I have been reflecting on an excellent opening presentation by David Rock (http://www.davidrock.net/) at the EMCC annual conference. He described his work on the neuroscience underpinnings of coaching and behaviour change. His description of the way the brain focuses on problems and excludes other signals and contexts driven by some very basic reptilian brain functions was illuminating. The message for coaches was to help the client reframe the issue as something other than a problem at an early a stage as possible. Another point was the power of naming the experienced emotion as a way of reasserting the dominance of the pre-frontal cortex over the limbic system. Naming brings the experience into the rational, logical part of the brain where it can be examined and insights gained.

A session on transformational learning triggered a connection – we were being asked to frame reflection in the context of problem or experience. However the ‘problem’ word creates a closing down of the options and narrows the focus – it can be the beginning of the downward spiral rather than the upward spiral.

The connection is to frame the conversation in terms of how the individual has experienced the issue. The next stage is to help the client describe how the experience might be different and better. What does the client need to change in themselves? What is the impact of those changes on others? What are the internal and external manifestations? What is the different way of doing and being that needs to happen in the room and subsequently?

The neuroscience of leadership – excellent article by David Rock and Jeffrey Shwartz