Judy Rees has worked as a news reporter and in IT projects. Since 2005, she has trained people in Clean Language, which she is now rebranding as "X-Ray Listening" for business use. Clean Language uses carefully worded questions to clarify communication and surface tacit knowledge. It can help speed up meetings, interviews, and workshops by helping participants listen more effectively and develop shared understanding. The technique was created by David Grove for psychotherapy and has been adapted for business uses like requirements gathering and coaching.

1. X-Ray Listening Facilitating individuals and groups using the ‘Clean Language’ approach

2. Judy Rees Co-author of Clean Language: Revealing Metaphors and Opening Minds Former news reporter, then worked on large IT projects in digital TV, web, mobile phones Since 2005, training people to use and apply Clean Language, particularly in business Currently rebranding Clean Language as ‘X-Ray Listening’ to emphasise its value to business

3. The value of Clean Language Can be used in: Interviewing (e.g. user testing of web site) Running workshops (e.g. focus groups) Speeding up meetings Understanding individual and shared goals Coaching (e.g. PricewaterhouseCoopers, BBC)

4. The value of Clean Language Can be particularly useful to: Get ‘under the skin’ and help tacit and unconscious information to surface Clarify communication, e.g. between different professional/cultural groups Encourage people to listen more effectively Deepen rapport Develop metaphors

5. Origins of Clean Language Created by psychotherapist David Grove in the 1980s and 90s, to work with trauma Developed as a coaching technique from 2000 More recently, used more widely in business e.g. running faster meetings, social research, IT requirements gathering

6. Clean Language Consistent with: The latest in cognitive linguistics e.g. Steven Pinker, The Stuff of Thought Current ideas about empowerment, individuality, multi-culturalism, creativity Other facilitative approaches e.g. Deep Democracy, Thinking Environments, NLP(and can be combined with them)

7. Key principles Listen attentively Suspend judgement, opinions and advice-giving until later Use a limited set of carefully-worded questions which reduce presuppositions (Optionally) work with metaphors, particularly metaphors for goals and resources

8. Further reading Clean Language Wendy Sullivan and Judy Rees, Clean Language: Revealing Metaphors and Opening Minds James Lawley and Penny Tompkins, Metaphors in Mind Other books Steven Pinker, The Stuff of Thought Daniel Pink, A Whole New Mind Myrna Lewis, Deep Democracy Nancy Kline, Time to Think Gerald Zaltman, How Customers Think

9. Other resources Judy Rees www.xraylistening.com info@xraylistening.com Other Clean Language websites www.cleanchange.co.uk www.cleanlanguage.co.uk www.cleanconference.co.uk Clean Change Cards I-Phone application http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=312401540&mt=8

10. Further training Half-day, one-day and two-day customised courses to learn specific applications in depth Ongoing coaching, development, mentoring Open trainings leading to Certified Clean Facilitator qualification (Foundation and Advanced) – 22 days in all