Welcome to

Words that change cultures

With Janine Waldman

Solutions Focus in Action

Today we will…

•  Explore how our thoughts, words, questions and conversations influence organisational cultures

•  Share your experiences of changing language and culture

•  Experience the impact of SF language – e.g pre-suppositional language

Introductions

•  Who are you and what do you do?

•  What will be the first signs that this session is being useful to you?

Discussion

•  Can conversations change things? •  Those who think so each share an

example of a conversation you were involved in that resulted in change

•  How come?

“Change is happening all the time…

Gregory Bateson, Systems thinker and anthropologist

1904 - 1980

…our role is to identify useful change and amplify it.”

The nature of change •  What changes do people want? •  Positive change: good things,

improvements, progress, better , excellence

•  What we talk about affects what happens

•  A good way of getting positive change is to talk about it

Have a go – ‘Problem Talk’

•  What’s the issue? •  What’s wrong with what you’re doing? •  Why are you doing so badly? •  What’s the main cause of your difficulty? •  Whose fault is it? •  What are the other things that make it

difficult? •  Why will it be difficult for you to do any

better?

Have a go – ‘Solution Talk’ •  What are you aiming to achieve? •  How will you know you’ve achieved it? •  What was the best you ever did (at this

thing)? •  What went well on that occasion? •  What will be the first signs that you’re

getting better? •  How will other people notice this

improvement?

What’s the difference between the two conversations

with regards to: •  The content of the conversation

–  what’s said e.g answers to questions

•  The conversational stance –  what you are assuming in your words about

competence, resource and locus of expertise

•  The interactional quality –  the quality of conversation, the relationship

between you, what would it look/ sound like to an observer

Problem Focus and Solutions Focus

•  Diagnose the problem

•  Know what causes the problem

•  Use this information to address the problem

•  Recognise the ‘solution’

•  Find ‘counters’ and know-how – things which contribute to the ‘solution’

•  Build the solution (and vanish the problem)

It’s important to…

“The art of being wise…

William James, Philosopher and psychologist,

1842 - 1910

…is the art of knowing what to overlook.”

SOY ✖

Guardian newspaper 23.08.06

DOUBLE ✔

Guardian newspaper 23.08.06

Language and physical performance

“OLD” “SLOW”

“FEEBLE”

“WISE” “KNOWLEDGEABLE”

“EXPERIENCED”

•  Post-graduate students given a difficult task

•  Interviewed after the task about next time

Each question makes a difference

•  (Future focused) •  Positive •  Specific

Which of your skills will you be using to help you do to this task well?

•  (Past focused) •  Negative •  Global or abstract

What do you think was responsible for you getting a bad score?

1 week later

•  Students given the positive interview improved their test results significantly more than those given the negative interview

•  What did we do right, What went well?

•  What will we do better (the next time)?

•  Presupposes –  Ability –  Resources –  Contribution –  Knowledge

•  Draws attention to what’s been achieved, what’s possible

•  Assumes the ability to succeed •  Overlooks weakness, deficits, blame •  Opens up possibilities/conversation

Preparing for a tricky conversation

Direct Route

•  What's going to be tricky about this conversation?

•  What’s the cause of the (likely) tensions between us?

•  What makes this person difficult? •  What went wrong before?

•  What alarm signals should I look out for?

•  What else might go wrong? •  What can I do to avoid having the

conversation?

Potential Excursions

•  What are your best hopes for this conversation?

•  What do you both want? •  What do you value about this

person? •  What’s worked well in the past in

similar situations? •  What will be the first signs that

things are going well? •  What else might be useful here? •  What can you do now and/or in

the meeting?

Conversation as fundamental unit of change

“If you change the conversation, then

there’s every chance you’ll

change everything that surrounds it” it,”

Your takeaways…..

What’s been useful and interesting from today’s conversations for you?

Resources

•  Articles and books: http://www.thesolutionsfocus.co.uk/content/resources

•  SF Network: http://www.solworld.org/

•  Case studies: Reading Council and John Laing Integrated services, please email janine@thesolutionsfocus.co.uk and request your copy.

» www.thesolutionsfocus.co.uk »  janine@thesolutionsfocus.co.uk »  +44 (0) 1727 840340