Milton Model · Pattern 9 of 19
Unspecified Verb
An action is named without specifying how it happens.
Recover: Leaves HOW open, so the listener supplies their own process
Language skill is not permission to override choice.
Preserve meaningful consent — the listener always keeps a real option to decline.
Full ethics panelWhat it is
“And you can…” — can what, how? Verbs like learn, change, understand, shift and settle are used with the mechanism removed, so each listener runs their own version.
Recognition / tip-offs
What space this leaves the listener to fill
- That the action is available
- That some process will carry it
- The listener supplies the how
How it lands for the listener
Trainer example: “and you can…” — deliberately left hanging.
How to construct it
Precision check: if the client is about to act, specify the how. If they are exploring, leaving it open is often kinder.
- “How specifically, if it matters here?”
- “Is the client leaving with enough to act on?”
Practitioner judgement: enough vagueness to invite meaning, not so much that rapport breaks.
Purposeful use — with consent
Use when the client's own process is better than any you could prescribe. Add specifics when accountability matters.
Client autonomy first — offer language the client can verify and decline.
Examples
“You can begin to work with that in your own way.”
Listener fills in Beginning is available; a way exists.
Common confusion and overlap
- Confusing it with lack of referential index — this one is missing HOW, that one is missing WHO or WHAT.
Practice this pattern
Hear it
0%
Unpack it
0%
Question it
0%
Build it
0%
Use it live
0%