How can neuroscience inform our coaching practice -- six strategies to facilitate an optimal brain state in coachees

Purpose How do you ensure that your coachees are getting the most value, support, and challenge from your coaching sessions? Before you even start asking questions and engaging in a coaching conversation, neuroscience can help you! The purpose of this paper is to outline six easy strategies that you can deploy to enable the best brain state to aid cognition, decisions, and creative thinking for your coachee and yourself. Design/methodology/approach A viewpoint based on the latest research from neuroscience and the author’s expertise as a coach for over 15 years. Findings Using the latest research from neuroscience to assist coachees to find their own solutions to the issues they face ensures they take ownership and are more motivated to take action. Originality/value The paper takes key elements from the latest evidence in neuroscience and applies them to the practice of coaching.

Expanding the coaching conversation: group and team coaching

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the expansion of the coaching context in organizations through team and group coaching. The paper provides definitions and several examples of what these engagements look like, along with key considerations when expanding the coaching conversation. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on research undertaken during the writing of two books on group and team coaching, including more than two dozen interviews with team and group coaches. Findings – Group and Team Coaching are two modalities for expanding the coaching conversation in organizations. They provide opportunities to scale coaching, build organizational capacity and reduce the silos. Practical implications – The paper provides examples of what team and group coaching can look like in action, informing coaches, leaders and other practitioners as they approach expanding the coaching conversation. Originality/value – Group and team coaching are emerging sub-disciplines of the coaching profession. This paper will stimulate dialogue regarding how these modalities can be leveraged within organizations, and differences with related fields.