Discovering Unknown Knowns With Clean Language: Agile By Example 2017

Uncovering Your Team’s Unknown Knowns with Clean Language

Judy Rees

@judyrees #cleanlanguage

@judyrees #cleanlanguage

What do you need before we begin?

What would you like to have happen as a result of this workshop?

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OK to try it before explaining it?

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When you are working (with a team) at your best, you are like… what?

There’s no right or wrong answer!

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Starter question

When you are working at your best, you are like… what?

Lazy Jedi Questions

What kind of X?

Is there anything else about X? (or “that”)

Use these questions as many times as you like, in any order

“X” represents one or more of their their words

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What did you notice when you were being asked the questions?

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@judyrees #cleanlanguage

Clean Language is an inquiry process: a framework for guiding

attention with questions

What Clean Language can do

It encourages clarity and transparency in complex situations

It strengthens relationships

It can be particularly effective in groups

It can help to create a system where feedback, learning and development are inevitable

@judyrees #cleanlanguage

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Created by

David Grove (1950-2008)

as a therapy

now used in lots

of other contexts

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Tips for “at your best” with whole groups:

- Keep it moving. No more than 2 or 3 questions

- Emphasise curiosity rather than word-perfect Clean questioning

- Build a star- or spaghetti-shaped conversation (rather than fan-shaped)

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Clean Language In Polish

• http://www.cleanlanguage.co.uk/articles/articles/201/1/Polish-Clean-Questions/Page1.html

• I jakiego rodzaju [X] jest ten [X]?

• I co jeszcze o tym [X]?

• Gdy/podczas [X], co chciałbyś, żeby się stało?

Fan, star or spaghetti?

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Psychological safety Culture Strategy

Whose agenda is this?

Yours? Theirs? Both? Other?

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And when [problem], what would you like to

have happen?

Starter question

What’s something you’d like more of in your work?

Clean Language Questions

What kind of X?

Is there anything else about X? (or “that”)

And when <problem>, what would you like to have happen?

Use these questions as many times as you like, in any order

“X” represents one or more of their their words

@judyrees #cleanlanguage

Starter question

And when you have that “something” that’ll be like… what?

Clean Language Questions

What kind of X?

Is there anything else about X? (or “that”)

And when <problem>, what would you like to have happen?

Use these questions as many times as you like, in any order

“X” represents one or more of their their words

@judyrees #cleanlanguage

@judyrees #cleanlanguage

What action will you take now?

@judyrees #cleanlanguage

@judyrees #cleanlanguage

Your Clean Language Questions Answered

• Ebook, free to download

• Judyrees.co.uk

Virtual taster event for your team

• judy@judyrees.co.uk

In-person workshops

• London, November http://bit.ly/2uPeHNS

• Germany, December http://bit.ly/2wVvrAa

Clean Feedback Model

1. EvidenceWhat specifically did you see

or hear?

2. InferenceWhat meaning did you make

of that?

3. ImpactWhat was your response?

What happened as a result?

Impact

Inference

Evidence

@judyrees #cleanlanguage

Clean Feedback Example

“I saw that you stood up straight, spoke slowly, and paused before answering

“I thought you must be really confident because you were an expert in the subject

“As a result I felt able to trust what you said and so I listened carefully.”

Impact

Inference

Evidence

@judyrees #cleanlanguage