Your Brain is Not Enough
Helping our clients think outside their brains
In the ever-increasing complexity of the world today, some researchers are saying that we may well have pushed our cognitive capacities as far as we can. In other words, the brain alone is not enough for our clients to process, manage, and work with the mental challenges of modern life. So what do we do, and where does coaching fit?
The answer may be found in what neuroscience and philosophy refer to as “the extended mind,” which points us as coaches to engage aspects of the client and client’s life that broaden their cognitive capacity. For example:
- Using techniques that tap into internal sensations is a way to extend the mind into the whole physical system of the client;
- Externalizing the issue or topic through metaphor, visual work and moving in space extends the mind outside the closed loop of the brain;
- The coaching relationship itself brings in a sort of extended “collaborative mind” that is created through the safe space, the coach’s presence and even the intuition of the coach; and lastly
- The appropriate use of technology to track commitments, automize reminders, etc., can help keep coaching alive between sessions in a way that extends the client’s capacity for both memory and focus.
In this lively, provocative, and experiential session, neuroscience and coaching expert Ann Betz will take you through the science and the practicalities of extending the mind—what we are already doing as coaches and where we can stretch to help our clients be even more effective in this complex world.
About Ann Betz, CPCC, PCC
Ann Betz, CPCC, PCC, is the co-founder of BEabove Leadership and an international speaker and trainer on the intersection of neuroscience, coaching and human transformation.
In 2011, Ann studied neuroscience at the graduate level, and using this fascinating research, in 2012 co-developed (and is senior leader for) BEabove Leadership’s popular training program for advanced coaches: Neuroscience, Consciousness and Transformational Coaching. This program has been offered in-person worldwide and is now available in an in-depth virtual format.
A certified professional coach for 20 years, Ann is the author of a groundbreaking white paper on brain research and coaching. She contributes to Choice Magazine, Coaching at Work, Coaching World, the ICF and CTI’s blogs, and other coaching and HR publications.
Ann is the lead author of Integration, the power of being Co-Active in work and life, an exploration of consciousness and the future (John Hunt Publishing, 2015), as well as a ground-breaking white paper on the neuroscience of the International Coach Federation coaching competencies. She is also a published poet, using her understanding of the brain and consciousness to bring to life the wonders of the human soul. Ann speaks internationally on neuroscience, leadership and coaching (and occasionally poetry as well), and she excels at making the complexities of the brain come to life with depth, humor and simplicity.
Ann lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her four (yes four!) highly entertaining cats.
Continuing Coach Education (CCE) units for this event:
Core Competencies: 1
Resource Development: .5
