The document provides an overview of a presentation on using clean language for business analysis. It discusses clean language questions that focus on listening without assumptions. An exercise has one person describe a work issue while the other listens using clean language techniques. The document also covers the history and applications of clean language, how the brain processes information, and using metaphors to build understanding.

1. !
Q U E S T I O N S A N D M E TA P H O R S
C L E A N L A N G U A G E F O R T H E B U S I N E S S A N A LY S T
Andrea Chiou
April 16, 2014
IIBA DC Meetup

2. T O D AY ’ S C L E A N L A N G U A G E J O U R N E Y
• Perceptions
• 2 Questions
+Exercise
• People, Books,
and History
• The Brain
• Metaphors
• Wrap up

3. W H AT K I N D O F P R O B L E M D O E S T H I S
R E P R E S E N T ?

4. P E R C E P T I O N S A N D P R O B L E M S AT W O R K
Themes
Stakeholder
Expectations
Clarity on Direction/
Product
Interactions/Facilitation
Note Your Specific
Problem Here

5. W H AT W E H AV E - W H AT W E N E E D

6. C L E A N L A N G U A G E Q U E S T I O N S
• And X, is there anything else about (that) X?
• And X, that’s X …. like what?
• And when X, what would you like to have happen?
(use this question when X is a problem statement after you have
explored the problem enough and want to get to an outcome
orientation)
The X, above, represents the exact word, phrase used by the
person you are listening to. Parrot - phrasing, not para-phrasing.

7. L I S T E N I N G WA R M U P

8. L I S T E N I N G E X E R C I S E
Person A
Ask your partner about their
work issue.
Listen for 2 minutes
Don’t interrupt
Notice your thoughts/impulse
to react
If there are pauses, try one of
the 2 questions
Person B
Select a work issue which
you are concerned about.
Describe it and what you
might like to have happen.
Take note how your partner
is listening, or paying
attention.

9. I M P R E S S I O N S
Jot down, as you
might in a journal,
your thoughts about
that exercise.
How did it feel?
Did you ask either of the
questions?
Ask your partner how they
felt?
Notes

10. J U D Y R E E S A N D W E N D Y S U L L I VA N
Judy was my first CL
coach. She was a
reporter in her first
career. She loves to help
people love their work.
She does all her work
over Skype
Check out her
learncleanlanguage.com
and
xraylistening.com

11. H I S T O RY O F C L E A N L A N G U A G E
• David Grove - hugely
successful psychotherapist
• James Lawley and Penny
Tompkins - modelled how
David did this.
• Others learned, became
fascinated and have
applied it to other
domains
Check out cleanlanguage.co.uk.
It is the most
comprehensive

12. W H E R E H A S I T B E E N A P P L I E D ?

13. G R O U P A P P L I C AT I O N S
Caitlin Walker’s
focus is fostering
learning, action, and
reflection in all sorts
of group settings
Watch her TedX

14. M A R I A N WAY
This book is an
excellent guide
to Clean. Laid
out simply with
beautiful
illustrations and
examples.

15. P H I L L I P H A R L A N D

16. S E N S O RY I N P U T S
• Visual
• Auditory
• Kinesthetic
• Olfactory
• Gustatory

17. W H AT H A P P E N S N E X T ?
• Sensation - Signals from Sensory input relay through the thalmus:
bodily response (hormonal, cardiovascular, motor, gastroenteric)
• Processing - emotional fast-track signals & slow-track cognitive
signals
(filtering for past associations, events, feelings, conditioned
responses, present beliefs, values, needs, attitudes, and goals)
• Construction - pleasant/unpleasant & toward/away-from
preferences
• Reaction - respond via behavior and language

18. W H AT H A P P E N S N E X T ?
• Sensation - Signals from Sensory input relay through the thalmus:
bodily response (hormonal, cardiovascular, motor, gastroenteric)
• We process emotional fast-track signals and slow-track cognitive
signals (filtering for past associations, events, feelings,
conditioned responses, present beliefs, values, needs, attitudes,
and goals
• We build pleasant/unpleasant and toward/away-from
preferences
• We have an impulse to react and then we respond via behavior
and language
A
LL
IN
SEVEN
M
ILLISEC
O
N
D
S

19. • What we need is a
bridge between our
different perceptions
and mental models.
And metaphors and
inquiry help us get
there faster than
analytical thinking.

20. M E TA P H O R WA R M U P

21. M E TA P H O R S AT W O R K
Current Ideal
Team, Project, Product, Organization, You
(when working at your best).

22. W H AT W O U L D Y O U L I K E T O H AV E
H A P P E N N O W ?

23. H A P P Y L E A R N I N G J O U R N E Y T O E V E RY O N E

24. T H E O T H E R C L E A N Q U E S T I O N S
Attributes:
…what kind of ___ is that?
…is there anything else about____?
…does ____ have a size or shape?
Time:
…what happens next?
…then what happens?
…what happens just before?
…where does (or could) ___ come from?
Location:
… where is _____?
… whereabouts is ____?
Metaphor
…. and _____ is like what?
Prior to asking the questions on the right,
you can summarize and focus attention with
the following.
And _____ (summarise)….
And when _____ (focus), …
!
Initially questions can feel like a barrier to
normal conversation, but with time they act
more as ‘filters’, reducing noise by
preventing us from forcing our own
interpretation on what the other person is
saying.

25. C L E A N F E E D B A C K
What worked for you
1.)
!
2.)
What did not work for you
1.)
!
2.)
O B S E R VAT I O N / W H AT Y O U I N F E R F R O M T H AT / W H AT
WA S T H E I M PA C T O N Y O U