Clean Language in Coaching - Are You Coaching Or Quietly Leading the Client?
Are You Coaching… Or Quietly Leading the Client?
Most coaches influence more than they realise.
Not intentionally. Not maliciously. But subtly.
A raised eyebrow.
A reframe.
A “helpful” interpretation.
And just like that, the client’s thinking shifts. Not because they discovered something new. But because we nudged them there.
If you’re serious about your craft, that should feel uncomfortable.
Because the real question is this:
Are you facilitating discovery… or shaping the story?
The Hidden Problem in Modern Coaching
Clients rarely speak in bullet points.
They speak in metaphor.
“I feel stuck.”
“There’s a wall in front of me.”
“I’m carrying the weight of the team.”
“It’s like spinning plates.”
Most coaching approaches translate these phrases immediately.
“So you’re overwhelmed.”
“So you’re blocked.”
“So you’re under pressure.”
It sounds supportive. It feels efficient.
But the moment you translate, you distort.
You replace their internal architecture with your interpretation.
And even small distortions reduce ownership.
Why Metaphors Matter More Than We Think
Metaphors are not decorative language.
They are structure.
When a client says there is a wall, that wall has shape. Position. Texture. Meaning.
Inside that metaphor is a system organising itself.
Translate it too quickly and you collapse the system.
Explore it carefully and it reveals its own logic.
That difference separates average coaching from disciplined coaching.
What Clean Language Does Differently
Clean Language, developed by David Grove, was built around a simple but radical idea:
Reduce the coach’s interference.
Instead of interpreting the metaphor, you stay inside it.
Client: “There’s a wall in front of me.”
Coach: “And what kind of wall is that wall?”
“And where is that wall?”
“And what would you like to have happen with that wall?”
Notice what is missing.
No advice.
No reframing.
No hidden meaning.
The client explores their own symbolic world.
And when insight emerges, it belongs to them.
What Changes When You Stay Clean
When coaches work inside metaphor rather than translating it, three things happen.
1. Experience Becomes Structured
“I’m stressed” becomes:
Where the stress is.
What shape it takes.
What happens before it appears.
Vague emotion becomes organised awareness.
That alone shifts perspective.
2. The System Self Corrects
As metaphors evolve, change happens naturally.
The wall develops a door.
The weight becomes lighter.
The plates slow down.
The coach did not fix anything.
The system reorganised itself.
That is sustainable change.
3. Ownership Deepens
When insight comes from the client’s world, not yours, it sticks.
They are not persuaded.
They are aligned.
And aligned clients take action.
Where Clean Language Is Powerful
This approach is especially effective in:
Executive coaching
Leadership development
Conflict resolution
Cultural transformation
Anywhere assumptions are costly.
In organisational settings, subtle coach bias can ripple outward!
Disciplined questioning protects against that.
In organisational settings, subtle coach bias can ripple outward!
Let’s Be Honest
Clean Language is not a magic tool.
It requires:
Precise listening
Restraint
Patience
High awareness of your own assumptions
Used rigidly, it can feel mechanical.
Used skilfully, it becomes transformative.
And that skill is developed. Not improvised.
The Bigger Question
If coaching is about unlocking potential, then interference matters.
Frameworks are useful.
Models have their place.
But sometimes the most powerful move is to step back.
Less interpretation.
More discovery.
The client’s inner world is already organised.
The question is whether we trust it enough to explore it properly.
Want to Deepen Your Coaching Craft?
At Coaching Focus Group, we work with organisations and practitioners who care about coaching quality, not just coaching activity.
If you want to explore how disciplined coaching approaches can strengthen leadership and culture, let’s have a conversation.
Or, if you prefer to sharpen your thinking each week, join Coaching Weekly.
Practical insights.
Real coaching depth.
No fluff.
Because better coaching starts with better awareness.
FAQs About Clean Language and Metaphor in Coaching
1. What is Clean Language in coaching?
Clean Language is a questioning approach developed by David Grove that minimises coach influence. It uses the client’s exact words and explores their metaphors without adding interpretation, advice or reframing.
2. Why are metaphors important in coaching?
Metaphors are not decorative language. They are how clients structure their internal experience. When a client says “I’m stuck” or “There’s a wall,” they are describing the architecture of their thinking. Exploring that structure leads to deeper awareness and insight.
3. What happens if a coach interprets the metaphor too quickly?
When a coach translates a metaphor into abstract meaning, they risk distorting the client’s experience. Even well intended interpretations can reduce ownership and subtly shift responsibility away from the client’s own discovery.
4. Is Clean Language suitable for executive and organisational coaching?
Yes. It is particularly powerful in executive coaching, leadership development and conflict work, where assumptions can be costly. By reducing bias and interference, it supports clearer thinking and stronger alignment across teams.
Summary: Clean Language in Coaching – Are You Coaching… Or Quietly Leading the Client?
Most coaches influence more than they realise. Subtle interpretations, reframes and assumptions can quietly reshape a client’s thinking. Clean Language offers a disciplined alternative by staying inside the client’s metaphors rather than translating them. When coaches reduce interference, ownership increases, insight deepens and change becomes more sustainable.
If you want stronger outcomes, start by asking: am I guiding the discovery, or steering it?
Trayton Vance
Trayton Vance is the Founder and Managing Director of Coaching Focus Group, one of the UK’s leading leadership coaching consultancies working with clients such as McDonalds, Beats by Dre, Paramount and many more.
Coaching Focus Group
Specialists in leadership coaching, workplace coaching programmes, and building coaching cultures that stick.
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