What is Language Processing?

Today I'm at the Hotel DeAnza Hotel in San Jose facilitating a strategic discussion for one of our divisions, using the Language Processing (LP) method.

Language Processing is a great method for achieving alignment on a problem that's still at the qualitative (vs. quantitative) stage.

LP operates under the assumption that semantics are critical at this point. By addressing those semantic differences, it provides a process that almost guarantees a smooth facilitation.


Here are three ways you can learn more about Language Processing.

• This article outlines how to do a language processing session. I was surprised to see it called a 'KJ Analysis'. It turns out that it was named after Jiro Kawakita, a Japanese anthropologist.
  As one who fancies himself an amateur anthropologist (you cannot live overseas for 10 years without becoming an amateur anthropologist - as well as an apologist for American policy, but that's another story), I'm unreasonably pleased to discover this methodology was born from anthropology.
• This short manual by the CQM organization, is the one I carry for my sessions.
• "A New American TQM" - while looking through a peer's bookshelf, I found this excellent hardcover book by the Center for Quality Management that covers both Language Processing and the 7-Step Problem Solving Methodology.
  The book is out of print, but you can buy it used on Amazon. I ordered it yesterday.

Read the article and try it on your next qualitative problem statement.

Visual Thinking - What's Out of Play?

My colleagues and I were working on a team facilitation today. 

In order to frame the discussion, we asked what topics were open for debate, and which ones weren't.

I want to be clear that this wasn't censorship, or an attempt to avoid the 'elephant in the room'.

The 'out of play' topics are basically the 'No Whining' Zone, or the 'Dead Horse' zone - things that are constantly complained about, even though you know you can't change them.

As the group was generating the topics on Post-it Notes, I had the idea to represent the concept as a baseball field with 'fair balls' and 'foul balls'. It worked well, so Brent recreated it in a PowerPoint slide.

You could just as easily use a Football field (in bounds and out of bounds) with an international audience.