Clean Language Interviewing: How to Ask Non-Leading Questions with Dr. Heather Cairns-Lee

Dr. Heather Cairns-Lee, Affiliate Professor of Leadership and Communication at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), Switzerland, shares insights from her book Clean Language Interviewing: Principles and Applications for Researchers and Practitioners. The book introduces a powerful method for asking non-leading questions to uncover authentic experiences across research, business, education, and healthcare. Drawing on the therapeutic innovations of David Grove and the modeling work of Penny Tompkins and James Lawley, clean language interviewing removes assumptions, paraphrasing, and leading questions so that interviewees can stay close to their own words, metaphors, and images. Through examples from leadership, coaching, conflict resolution, market research, and safety investigations, she shows how small shifts in questions can reveal structural issues instead of blaming individuals, access tacit knowledge, and create more inclusive, phenomenological conversations. This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. For more information, please visit www.globalmanagementconsultancy.com. Disclaimer: A. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy, and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music. B. Dr. Heather Cairns-Lee shared thought-provoking perspectives from her acclaimed book “Clean Language Interviewing: Principles and Applications for Researchers and Practitioners”, during her in-depth conversation on the Business Talk podcast. The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so changing any graphics, music, or on-screen appearance of the author or host is not allowed.