Clean Coaching: The Insider Guide to Making Change Happen

Most coaches today see their role as mainly non-directive, helping to uncover their coachee’s own wisdom. However, coaches may unwittingly and unconsciously constrain what their coachees talk and think about, getting in the way of unique, self-generated solutions. Clean Coaching provides a different, simple yet highly effective approach to one-to-one facilitation. It is a style, strategy and set of techniques that help coachees gain insight and make changes through discovering more about their own ‘insider’ perspective: of themselves and the world around them. Through the use of specifically-phrased, structured coaching questions, the coach’s own biased perspectives are stripped from their language, ensuring the coachee’s unique personal experience is honoured.

In Clean Coaching, Angela Dunbar explains how this approach works in practical terms, with descriptions of how to structure a Clean Coaching session and the steps to take within such a session. The book gives detailed descriptions of the kinds of questions to ask and provides a wealth of analogues, examples and case studies to bring the descriptions alive, offering a clear blueprint for action. In addition, the book explains where Clean Coaching has come from, describing the development of Clean Language and other "Clean" approaches by the psychologist and psychotherapist David Grove. It also tracks how "Clean" approaches have been adopted and adapted by other practitioners. Dunbar draws on current research in the fields of developmental, neurological, cognitive and social psychology to demonstrate why Clean Coaching works so successfully.

Exploring Clean Coaching in detail, and informed by both research and practice, this book will be a valuable resource for coaches at all levels, including executive coaches and those in training, as well as managers and executives acting in a coaching capacity.

**

Review

'Knowing (Angela), I know this will be an important and compelling contribution to all our knowledge and practice. I so look forward to reading it.' - Nancy Kline, author of bestselling books "Time to Think" and "More Time to Think", pioneer of The Thinking Environment® and President of Time To Think Ltd: www.timetothink.com

‘Whether you are new to Clean Coaching or already have some deep exposure, there is a wealth of information and guidance in this book - from the basics of just two questions you can use in a profound way to get started, through the full range of clean questions and techniques, to the capacities and world views that will help you to use it successfully. Angela's writing, her examples and stories, spur you on to explore and use these powerful techniques.’ - Caroline Talbott, coach and author of Essential Career Transition Coaching Skills

‘I loved this book for its clarity and simplicity. It gives a thorough representation of the work that David, Angela and I did together during the years leading up to his death, as well as the way in which she has gone on to develop and progress our work. It provides a detailed description of what coaching is, what clean coaching is, the differences between them, and how they complement each other, and will guide coaches towards a more neutral style of coaching. I regard it as essential reading for those studying or delivering clean techniques, and a valuable resource for anyone studying and/or practicing coaching more generally too.’ - Carol Wilson FILM FAC FPSA, www.coachingcultureatwork.com

‘Clean Coaching is full of high-quality explanations of key aspects of coaching – and ‘clean’ coaching in particular. It is exceptionally well-researched and immediately practical, and the examples and transcripts make the nuances of a clean approach sparkle. Whether you are beginning your coaching career or a seasoned veteran, this book can set you on a path you will want to follow for the rest of your coaching career.’ - James Lawley and Penny Tompkins, authors of Metaphors in Mind: Transformation through Symbolic Modelling

‘A hugely valuable addition to the field of Clean Coaching, this book will surely become a seminal text. It contains a rich explanation of the benefits of a Clean approach to coaching plus practical know-how for coaches to apply to enhance their effectiveness through Clean strategies, mindsets and techniques. Angela shares her in-depth knowledge and understanding of Clean in relation to the art of coaching and the application of psychological and systemic models, all in a hugely warm and accessible style.’ - Lynne Cooper, Executive Coach, Coaching Supervisor, co-author of The Five-Minute Coach and Managing Partner of Change Perspectives

‘Angela's latest book is an excellent addition to the current literature on coaching and how Clean Coaching is distinguished from other approaches. In one volume, the reader can explore the theoretical underpinnings of coaching, our unconscious bias towards being directive and how Clean Coaching offers an alternative. Discover ways to build your Clean Coaching capabilities and strategies for structuring Clean sessions, peppered throughout with case studies, transcripts and insights drawn from Angela’s rich experience in the field. An indispensible resource for both novice and experienced coaches alike.’ - Anne Munro-Kua Ph.D, CEO AMK Transformations, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

‘This book is a comprehensive overview of Clean coaching by someone who learnt from David Grove himself. Angela Dunbar puts Clean coaching into context by showing all coaches how we should "clean up" our coaching approach, even if not using Clean methods primarily. She explains how and why Clean works, and provides "how to" sections for basic Clean questions and the more evolved Emergent Knowledge variations. Coaches will find this book useful and challenging, as well as informative.’ - Gill Smith, UK Chair, Association for Coaching, Partner in The Brain@Work

About the Author

Angela Dunbar is a highly experienced coach and coach supervisor, accredited with and a former council member of the Association for Coaching. As Managing Director of her own training and development consultancy since 1994, Angela coaches people on their professional and personal lives, and her passion is using and teaching 'Clean' techniques through The Clean Coaching Centre, www.cleancoaching.com. She is the author of Essential Life Coaching Skills (Routledge, 2009), and has twice been nominated for the Association for Coaching’s Honorary Award for 'Impacting the Coaching Profession'.