Boldly-going Outdoors!
I often take coaching sessions outside if clients are up for it.
For my part I’m aware that being outside in a park, by a river or in a woodland makes my senses sharper, my thinking more nimble and I generally have more energy.
And I’ve noticed that when we have sessions outdoors away from their regular working spaces clients find it easier to focus, to reflect and to gain fresh perspectives; they are also generally freer in their thinking – often being more creative around challenges they face and finding new ways forward.
As someone who has always felt most at home out in the elements I’ve not been surprised by the research that has re-emerged during lockdown highlighting the overall benefit of being outdoors on our mental and emotional wellbeing.
One of the more well-known theories is Kaplan’s Attention Restoration Theory (ART). In his research Kaplan points to the positive impact of natural environments on mood, state of mind, and health.
Attention Restoration Theory hypothesizes that nature has the capacity to renew attention after we have used a lot of mental energy, for instance, after working tirelessly on a project or assignment. It also suggests that it can enhance our ability to perform tasks, as well as improve our ability to deal with, and recover from, stressful life events.
So as well as being enjoyable, time spend outdoors can also help us improve our focus and ability to concentrate (Ohly, White, Wheeler, Bethel, Ukoumunne, Nikolaou, & Garside, 2016).
All good stuff. So how does this relate to coaching?
Research by Alex Burn* suggests that when we coach outside we are able to move more freely – be it walking slowly or strolling fast, pausing, taking in a view – all of which has an impact on our thinking. In my experience the best thinking rarely happens when I’m sitting down - the expression “thinking on your feet” certainly applies for me.
The research also shows that coachees who are drawn to outdoor coaching appear to feel constrained when indoors and being outdoors helps them feel free, open, calm or energised. Added to that - openness and space when out and about leads to a certain spaciousness and freedom of thought associated with the removal of mental and physical boundaries.
Feeling connected with nature also plays it’s part – it could be weather, trees, plants or perhaps animals; as well as giving the sense of being part of something bigger, these things can have a grounding effect or inspire us – and sometimes the outdoor environment helps us make connections and provide useful metaphors or analogies for what is going on in our work and lives.
And of course there is the general health benefits of simply moving around rather than sitting – the opportunity to burn off the lockdown lard…
So as the daffs begin to push up and the days gradually get longer I’m Boldly-going outdoors. Fancy coming with me?