Introduction to Clean Language

• Introduction to Clean Language: A New Coaching Technique Based on the 12 Questions
• Amazon
• Bought on 2014-10-22.
  • I think it was the only Japanese book on clean language at the time.

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Written on Facebook on 2015-06-15 and reprinted on 2017-06-15

• After days of learning and practicing Clean Facilitation, I re-read Introduction to clean language and thought

• The key concept of “Don’t delve into the issue., focusing on the issue and detailing it causes suffering” is not introduced, or at least treated so poorly that a cursory look will not find itPRO model

  • Especially for someone like me with an engineering background, there is an implicit assumption that “finding a question (e.g. on a test) and fleshing it out is a good thing.
  • We need to be able to recognize the blind spot that doing that to people is actually harmful.
  • Digging into matters of the heart is harmful.

• In the explanation of symbolic modeling in the Western book Metaphors in Mind, it starts with “Five basic questions”, and in the actual session, those five questions are in heavy rotation.

  • Two of the five questions are location questions, and the name question is rather rare, so you are essentially repeating three of them.
  • This book, on the other hand, asks “12 basic questions.”
    • I probably can’t memorize this all of a sudden, and I find it difficult to decide “which one” to choose from the 12 questions in the field.

• For many people, the low psychological barrier would be “do it to yourself > use it on others > take it on yourself”.

  • I am sure that the best way to understand is to “take it on yourself,” but it is good to have a “do it yourself” as the next best thing, and this book is a good place to have activities to do and see for yourself.
  • But the first step is “What am I like when I’m focused and learning?” and the staircase is too big, starting with answering the question, “What am I like when I am concentrating on learning?
    • (Added 2022-06-15) If you don’t dig deep enough with the detailing question and then ask the metaphor question, you’ll get an appropriate metaphor in your head.
      • Related: Two choice questions to elicit metaphors.
  • Practitioners and “takers” have a sense of security through the experience of saying an analogy and having it accepted without scrutiny, but there may be many who don’t. I think it would be better to take it a step further. I think it would be better to take things a step further.

• There is not much written about procedures and precautions in using it for others.

  • How to start, how to end, when and how to use it, etc.
  • For many people, “using it on others” is a lower psychological barrier than “taking it on yourself,” so they tend to try to use it
    • It’s easier to start with a vague idea than to say explicitly, “Let me practice this kind of session,” and we tend to choose that because it’s less of a barrier.
    • Using it that way can make them uncomfortable, it’s happened a few times.
  • It’s related to the first thing I wrote about “digging into the problem,” but if you use it wrong, it can bring out negative feelings in the other person.
  • More examples of pitfalls should be collected and people should be educated to avoid pitfalls.

• We need to create something that breaks down the steps to create the first metaphor more and makes the path so gentle that you can get there even if you do it alone.

• : I see. Is there a process of problem decomposition→denial of one’s present→visualization of sunk cost→rejection?

  • : It could be simpler: visualization of the problem → discomfort → rejection.

  • : I think it is difficult to distinguish between “visualization of a problem” and “accusation of leaving a problem unattended”. Because “visualizing the problem” is routinely used as a euphemism.

  • It is reasonable to first draw attention to synesthesia (synaesthesia)-like expressions as an exercise in creating metaphor.

  • For example, “Find five examples of visual representations of things that cannot be observed visually. Example: yellow voice.”

  • You know, my wife mentioned a class before about “creating a new onomatopoeia”. That might be useful too.

• Medicines can be poison if used in the wrong way. Those who handle medicines must be knowledgeable and ethical.

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