lot of the elegance of CL is in how it is facilitated – it is the facilitation that honours the clients ‘stuff’ perhaps rather than the questions themselves.

I’m going to play with this – meta-model with CL syntax, e.g.:

“and ‘people are rude’, and when ‘people are rude’ which people specifically are ‘rude’?”

“and ‘people are rude’, and when ‘people are rude’ how do you know that ‘people are rude’?”

Fun to find out!

James

By: Judy

Judy — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:31:40 +0000

There’s now a video demo of me working with Ben using this technique at http://www.youtube.com/xraylistening

By: graham

graham — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:05:58 +0000

Nice post, Ben.

I’m a big fan of Clean Language. I kinda stumbled upon it some time ago, when I decided to stick to a client’s metaphors, instead of rejecting them. I’d had an experienced, where I was annoyed with myself, because a client said, “I feel like there’s just a wall and I can’t get over it” and I said something like, “But if you could get over it, what would be on the other side?”

Clean Language gave me a model for respecting the person in front of me and I’ve been enjoying exploring it ever since!

By: Ben

Ben — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 22:02:19 +0000

Thanks Judy, its a good point that you both make that eliciting the metaphor will also elicit the state, so exploring a negative state is likely to cause the person to experience that same negative state. Now I’m relatively new to Clean Language, but I do know that sometimes eliciting the negative feelings can be essential for effective change… I’d be interested to know your thoughts on that.

By: JP

JP — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 16:52:08 +0000

Ahh…even better. Thanks Judy!

By: Judy

Judy — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 09:06:18 +0000

Hi Ben and John, when you realise you’re exploring an (A) state, try a Clean state-switch: “And when you feel like you’re drowning in it, what would you LIKE to have happen?”

There’s a good chance that the response will also be in metaphor: “I’d like to get my head above the water and start swimming.” Then you can ask “What kind of swimming” etc which will intensify THAT state instead.

Have fun!
Judy

By: Ben

Ben — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 08:10:05 +0000

Ah yes… Good point. My bad.

By: JP

JP — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 00:09:06 +0000

Be careful exploring AWAY from states (A) with Clean Language. When I first started studying it a few years ago I dove straight in and asked clean questions wherever I was curious. I learned very quickly not to elicit (A) without first having elicited and developed and strong TOWARDS state (T). You may be surprised how quickly you can rock someone’s inner world with clean question. Tred lightly on (A) stuff at first! Of course you can turn any (A) into a (T) by asking something like…

“And when not (A)…then what happens…?”