Why “brain-based” coaching and training works

We appear to be living the “Age of the Brain”. It turns out that we can better capture peoples’ minds, and achieve better understanding, by more effectively engaging the brain.

“You cannot solve a problem with the same consciousness that created it.” – Albert Einstein

Important discoveries in “brain science” are useful

Recent developments in neuroscience and cognitive psychology have led to important new insights as to how our brains work and how these functions shape our experience of the world. An explosion of research into how our brains actually function has shed new light on the quest to understand why we do what we do. Surprisingly, many long-standing beliefs that drive existing approaches to learning, motivation and self-development, have been clearly revealed to be simply wrong.

The good news is we now have the insight derived from clear evidence to become much more effective with teaching and coaching. Equally important, a growing interest in practical applications of neuroscience now provides accessible language to discuss these ideas and their implications with greater ease and common understanding.

Neuroscience research has revealed four key (and surprising) truths with implications for coaching and personal development:

  1. Our physical ability to pay attention and be mindful – to think conscious thoughts – is extremely limited.
  2. Emotions have a much more significant effect on our thinking than we have traditionally believed and suppressing emotions takes a lot of conscious thought.
  3. Social issues are important to our brains – our responses in social interaction can cause effects identical to those sparked by physical threat – and just as powerfully degrade our capacity to think.
  4. The act of “paying attention” changes the way our brains process and react to stimuli – we continually build new “maps” to help understand and react to the world.

We leverage these insights in our teaching and coaching practice

Our coaching process is based on this new-found knowledge. It uses these findings to create a useful framework that explains, supports and extends its effectiveness in promoting positive change in behaviour. Consequently, we can better manage, deliver and measure consistent coaching experiences.

The same principles underlie our approach to training and presentation materials and skills.

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