A Very Simple Explanation of the Neuroscience Behind Coaching

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Jennifer Koller, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.

What is going on inside your brain when you respond to your coach’s questions?

One of the reasons why coaching conversations are so effective in eliciting change is that your brain responds positively to the types of questions a trained coach will ask you. In a good coaching relationship, your brain is stimulated to work differently, and truth be told, a little harder than usual.

Like a smart thermostat regulating the temperature of your home, your brain is most often in “energy-saving” mode. This means that when you encounter any kind of stimulus, your brain will try to take the path of least resistance in thinking about that stimulus. Smell donuts and coffee, and your brain is quickly reminded of the pleasure those goodies elicited the last time you indulged. The reminder of instant gratification is enough to make you want more. This scenario is a great example of your brain choosing the strongest neural pathway, or in other words, the most trodden path, in order to save energy. The more developed the pathway, the more automatic, and easier, your response is.

In contrast, when your coach asks you a powerful question, positive visioning areas of your brain light up. These areas are associated with greater cognitive and perceptual openness. Unlike our response to the coffee and donuts, the question (stimulus) results in deeper and broader thinking, not a habitual reaction. At this point, you are most able to create new neural pathways, and step away from the well-established ones. This is why trained coaches use questions that sometimes leave you feeling stretched, challenged and even uncomfortable. That discomfort means that your brain is establishing new ways of thinking about things. Developing new neural pathways takes a little time and repetition to become stronger and as your coach, I will help you find ways to practice in between coaching conversations. That practice will in turn create stronger neural pathways, that you will use over and over again to reach your goals.

Why is it important to establish new ways of thinking? Overcoming challenges means changing your thinking. Changing your thinking results in changing your feelings. As much as we hate to admit it, feelings very often direct our actions and behavior. By establishing new actions and behavior, we are able to create the results or outcomes we want. When your current state is not your desired state, or when you don’t exactly know how to get to your desired state, coaching can help your brain help you get where you want to go.