Episode 12: The Art of Clarity – Tom Hoyland on Clean Language in Agile Coaching

Welcome to Episode 12 of "Clean at Work," where we dive into the transformative power of clean language in agile coaching with our guest, Tom Hoyland. A self-described broad-spectrum agile coach, Tom shares his journey of integrating clean language into his practice to enhance team dynamics and individual coaching sessions.

In this episode, Tom discusses his innovative "Facilitation Fishing Circle" tool, born from his experiences and collaborations at Agile Coach Camp. This tool, designed for simplicity and effectiveness, helps teams and individuals clarify their conversations, focusing on the central topic and exploring related facts and options. Tom explains how this method enables teams to stay on track, avoiding distractions and fostering a more connected and coherent dialogue.

Tom's passion for clean language shines through as he describes its ability to remove personal biases and allow the natural dynamics of a team to surface. He emphasises the importance of clean language in creating a space for teams to authentically express their needs and challenges.

Listeners will also hear about Tom's experiences at Agile Coach Camp, where he refined his approach to clean language and facilitation. The camp provided a unique environment for deep learning and collaboration, contributing significantly to Tom's professional development.

This episode is a testament to the impact of clean language in agile coaching and an inspiration for agile coaches and facilitators looking to incorporate clean methodologies into their work. Join us in this enlightening conversation with Tom Highlander and discover how clean language can be a game-changer in your agile coaching toolkit.

About the Speaker

Work with Tom: https://linktr.ee/thatagile
that agile: https://www.thatagile.com/
Facilitation Fishing Circle: https://github.com/tomhoyland/fishing-circle

About the Hosts:

John Barratt (https://www.agileaffinity.com/) loves seeing individuals, teams, and organizations become the best they can be. He does this using a mixture of coaching approaches embedded with the agile mindset. John spends most of his time supporting organizations to descale and self-organize, relying heavily on the systemic modelling skills he learned through his ongoing training from Caitlin Walker.

Sarah Baca (http://www.nerdyknights.com/) is a coach, therapist, facilitator, and teacher who has a passion for using clean language to help others discover what makes them feel vibrantly alive. She has been working with organizations as an agile coach for over a decade, specializing in enterprise and leadership coaching.