Mediation, Coaching Psychology and HR Consulting for dispute resolution, high performance, capability and change
OUTDOOR COACHING
NEW PERSPECTIVES
Coaching creates the time and space for you to reflect, gain perspective and access your own wisdom
Outdoor coaching is when we take the coaching session outdoors – preferably in the surrounds of nature.
When coaching outdoors, the client also engages in a restoration activity which has been found to assist in unlocking cognitive capabilities and new ways of thinking. This assists the client with the content of the coaching conversation, restorative effects of nature, and the action of the physical activity in alleviating stress and enhancing wellbeing.
When we engage in outdoor coaching, we walk side by side with our clients (rather than sitting opposite each other). It removes the sense of being looked at or having too much eye contact and can assist a client in having more confidence to discuss challenging topics. It is often described as invigorating, mentally stimulating, grounding, refreshing, liberating, non-judgmental and relaxing. We find that outdoor coaching helps the flow of conversation - clients often hear, see and feel different things than when in a conventional office.
We regularly host coaching retreats for individuals and small groups. These are sought after weekends that include outdoor coaching sessions, delightful dining, relaxing accommodation and restorative fun activities. Please let us know if you would like to participate in our next event.
Outdoor Coaching leverages Attention Restoration Theory (ART). This is the theory that the natural environment provides the brain with the opportunity to restore "Directed Attention" which then increases cognitive capacity and capability through four ways.
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Fascination. As the sights and sounds of nature are easy and effortless to focus on, the brain is able to recover from cognitive fatigue.
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Intent. An outdoor coaching experience links with a client's intention to combine coaching and exercise.
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Movement. The act of movement enables physical blood flow for deeper cognitive thinking and meditative breathing.
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Being away. Taking the client out of the workplace or office environment can often assist in perspective taking.
Outdoor environments can also provide experiences of awe which can lead to improved mental health and positive emotion. Finding awe in easily accessible activities, such as watching the fog roll in over the lake, can help us to find the beauty in the everyday and focus on gratitude and self-compassion. Why is this important? Clients often find themselves thinking more deeply over questions and reflect more openly, almost subconsciously. This assists the brain to cognitively process information, think creatively and come up with new ways of thinking and doing.
We offer outdoor sessions in various locations around Canberra that are available for a range of physical abilities and fitness levels. We can accommodate with wheelchair accessible options.
Outdoor coaching programs can be co-designed with clients for other locations around Australia as we also have partners specialising in outdoor leadership training.
FURTHER READING
Blue Mind: How Being Near Water Can Make You Happier
Why are we drawn to the ocean each summer? Why does being near water set our minds and bodies at ease?
Combining cutting-edge neuroscience with compelling personal stories from top athletes, leading scientists, military veterans, and gifted artists, Wallace j Nichols shows how proximity to water can improve performance, increase calm, diminish anxiety, and increase professional success.
The Biophilia Effect: The Healing Bond Between Humans and Nature
Being in nature may be the best thing you can do for your health. Clemens Arvay illustrates how we can easily rewild our hearts and our psyches by reconnecting with all of nature.
Spending time in a forest activates the vagus nerve, which is responsible for inducing calm and regeneration and just one single day in a wooded area increases the number of natural killer cells in the blood by almost 40 percent on average?
The Restorative Benefits of Nature: Toward an Integrative Framework
Natural environments turn out to be particularly rich in the characteristics necessary for restorative experiences.
Professor Stephen Kaplan PhD outlines how Attention Restoration Theory provides an analysis of the kinds of experiences that lead to recovery from fatigue.
Outdoor coaching: Explaining the Experience and Benefit
Attention Restoration Theory (ART) identifies four facets that explain why nature enables the brain to restore directed attention, improve cognitive capabilities and relieve stress. The research identifies the benefits of outdoor coaching with key findings of benefits to taking coaching conversations outside.
Prof. Jonathan Passmore is a UK based chartered psychologist and accredited coach at the University of Reading, UK. His doctoral research focused on the coaching relationships and coach behaviours and led to the development of the Integrated Coaching model, published in 2007.