The International Coach Federation (ICF) defines coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.” It’s important we are fully focused to enable this to happen.
Starting the coaching session with a focusing exercise is a great way to do this. It helps declutter the mind and clear the Pre-frontal cortex (PFC) so we can think clearly. Our Pre-frontal cortex (PFC), is the area of the brain where we do our best thinking and problem solving. It can however be easily distracted. It is often still trying to problem solve even after an event. So let’s say your coachee has just arrived in the coaching session after a stressful meeting with their team. Their brain can still potentially be engaged in the emotion of that meeting and what they need to do.
The processing of emotions happens in the limbic system which from evolution, is primed to sense danger (lion in the cave) and can send us into a fight, flight or freeze (& new one “flock”). If our coachee (or the coach!) arrives to the coaching session stressed, the limbic system is in control. This is helpful if there is a lion in the room, however not so helpful when it is taking resources away from our PFC. We are not going to be able to do our best thinking.
One way to calm down the limbic system and this emotional brain, is to use Cognitive Change Strategies such as Emotional Labelling. This increases arousal in the PFC and can dampen down the arousal in the limbic system. Focusing exercises like the one below are a type of Cognitive Change Strategy. Another analogy is similar to when you are trying to type up an important word document and have too many programmes open on your computer or devices. You might get distracted by your email pinging, your phone’s WhatsApp and the excel spreadsheet you still need to finish. Closing down all the programmes you’re not using, can really help us focus. The focusing exercise below encourages this to happen.
Focusing Exercise before a Session
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Identify the cognitive distraction
– What is going on in the background for you? E.g. I’ve got an important presentation tomorrow which I’ve still got to finish.
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Label the Emotion
– What’s the emotion attached to this in one word? E.g. Anxiety
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Remove the cognitive distraction
– What will you do to clear it for this session so you can focus? I’m going to leave it outside the door and collect on my way out. I’m going to imagine writing it on a piece of paper and scrunching it up and throwing it in the bin. I’m going breathe it away.
We’re not ignoring it. We are cognitively changing it so we can focus. It really works!
