The Power of Coaching using Neuroscience
The Power of Coaching with Neuroscience, and Brain based coaching is gaining more traction as neuroscientists are discovering more information about the Brain. Coaches, counselor, therapists are getting more and more interested in understanding how our Brain functions, so that this information can be used to Coaching the Brain, and integrating this information with different other methodologies which coach the mind, NLP, Cognitive Science, Emotional Intelligence, etc.
Coaching using Neuroscience: Why Brain based Coaching is the Game Changer for Coaches
In today’s information era, where information is overflowing in different areas of our lives, overwhelming many people as the information overload stresses people, and hence coaching the brain, and information about the brain has become very critical for self transformation. Most coaches don’t understand Coaching using Neuroscience, and feel overwhelmed by the subject itself, or they have learning biases whether they can really learn or benefit by Brain based Coaching. The fact is that in future everyone needs to understand about their brain, and what works for them, how they can keep their brain healthy to manage different areas in their lives.
Coaches, Counselors, Therapists also will need to learn about the Brain and how information about the brain functions, neurochemicals, and neurotransmitters helps us to perform at our best. Not all coaches under the brain, and hence at times are not able to create lasting results. A good coach can coach the mind aspects, but a Master Coach will understand Coaching using Neuroscience, and their work will be grounded in brain based Coaching.
Whether you are a practicing coach, an aspiring coach, a professional looking to understand how brain works, and deepen your impact, understanding about the brain is no longer optional. It is essential.
In this blog, we explore:
– What is Coaching using Neuroscience?
– Why it is important for a coach to learn Brain based Coaching?
– How learning about the brain gives coaches an edge in the coaching profession?
– Why organizations prefer coaches who use Neuroscience based tools
– How to start your journey with coaching using neuroscience
What Is Coaching using Neuroscience?
Coaching using Neuroscience is a knowledge based approach that brings the brain research to the profession of coaching. It brings in the latest Neuroscience findings how brain operates during learning, behavior change, processing of emotions, decision making, critical thinking, etc. to work with the clients to bring in sustainable change.
There are various methodologies of coaching, results based coaching, cognition based coaching, coaching using behaviorism psychology, positive psychology, mindfulness approach to coaching, etc., which may rely on Mind based approaches, and Coaching using Neuroscience brings in the workings of the brain to coaching using the brain knowledge to work with a client to work with their habits, goals, learning, etc. keeping in mind how brain function. In short, it is coaching which uses how human brain functions, and how people are wired.
Why is it essential to learn Brain based Coaching?
When coaches are working with their clients, they listen to their thoughts, about what they are feelings, their habits, their beliefs, their passions, their mission, their purpose, fears, desires, etc.
Here is why coaching using Neuroscience is the way forward for coaches, and an approach of brain based coaching is crucial:
- Coaching changes the Brain
Coaching changes the brain, which is changes in the brain structure, wiring, neurochemicals, etc. Every habit, decision, behavior change, emotional management is a result of changes in the brain wiring.
The process of change is called neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to rewire, which can be intentional, or driven by other factors. As coaches, we are interested in the intentional changes based on coaching conversations with the client, and also educating the client about how the brain functions, and how to keep the brain in an optimal state.
When a coach uses Brain based coaching methodology, they can:
– Help clients to learn about their brain, and how to manage change. – Create changes using the brain science to strengthen the neural pathways.
– Help clients to think differently to create resourceful ways to think and create lasting changes.
- It changes motivation based approach to transformation using brain science
Motivation can allow someone to operate for a while, but for lasting change people benefit more by understanding their brains, how they think resourcefully, and create lasting behaviour changes.
A coaching using the brain-based coaching knows:
– How the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is the seat of cognition, and helps clients to learn about the brain function, so that they can plan well, be decisive, create lasting change.
– How the amygdala (Limbic System) processes emotions, and allow client to learn about self-awareness, and self-management.
– How to use insights about the brain functions to be in an optimal state This information about the brain, and using coaching using neuroscience allows the coaches to work with their clients in a very congruent and efficient manner to create lasting changes.
- Science based credibility to coach’s work
Most of the coaching industry is full of vague methodologies, unregulated claims, and coaching using neuroscience brings a lot of credibility to coach’s work. Client’s prefer methodologies which are time tested, and have some scientific background.
As a coach when you bring in brain based coaching approach in to your work, , you can:
– Built trust with potential clients, and explain the brain based coaching, and its applications
– Gain credibility with clients who prefer science based approach, and some information about the brain which is being involved in coaching
– Showcase work that is based on data and science, and not on some pseudo attraction work
Potential clients will have more credible information to go through, and see the coach as a professional who is an expert on the brain functions, and understands the change mechanics.
How learning about the brain gives coaches an edge in the coaching profession?
Learning about brain based coaching, and neuroscience of change allows the coach to have more scientific tools/techniques, to work more impactfully, and back their work as research based work. Here is how brain based coaching gives you an edge:
- Coach uses brain science to coach, and tackles the brain level issues, not just high level symptoms
Most of the clients speak about symptoms when they start a coaching conversation, and come up with things like:
“I am distracted most of the time. ”
“I have brain fog during the work hours”
“I am not able to focus well on my tasks.”
All these are surface level symptoms. Coaching using Neuroscience helps the coach to go deeper into the working of the brain to find what is causing the symptoms, and work with the client at neurological level, neurochemical level, and work with their clients to improve the brain function, and create lasting change and improve client’s wellbeing.
When a coach understands coaching using Neuroscience they become real change makers, and not just provide a quick fix change.
- Brain based coaching improves coaching conversations
Great coaches have the ability to ask great questions. Coaching using Neuroscience improves their skills by:
– Having the knowledge when the brain is more open to reflections, and deeper learnings (e.g., calm, not stressed)
– Understanding what creates more awareness, and motivation
– Understanding how to showcase brain knowledge to improve clarity, learning, and decision making - Sustainable and faster Results
When a coach leverage brain based coaching, sustainable and faster results happen. That’s because:
– Coaching is based on science and latest information about the Brain, and client feels safe, and it builds trust, and increases the efficiency of the coach
– Enables the coach to calibrate the patterns of the client, and how to introduce Brain science into coaching for lasting change
– Behavior changes are based on scientific understanding about the brain based coaching, reinforcing change, and learning
This leads to:
– Trust and client retention
– Satisfied clients
– More work for the coaches based on increased trust
- Increase confidence to coach very logical clients
Some clients are logical, analytical, and guarded about the entire coaching process, and change. Coaching using Neuroscience provides the tools, information, that can be shared with the client, and that builds trust and rapport to work with the clients, who generally like to listen to the rationale behind the tool, or a technique that a coach intends to use with the client.
Why organizations prefer coaches who use Neuroscience based tools
When the coaching niche of the coach is Leadership Coaching, Executive Coaching, Mindset Coach, Emotional Intelligence Coach, Performance Coach, etc., with primary objective to work with organizations who intend to get a coach to work with their leads as Coach. With so much of noise and chaos in the Coaching Profession due to untrained coaches, with bogus coaching methodologies the organizations prefer coaches who have solid background with coaching methodologies cutting across Cognition Psychology, Behaviorism, Mindset methodology, and Neuroscience.
Organization prefers coaches who understand the Human Brain and Brain Science:
- Organizations feel aligned with the methodology
Corporate learning and development teams generally use time tested methods for learning and development of the teams in the organization, and Neuroscience based coaching aligns with their own approach to learning and developing teams, such as.
– Habit changes
– Emotional Self Management
– Safety as a human being
– Iterative learning
A coach using brain based coaching methodology is aligned with the organization goals, making them a natural choice for organizational coach roles, and as change agents. Someone who uses Coaching using Neuroscience with effectiveness in their Coaching process. Some of the niches that usually benefit from Brain Coaching are:
– Leadership Coaches – Executive Coaches
– Organizational Development Coaches
- Better fitment for Leadership/Executive Coaching
Executives at work places are generally operating in high pressure environments, and changing landscape makes their roles very complex, and challenging. Neuroscience based coaching is an ideal choice for coaches to use because it addresses:
– Stress management and burnout
– Emotional regulation
– Decision making and being proactive As a coach when you present leaders information about the brain and how Coaching using Neuroscience helps to understand brain functioning in a better manner, and enable them to understand how to regulate their own emotions, as a coach you add value and build trust and rapport with the clients. - ROI can be demonstrated in terms of visible changes by Brain based coaching
Coaching using Neuroscience allows for demonstration of ROI for coaching. With clearly measurable behavioural changes backed by science, the stakeholders feel comfortable with a coach who uses Brain-based coaching. As a coach you can demonstrate trackable changes like: allows for measurable outcomes. With clear, science-backed frameworks, you can track:
– Resilience
– Outlook quotient
– Sensitivity to Context
– Self awareness, etc.
Companies prefer to invest in coaching when they feel that the methodology is robust, and not based on some fluff feel good factors. Real changes backed by science makes a difference.
- Psychological safety
Most coaching initiates fail as coaches and stakeholders are not able to create safe environments during coaching. They are generally associated with rapport, trust, resistance, confusion, fear or emotional detachment from coaching, or lack of psychological safety. Brain based coaches ensure there is psychological safety for the clients during coaching as they understand the brain, and how small changes in their style can ensure lasting rapport and trust with their clients, and providing safe environments for discussions. Brain based coaches are experienced to: – Create psychologically safe environments
– Ensure emotional agility
– Help clients form new models after challenging their existing mental models in a safe environment Brain-Based Coaching in Action
Coaching using Neuroscience also sometimes called coaching the brain, or use of brain science, or coaching the hardware, as coaching the mind methodologies are sometimes referred as coaching the software. Hence, various neuroscience coaching concepts are utilized from a point of cognitive neuroscience, to bring changes around behaviours, enabling goals, learning, and utilizing concepts around brain science for lasting changes, they are many concepts, including:
- Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity is growing in interest as it enables the client to learn how to change its structure, and build more effective cognitive functions, through thinking, acting, and new experiences. Coaches who use brain based coaching can help clients:
– Build new habits, and condition existing habits more through practice of repetition
– Break unhelpful thinking patterns by introducing concepts of effective thinking, and meta cognition- Understand how lasting changes can be produced by rewiring of the brain at the neurons level, and effective use of neurotransmitters. - Mastery of Prefrontal Cortex (PFC Mastery)
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) also known as Cognitive thinking powerhouse enables person to focus, control wayward impulses, better decision making, creativity, abstract thinking, etc. A coach expert in coaching using neuroscience uses the brain science to:
– Help clients to increase willpower
– Increase executive functioning
– Help clients to manage cognitive load, etc. - Mastery of Limbic System (Amygdala and Emotional Regulation)
The amygdala in Limbic system is a vital part of the brain to manage fight-flight-freeze response. The very evolutionary process of the brain. Brain science aware coaches recognize and can calibrate their clients to notice Amygdala hijack and need for emotional self management. The coaches help clients:
– Help build self-management, and self-awareness
– Learn about triggers, and slowing down their responses to triggers and build response patterns – Learn about Journaling and how to learn and build better learning structures4. Motivation drivers
Understanding how the motivation drivers dopamine helps coaches to guide the clients:
– Around motivation strategies
– How rewards help with behaviors
– Habit creation and sustaining them
These coaching using Neuroscience concepts become part of the brain based coaching enabling coaches to use brain science as a toolkit to work with the clients.
How to Get Started with Coaching using Neuroscience
If you are keen to integrate neuroscience based coaching into your coaching then here is how to begin
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Learn the Cognitive Neuroscience foundational awareness
You don’t want to get an academic qualification to bring neuroscience into your coaching conversations – foundational knowledge and application is enough to start
– Learn about Brain regions (PFC, Basil Ganglia, Amygdala, Insula, hippocampus, etc.)
– Learn about Neurotransmitters (Adrenaline, dopamine, Cortisol, serotonin, etc.)
– The nervous system
There is enough information available around Coaching using Neuroscience, which provides enough knowledge of Brain science, and how it can be used for habits, attention, managing motivation, productivity, etc.
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Choose an Emotional Intelligence Coach Program That is using Coaching using Neuroscience as a methodology
Look for coach trainers and mentors who have great coaching skills, and knowledge about the brain science, and bring coaching using neuroscience knowledge into their programs that:
– Ensure coach programs have neuroscience and cognitive psychology covered in the program
– Have real coaching practice, and how to scope the corporate engagements by bringing coaching using neuroscience into their curriculum
– Include practice using brain science during the program This learning approach ensures that as a participant you learn different methodologies and can become an effective coach
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Practice brain based Coaching
After attending your coach program bring your brain science knowledge into your coaching practice by
– Leverage brain functions knowledge during coaching
– Activities that enable the brain as an organ and helps the clients to manage their brain well
– Use more insights about the brain to bring more awareness for the client
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Learn to be curious about the Brain and Brain based coaching
Neuroscience and coaching using neuroscience is going to constantly evolve, as more research is happening in this area, and brining more awareness about the functioning of the brain. Keep yourself updated by reading books, blogs, research papers, attend webinars, and meetups around the topic to keep evolving as a coach.
If you want to be amongst the best trainer in the world, best coaches in the world, then be a lifelong learner of brain science, psychology, mindset, NLP, positive psychology, etc. as these areas are constantly growing, and more research is bringing more tools into the profession.
Final Thoughts: Coaching using Neuroscience, Coaching the Brain is also sometimes referred as the best way for Coaching the Person, and should be part of all the ICF certification programs
In today’s era of coaching world, the high level surface-level way to coach is not preferred. Clients are more demanding, and want real results, real change. Organizations want more ROI on Coaching, and hence coaches need to up their game and be able to have more meaningful conversations with their coaching clients. This ensures repeat business for the coaches, continued trust, rapport, and a way to be always counted in the leaders in the profession.
