More and more research is being done into the brain, and our understanding is moving forward at a rapid rate. This article examines the latest updates – some of them quite surprising, reports Amy Brann
If you’re reading this article you probably know that neuroscience is the scientific study of the brain. You know that technology has rapidly advanced our ability to see what is going on in the brain as it is happening. But what does this really mean to coaches and their clients?
Recently, my husband and I took our three-year-old on her thirteenth plane journey. As she clipped her seat belt into place I recalled our twelfth flight where she had been staring out of the window expectantly at the plane’s wings. When we started to accelerate she exclaimed, “Why aren’t the wings flapping, like a bird?” I realised she had taken her frame of reference and applied it to another situation. Much like many of the questions coaches ask about the application of neuroscience.
I am constantly challenged to dig deeper, both by my three-year-old and the fabulous coaches we work with. Jess hasn’t yet experienced the effect of the speed of air travelling over something reducing the pressure on something, and causing it to lift. She knew that gravity keeps us on the ground, and that birds flap their wings when they fly.
One of the beautiful things about science is that it is available to all of us. It is indeed all around us. Teaching people about neuroscience is amazing because you see people’s eyes light up when they recall experiences that bring to life the concept we’re discussing. The challenge is that sometimes it can be tricky to jump straight into detailed aerodynamics, or neuroscience.
We take a layered approach. This works most effectively with the way the brain stores and retrieves information. Normally I ask audiences I speak in front of to raise their hands if they have heard of neuroplasticity. When I first started speaking on these topics, only a few hands would go up. Now, with coaches in the audience most hands go up. (Incidentally with most other professional audiences still very few hands are to be seen.) When I ask who would feel comfortable explaining it though – almost all hands go down!
Learning the basics
When coaches begin our ‘Neuroscience for Coaches’ programme they start by learning the basics. This isn’t the most fun. I know that. It’s like Jess having to learn about ‘irregular words’ – those pesky words that don’t fit our normal phonic structure. She just wants to read her favourite books. Coaches often want to jump straight to the ‘what do I need to know to use this stuff to help my clients even more?’
The temptation is to look to short articles and videos and soundbites to help us sound up to date in particular areas. In science this is dangerous and often ends up with someone exposed as far less credible. Recently, I observed a webinar by a well-known speaker. Despite using many scientific terms that we would use, there were many subtle misunderstandings. These mistakes not only call into question reliability and trust, but also the recommendations that the ‘science’ is linked to.
By investing in getting the foundations strong, coaches are in a solid position to evaluate the new research coming out each month – and this is how they stay current with the latest insights. We can’t expect to read Shakespeare and grasp the nuances without learning to read English (even then a supportive class and teacher are normally necessary).
One size fits all
Coaches who understand the basics of neuroscience and are part of a community who discuss what the latest research means, know that one size rarely fits all. Many others recognise this too, however we still see a lot of people using neuroscience to lend credibility to sweeping statements. The opposite effect is often the result.
Let’s look at performance management. As a coach, you or a colleague are likely to have worked in some way with performance. Personally, I think performance management, as a concept, is completely outdated. But notice, I said ‘I think’. I didn’t claim that the field of neuroscience disproves performance management works. This is the temptation though and the invitation through questions.
People often ask, ‘What does neuroscience say about XYZ?’ While people may offer insights, I would strongly encourage consideration before presuming that what is right for one organisation is right for another.
It’s the same with people. You wouldn’t hear about a series of questions a respected coach used for one client and expect to take the same set of questions and use them with your client.
Many organisations are radically changing their approaches to performance management. We encourage those we work with to work with coaches, trainers and consultants who have a deep understanding of neuroscience so they can combine that knowledge with an understanding of the organisation’s objectives. Together, everyone is then on the best page to move forward. Why are many organisations throwing out an old approach without having the proper information or new infrastructure in place to support it? I think it is because individuals within organisations don’t have enough time. They are seeking the quick solution because they don’t have capacity for anything else. They see something work for another company from a surface perspective and try to replicate it.
Based on my research for my third book, Engaged: the Neuroscience Behind Creating Productive People in Successful Organizations (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015), I think we would all fare much better if we focused on ‘performance engagement’ rather than performance management. The frames we set can be very important.
How we Coach
Take the frame around something as simple as how we coach. Do we do it over the telephone, in person, sat at a table or on a walk? Depending on your definition of coaching, there are a vast range of environments in which you could practise.
Christian van Nieuwerburgh, associate professor of coaching at Henley Business School, is embarking on a piece of research around walking coaching. I think this is a fantastic idea (even though we can’t put people in fMRI scanners as they walk) because other neuroscientific research has suggested a difference in outcome between walking and sitting coaching.
Coaches equipped to evaluate the research and then experiment, we believe, will contribute a lot to the future of coaching. Of course, reading just one study won’t give a coach grounds to do something differently, eg, neuroscience won’t say that all coaching should be done on the move. In fact, I would predict there are times that coaching will suffer if a person isn’t sitting down. Overall, a deeper understanding and a wider search of the literature will reveal insights that enhance the coach’s work.
Much more is to come on walking coaching in 2017.
Behavioural Science
One of the most exciting developments, yet to become widespread, is the blend of behavioural science with neuroscience. During Synaptic Potential’s partnership with a UK university-based Centre for Behaviour Change we worked on many interesting scenarios.
When we introduce this approach to organisations across many sector we have yet to come across one that has encountered anything similar. The potential for deeper, longer lasting change more easily is incredible. There will be a lot of work upfront, but the interventions or coaching conversations are actually quite simple and quick.
Flying your journey
As you continue your coaching journey, remember that often the true value lies below the surface. Getting deep into insights in any field is more of an investment, but it does pay off and you can see amazing views along the way.
Reader Offer
Synaptic Potential, led by Amy Brann, author of Neuroscience for Coaches and other applied neuroscience books, runs the ‘Neuroscience for Coaches’ programme. If you would like to enrol in the programme that starts this autumn, quote ‘Coaching at Work’ to get a 20% discount. www.synapticpotential.com