PCW Stance explanation module

This module explores the use of PCW stances in client sessions and how to employ them conversationally to achieve productive outcomes.

We will also look at how, in PCW, we shift from direct to indirect and sometimes to random positions to help the client find new ways of thinking and feeling.

Examples of PCW Stances

Here are some stances that can provoke client responses. This is not an exhaustive list, but it includes many of the stances I adopt during client sessions. You can see the chart of the main 27 PCW stances above. These are all tools that can be used conversationally in a PCW individual or group session.

Interrupting the client

Interrupting the client can be done in lots of different ways. By interrupting client responses, the practitioner can move the client from their previously established way of thinking to new possibilities. These interruptions can also be useful as tools to deliberately confuse to provoke a new way of thinking.

Blame v don’t blame…

It’s not your fault (blame everything and everyone else for the problem)
This stance allows the practitioner to blame everything else for the client’s predicament. This is often done in the most extreme manner.

Here are some examples of blame and not blame
Blaming that can be used

“It’s not your fault; it’s just that you were born in the wrong place”
“It’s not your fault, it’s because you wear brown shoes”
“Not only is this your fault, but here’s a whole bunch of other things that are your fault as well!”
“Well of course it’s you, nobody else was there!”

Speak louder or speak quieter

Changing the volume of your speaking can be hugely impactful in client sessions. Speaking in hushed tones and speaking louder produce all manner of responses that provoke new ways of thinking and feeling.

Go into more detail or go to greater universal descriptions
Adopting a stance of asking for more detail or a more universal view elicits a wide range of useful responses. Here are some examples of adopting these stances

“What was the colour of that car?”
“How many times did you think that?
“What astrological sign are you?”
“That’s just how things line up from a cosmological perspective”

We will explore the use of stances in greater depth in the certificated PCW Foundations training. See details here https://provocativechange.myshopify.com/products/provocative-change-works-foundations-course