“Seeing is believing” has been well used since it was first recorded in 1639.  However, what we see will probably be different from what someone else sees and the ‘facts’ are not easily interpreted.  Wikipedia, where I found the above nugget, refers to this as a ‘sophistry’.  In fact, just the opposite is true.  Believing is seeing.  And this is confirmed by neuroscience.  The latest thinking on the relationship between neuroscience and coaching is bringing a welcome level of science and empirical research to this issue.

So how does what we know about the brain relate to coaching?

  1. Our brain is designed to find patterns.  Our brain continuously searches for associations, links and connections within the information which are stored as networks of neural connections.  These form maps and maps of maps in overlapping and recursive structures.  New patterns are accompanied by the release of adrenaline, serotonin and dopamine.  Insights give us a kick.
  2. Each person’s brain with its patterns is unique.  No two brains have the same structures.
  3. The brain hardwires recurring ideas.  The brain makes a million connections a second.  Managing ideas and skills in consciously memory is hard work and the brain hardwires the most-used neural pathways deep in the brain.
  4. This hardwiring drives the way we perceive.  These hardwired understandings are used by the brain to filter external data.  So we only see what we know to be true.
  5. Hardwiring cannot be undone.  Connections embedded in neural pathways are there for life.  By trying to unlearn old habits we only further embed them.
  6. But we can create NEW wiring.  By making new connections we can lay down new pathways and develop new habits.  The answer, it seems, is to put aside the old ideas and concentrate on new information and habits.

This fine graphic of neurons comes from the ehumanbiofield wiki, permission to use is pending.

And here is the part I really like about this new world of neuroscience gone practical:

  • Creating new wiring takes time, but not all that much time.
  • New wiring requires POSITIVE FEEDBACK to be successful.  Encouragement, a smiling face and occasional laughter all serve to mark a synapse for preservation.
  • When learning new habits we tend to forget to practice a new habit.  Reminders and knowing that someone is rooting for us helps create more links to new insights, making them more permanent.

So there are three really good reasons for coaching.  But not just any coaching.

Solutions Focussed Coaching has at its heart the principle that the client knows their situation best.  The role of the coach is to learn from the client, adopting a stance of curiosity, respect and being tentative.  The coach asks present and future-focussed questions, using the client’s language to restate what they have heard and ask clarifying questions.  The client is not bound to the coach’s view, the coach’s diagnosis nor do they have to learn the language or framework of the coach.  They simply have to show up for coaching and find a way to communicate their goals and discover their next-steps with the coach.