“METAPHORS @ WORK”. NANCY DOYLE & EMMA DALRYMPLE.
Our second ‘foray’ into clean language this year! This time focussed on using clean language in the workplace and specifically for Teams.
Nancy had sent in advance some ‘clean questions’ for us to concentrate our minds and get the most from the evening. These were:-
1) When you are operating at your best you are like what?
(Past examples have been: a 12 armed octopus, a fast train on slick tracks, once I’ve got a direction there’s no stopping me, a buzzing bee that can visit lots of flowers and knows its limits.)
2) A good team for you, in which you can operate at your best, is like what?
(Past examples have been, a boat crew where we recognise each other’s strengths and change leaders according to the weather conditions, a good cake where each ingredient gets changed in the mix. a clock with different cogs all doing their own job)
3) If this practice group session were to be really successful for you, it would be like what?
4) What will you see, hear and feel that will let you know that you’re getting what you want?

Our answers were equally picturesque and relevant to ourselves.
Before we began to play Nancy asked if there was anything we needed to know about her work and the use of ‘clean language’ in a work environment. (More usual in a therapy one). This was a useful question and we explored the contexts of work and school in which Nancy and her company are employed. It allowed ‘beginners’ in ‘clean language’ to ‘frame’ the use of it. It introduced Nancy and Emma in a way that was relevant for the group. (As I write this I’m struck by the usefulness of this device, giving the speaker an insight into the group and an opportunity to reframe the presentation if needed).
The flip chart set out the programme for the evening:- After the intro questions; A demonstration of modelling using ‘clean language’; Practice in groups of three; De-brief, ‘what are you noticing?’; Back into three’s, what do you need to know to work with this person?; final de-brief and close.
Mavis volunteered to be the ‘client’ for Nancy, and explored her ‘metaphor’
(of a greek urn),for operating at her best. We all watched and listened as Nancy helped Mavis develop the Urn, and then Emma asked us what we had been noticing. There was still some uncertainty about how we were going to do this or how it worked so Nancy gave another brief demonstration this time with Bernie and her ‘lighthouse’. There is always a moment when another demonstration is preferable to ‘getting on with it’, but hey we’re a Practice Group! We’re here to have fun and explore. We’re here to use our knowledge of NLP to help us learn and to help others learn too. So we split neatly into three’s and off we went..
Our ‘task’ in three’s:- to ask and develop the ‘client’s’ metaphor “When you are operating at your best, you are like What?” Nancy gave us six developing questions and we chose our first role as ‘client’, ‘facilitator’, ‘observer’. In my three the ‘metaphors’ were:_ “A laser beam”; “An Energiser Bunny”, and “A parallel processing machine with feelings”. We developed the ‘laser beam’ first and learnt more about its abilities and its capabilities. The ‘Energiser Bunny’ was next and developing questions produced a real Aha! when asked ‘and where does the energy come from?’ The ‘Parallel Processing Machine’ had its ‘feelings’ developed and we all felt we had discovered something new and useful about our own metaphors and about our ability to help each other explore the ‘inner map’.
De-brief time. What did we notice? How our initial ‘ metaphor’ could change as it developed. How a clean question could be asked the ‘wrong’ way and get a different answer! (e.g. ‘and what’s that like?’ instead of ‘and that’s like what?’ Play with this yourself and notice the different response you have.
Time for a quick break and before we went Nancy gave us instructions for our return to re-asssemble in our group of three and develop each other’s metaphors further to explore what we each needed to know to be be able to work with this person. So in my group there were concerns about the power of the laser beam, whether the energiser bunny ever stops and the correlation of a machine with feelings. We resolved these issues and then as is the way with a practice group continued on to produce a group metaphor linking our three separate ones. (This was not in the brief but Nancy didn’t mind!). Our group metaphor was a robot equipped with a laser beam to highlight ‘problems’ and point to their solutions, powered by the energiser bunny and linked neatly by the parallel processing machine with feelings to process all the information. I felt a great sense of excitement and then was disappointed when I realised the robot would never actually see the light of day in action as my co-partners and I are unlikely to work together! (Cries of oh dear! what a shame! never mind!!) We were not the only group to ‘boldly go’ beyond the brief and there were some other group metaphors that developed in a different way from the exercises.
This is what I consider the best format of session for the group. Lots of interaction and opportunity to ‘play’ and practice something new or with someone new. I hope this reflects the whole group’s experience, though I know that one threesome had difficulty with their ‘clean language’ “expert” who was not prepared to ‘play’ properly and openly. As a general rule here if you don’t want to allow other’s to explore your world then use your NLP skills to ‘make something up’ so they have something to play with. The very nature of the group means we have a ‘mixed ability’ class in which all levels need to be respected and allowed to grow. On the other hand if you get in a smaller group and someone is difficult, treat this as an opportunity for learning.
ADVICE NOTE:- “It takes 43 muscles to move the face into a smile. But only three to straighten your arm and smack the bastard in the mouth. :-)
So using your NLP skills how could you do this ‘metaphorically’ or ‘cleanly’?
Thank you Nancy and Emma for your time and expert preparation in making this a great experience in ‘clean language’.
Really looking forward to the book!

For more info on ‘clean language’ try these links.
Clean Language Penny Tompkins and James Lawley.
Small Change Company. Trainings and Teleclasses.
Apricot Island. Marian Way also runs intro courses in Fareham.
Training Attention Limited. Nancy Doyle and Caitlin Walker.
To contact Nancy direct. Nancy@trainingattention.co.uk

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