Apricot Island - A Clean Approach to Learning & Development

Less is More:
An Introduction To Clean Language

A 2-day Introductory/Basic Skills training for Consultants, Facilitators, Coaches, Counsellors, Therapists, Trainers, Managers, Health Practitioners, Parents and Project Leaders (i.e. people who help other people to think).

Add a powerful communication tool to your toolbox.
Learn techniques you can use to work more effectively with individuals and groups.
Find out about the power that metaphor has in our lives.

This two-day workshop includes:

An overview of the history of Clean Language and Symbolic Modelling and the range of contexts to which it is now being applied
The basic Clean Language questions and how to ask them for maximum effect
Demonstrations of the questions being used within various contexts
Activities to help you to ‘pick out’ and pay attention to the metaphors in peoples’ language
How to develop individuals’ metaphors, and help them gain new insights, quickly
Clean-Lite : a powerful model for motivating yourself and others to take action
Lots of practice and feedback
Full colour course manual

"Clean Language is an honouring, affirming and facilitatory language."
Lawley, J. & Tompkins, P., "Metaphors in Mind", p.28

"This workshop enabled me to get an appreciation of the potential power of Clean Language and its value in a surprising range of work and home scenarios. It has encouraged me to make the commitment to deepening my knowledge of Clean Language and to deepening my skills in deploying it."
Mary Musselbrook

"It was a superb experience, in terms of my personal and professional development. It was exciting, challenging, thought-provoking and informative."
Julie Heavens

"I liked the easy-to-follow structure; it was very understandable. I will definitely use Clean Language with my clients."
Jenny Webb

"Research shows that we use, on average, six metaphors a minute in ordinary speech."
Raymond R Gibbs Jr, "Categorisation and Metaphor Understanding" Psychological Review 99, no 3 (1992)

Less is More is a highly experiential, fun event, with a good balance between theory and practice, and some personal development thrown in.

You’ll emerge with a thorough understanding of the principles behind Clean Language and how to ask Clean questions in a way that acknowledges and honours individual perceptions - whilst gently drawing attention to the assumptions that are holding them in place. You will have taken your listening, thinking and questioning skills to a whole new level. And you'll have gained heightened awareness of the role that language - and especially metaphor - plays in forming our perceptions. Plus you’ll meet other interesting, inspiring people doing great work in different fields --- members of the global Clean Language community.

What is Clean Language and Symbolic Modelling?

Clean Language was devised by psychotherapist, David Grove, as a way to keep his assumptions out of the interaction, as far as that is possible, so he could work directly with his clients’ perceptions. In practice, it consists of 30 or so Clean Questions, asked in a particular way. David’s use of Clean Language resulted in deep and long-lasting changes for his clients.

A ‘neutral’ tool, Clean Language is very flexible. What started out as (and still is) a therapeutic tool is now used in many contexts, including:

as an interviewing tool
for modelling different skills and perceptions
as a coaching tool…
in business – for meetings and appraisals
for team building
for self-facilitation

Symbolic Modelling is the name given by Penny Tompkins and James Lawley to the model they devised after working with and observing David over several years, to discover what he was doing to achieve his results. They combined David’s ideas with ideas from the fields of cognitive linguistics, systems thinking and NLP to produce a model which could be taught to others to enable them to achieve the same kinds of results as David.

"We define Symbolic Modelling as a process, which uses Clean Language to facilitate people's discovery of how their metaphors express their way of being in the world."
Lawley, J. & Tompkins, P., "Metaphors in Mind", page 22

During Less is More, you’ll learn how to use Clean Language with and without metaphor and you’ll learn some of the basic ‘vectors’ which will enable you to start navigating someone else’s map of the world.

"This training was so well put together. It offered me the opportunity to learn a different way of thinking and reflecting as well as learning the fabulous skills of Clean Language. Marian is a truly trustworthy facilitator."
Janine Clark, Business Consultant

"I am really glad I gave myself the opportunity to learn more about this process, to practice the questions and to be party to the most amazing metaphors."
Karen West

Great mix of theory and practice. A very well-structured course, run at a good pace. I was made to feel that asking questions was welcomed and Iwas being helped throughout."
Jackie Fletcher, Life Coach and Coach Supervisor

The two days in detail

Here are the topics we’ll be covering during the two days:

The history of the field, basic definitions and terminology
How to generate Clean Language questions,using the Clean Language Question Generator
How to ask the questions most effectively
How to recognise metaphors in everyday speech
The big question: How do you know which question to ask - get many tips and strategies
Clean-Lite – how to motivate someone in just a few minutes using only their words and a few questions
Learn the basic vectors – the building blocks for all Clean Language work
How to help someone to develop a unique and useful resource (plus you’ll go away with one of your own)
Clean from door to door – how to start and finish a clean session
How you can apply your new skills in your own field

We take a step-by-step approach, with lots of practice and experiences for you to learn from. And there’ll be plenty of time for your questions. You’ll receive a full colour workbook to support your learning.

"All of us will need better skills in listening, conversing, respecting one another's uniqueness, because these are essential for strong relationships."
Margaret Wheatley, "Leadership and the New Science", page 39

What if none of the training dates work for me?

Sign up for our newsletter and you’ll receive information about new course dates as they become available.
Get together with a group of 6 or more others and email charlotte@apricotisland.com or callus on 023 9221 5355 to find a suitable time for Phil or Marian to come to you, and to tailor the course to your needs.

I already have these skills. Is there a more advanced course?

Yes… More to Explore is a 3-day course that takes you through how to work with a client ‘cleanly’ from start to finish, focusing on their desired outcome(s). Following on from that, you can take Pattern Spotting and/or Clean Space.

Do I need any knowledge of Clean Language in order to attend?

This course is for beginners and everyone is welcome. No previous knowledge is necessary.

However, if you wish to find out a bit more about Clean language before you come, we can suggest you:

Read this excellent article entitled "Less is More... The Art of Clean Language"
Read Metaphors in Mind by James Lawley and Penny Tompkins - the definitive work on Clean Language and Symbolic Modelling.
Sign up for our newsletterand receive a free recording of a Clean Language session, along with a transcript. This will give you a good idea of what a Clean Language sessionis like.
Or book a coaching session and experience Clean Language for yourself, firsthand.

Do you ever run Less is More and More to Explore together?

Yes. In March 2009, you can attend both:

Less is More: March 4 - 5
More to Explore: March 6 - 8

...and there are discounts available if you book them both at the same time. See below.

If you're in the USA, you can take these trainings in Portland, Oregon in May 2009. Click here for details.

Discounts

SAVE £50 - book any 2 courses at the same time
SAVE £100 - book any 3 courses at the same time
SAVE £175 - book any 4 courses at the same time
SAVE £225 - book the whole package of 10 days training plus the 2-day assessment for just £1150 (total cost if booked separately = £1375)
Discounts also apply to Personal Journey weekends
Discounts also apply if you book two places at the same training (e.g. for yourself and a friend) - providing they are booked and paid for at the same time

To Book

Pay by Cheque
Please download a booking form and send it in the post with your cheque. Full instructions are on the form.

Pay by BACS
Please email charlotte@apricotisland.com for bank account details.

Pay by PayPal
Click the Book Now button below.You do not have to have a PayPal account to make a payment in this way. Discounts will be applied automatically.

Pay by Credit Card
Click the Book Now button(s) below. You can use your credit card in the PayPal system, without having to have an account. Discounts will be applied automatically.

Pay in installments using any of the above methods
Please email charlotte@apricotisland.com to organise this.

Less is More:
An Introduction To Clean Language

This two-day workshop includes:

"Clean Language is an honouring, affirming and facilitatory language."
Lawley, J. & Tompkins, P., "Metaphors in Mind", p.28

"Research shows that we use, on average, six metaphors a minute in ordinary speech."
Raymond R Gibbs Jr, "Categorisation and Metaphor Understanding" Psychological Review 99, no 3 (1992)

What is Clean Language and Symbolic Modelling?

"We define Symbolic Modelling as a process, which uses Clean Language to facilitate people's discovery of how their metaphors express their way of being in the world."
Lawley, J. & Tompkins, P., "Metaphors in Mind", page 22

The two days in detail

"All of us will need better skills in listening, conversing, respecting one another's uniqueness, because these are essential for strong relationships."
Margaret Wheatley, "Leadership and the New Science", page 39

What if none of the training dates work for me?

I already have these skills. Is there a more advanced course?

Do I need any knowledge of Clean Language in order to attend?

Do you ever run Less is More and More to Explore together?

Discounts

To Book

See Also:

Less is More: An Introduction To Clean Language

This two-day workshop includes:

"Clean Language is an honouring, affirming and facilitatory language." Lawley, J. & Tompkins, P., "Metaphors in Mind", p.28

"Research shows that we use, on average, six metaphors a minute in ordinary speech." Raymond R Gibbs Jr, "Categorisation and Metaphor Understanding" Psychological Review 99, no 3 (1992)

What is Clean Language and Symbolic Modelling?

"We define Symbolic Modelling as a process, which uses Clean Language to facilitate people's discovery of how their metaphors express their way of being in the world."Lawley, J. & Tompkins, P., "Metaphors in Mind", page 22

The two days in detail

"All of us will need better skills in listening, conversing, respecting one another's uniqueness, because these are essential for strong relationships." Margaret Wheatley, "Leadership and the New Science", page 39

What if none of the training dates work for me?

I already have these skills. Is there a more advanced course?

Do I need any knowledge of Clean Language in order to attend?

Do you ever run Less is More and More to Explore together?

Discounts

To Book

See Also:

Less is More:
An Introduction To Clean Language

"Clean Language is an honouring, affirming and facilitatory language."
Lawley, J. & Tompkins, P., "Metaphors in Mind", p.28

"Research shows that we use, on average, six metaphors a minute in ordinary speech."
Raymond R Gibbs Jr, "Categorisation and Metaphor Understanding" Psychological Review 99, no 3 (1992)

"We define Symbolic Modelling as a process, which uses Clean Language to facilitate people's discovery of how their metaphors express their way of being in the world."
Lawley, J. & Tompkins, P., "Metaphors in Mind", page 22

"All of us will need better skills in listening, conversing, respecting one another's uniqueness, because these are essential for strong relationships."
Margaret Wheatley, "Leadership and the New Science", page 39