What is SGL
SGL is a Gestalt-oriented methodology. Its name comes from the Norwegian Samspill, Gruppevekst og Ledelse: interaction, group growth and leadership. It draws on Jan Petrus Hagberg's observed and documented experience of exploring how people communicate, work together and influence one another. He has developed the methodology since 1987 and published his book about SGL in 1998.
With method input from Jan Petrus Hagberg.
Models, drawings and practical questions use symbols and concepts to describe an interconnected universe. They give you a language for situations you encounter at work and in everyday life.
You can begin with something specific: a meeting where you talked past each other, a decision that stalled, or a conversation you wish you had handled differently.
A language for what happens between people
A conversation involves more than exchanging information. You notice something, interpret it and react. The other person does the same from their own perspective. The two of you may have experienced the same meeting quite differently.
SGL separates messages using familiar concepts to explore this. What was actually said? What did you feel? What meaning did you add yourself? Separating these parts makes it clearer what you can ask the other person about and what you need to take responsibility for yourself.
The colour language in SGL
Colours are key symbols in SGL, with consistent meanings across the methodology’s symbols. One of its most important models describes the colour language. Four colours represent different aspects of communication:
- Blue directs attention to facts, analysis and what we understand and know.
- Red makes room for personal connection, relationships, enthusiasm, ideas and what we imagine.
- Yellow concerns feelings, experiences and values connected to what we have lived through.
- Purple encompasses the intuitive: images, symbols and what we know deep within ourselves and have made our own. “I am my own message.”
We all use these languages and move between them. You might present facts during one part of a conversation and share something that matters deeply to you during the next. The colours give you words and symbols for discussing these shifts and exploring what kind of message the situation calls for.
The colour language describes your messages; it is not a personality test.
An example from a meeting
Here is a fictional example: you present a proposal. A colleague asks several questions about costs. You feel irritated and think the colleague wants to stop the idea.
Using SGL, you can separate what happened from your reaction and interpretation. The colleague asked questions about costs. You felt irritated. You interpreted the questions as an attempt to stop the idea. You can explore that interpretation.
You could ask: “What do you need to clarify about the costs?” You can also explain what you need: “I’d like to explore the potential of the proposal before we decide.” That gives you something concrete to discuss together.
Here you can see the colours in use. Your colleague asks in blue, about facts. Your proposal is red, an idea and a possibility. The irritation is yellow, a feeling. When you recognise the difference, you can agree what the conversation needs first.
From personal reflection to teamwork
SGL covers the fifteen most popular conversation topics recorded across nearly 10,000 conversations, each lasting 90 minutes. They include communication, competence, team roles, belonging, values and development. The topics have illustrated models that provide a shared picture and reference points during a conversation.
You can use them to explore your own part in an interaction. A team can use the same concepts to clarify expectations, discuss differences and follow up on agreements. You can begin at any level of responsibility. Your everyday words and actions already influence how people work together.
Begin with one situation
Choose an event you would like to understand better and write a few lines:
- What did I see or hear?
- What did I feel, and how did I interpret what happened?
- What would I like to ask or do next time?
If you have a conversation coming up, use the guide to preparing for a difficult conversation as your next step.
In SGL Coach, you can explore a situation with an AI coach, watch exercise videos with Jan Petrus and read more in his detailed text about SGL. You choose what to take into your next conversation with another person.