xray listening uxcamplondon

X-Ray Listening

Judy Rees• Former journalist, managed

projects in digital TV, web, mobile • Now facilitates individuals and

groups using X-Ray Listening, and trains others to do so

• Co-author of Clean Language: Revealing Metaphors and Opening Minds

83 per cent of projects fail

• 33 per cent cancelled• 50 per cent don’t deliver

what’s wanted

How the customer explained it

How the project leader understood it

What the customer really wanted

Who gets the blame?

• Technology is not failing• We are failing to communicate

effectively

• Users don’t know or can’t say what they want

• Analysts don’t know how to ask in a way that gets the info

• Information is ‘lost in translation’ throughout the project

X-Ray Listening

• Particularly effective for uncovering tacit and unconscious requirements

• Tacit requirements – what clients want but don’t say

• Unconscious requirements – what clients don’t realise they want

X-Ray Listening

• Improves communication between stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle

• Works in different cultural contexts, and in other languages

Origins

• Latest thinking from Cognitive Linguistics

• Clean Language questions of David Grove, a New Zealand psychologist

• Practical experience from IT and other projects in UK, Netherlands and elsewhere

Listening Activity 1• First person talks about something

they enjoy• Second person listens

1. Listen fully (until chimes)2. Be distracted (until chimes)3. Listen fully again

• Swap roles

Listen

Be distracted

Listening Activity 1

• What did you notice:• As listener?• As the one being listened to?

Listening Activity 2• Think of a couple of problems you

have which can be stated in a sentence

• Examples: “I need to get more exercise” or “I want to find a new job”

• Label them A and B

Listening Activity 2• First person says a sentence about

their problem A• Second person gives their very

best advice• “If I were you….”• “What you should do is…”

• Swap roles


• What did you notice:• As adviser?• As the one being advised?

Listening Activity 3• First person says a sentence about their

problem B• Second person asks:

• What would you like to have happen?• Is there anything else about X?• What needs to happen for X? (‘X’ represents one of their exact words)• Swap roles after chimes


• What did you notice:• As questioner?• As the one being questioned?

Questions?

Further reading

• Clean Language: Revealing Metaphors and Opening Minds by Wendy Sullivan and Judy Rees

• Time To Think by Nancy Kline

Contact Judy Rees

• [email protected]• www.xraylistening.com