How can we use technology to make coaching even more extraordinary, asks self-professed nerd, Sam Isaacson?
Which brain hemisphere is most closely aligned to an interest in technology? At first glance, that seems obvious. The left brain is a nerd, obsessed with logic, facts and processes, and likes technology. The right brain, on the other hand, is a hippy, excited by abstraction and feelings, and finds technology a turnoff – creative things like music and poetry are better.
But, of course, it isn’t that simple. I’m still slightly ashamed to admit that I’m a full-on nerd. Generally speaking, I find technology interesting, fun, and intuitive to use. I enjoy playing computer games. Before the Marvel films had come out, I’d read the comic books. I read – and write – fantasy and science fiction books. And if that wasn’t enough, I collect and paint miniature wargaming figures, and spend my free time rolling oddly shaped dice to tell collaborative stories in fictional worlds.
Isn’t it interesting, though, to notice that a lot of my nerdy activity sits squarely at the most creative end of the scale? Painting and storytelling are creative processes, so it’s probably not fair to pigeonhole technology so far away from creativity.
This is particularly true for us as coaches. The coaches who most quickly use avoidance tactics when it comes to new technology might well be those who consider themselves to be more creative in their approaches. Maybe these two worlds can interact more than we realise, bringing the creativity of those coaches closer to their clients, and offering a simple route for those who find creativity a challenge to enhance their coaching practice through it.
So, how can we make our coaching even more effective through technology?
Some of these suggestions might be easier to access than others or come more naturally. My encouragement to coaches would be to take this list to coaching supervision and reflect on what would benefit clients the most. That means experimenting with technologies to make them as comfortable as possible for the coach and being open to discover what might unlock hidden wells of potential within our coaching conversations.
- Screen sharing
Hopefully this feels like we’re starting simple. Just like we can walk into an in-person coaching session with a printed model to talk through, we can prepare a slide to share in a video call and talk it through that way instead.
We might even create something live in the session, in the same way as we’d use a notepad and pen in person. That feels quite possible, and technology opens up even more options for us.
Many coaches end up mentioning helpful content to clients, like articles and videos. Why not bring them up on screen live in a coaching session and dig into them then and there, bringing variety to our coaching and reducing the risk that the client will smile and nod at our suggestion, and then do nothing more than that?
- The quantified self
We all carry around a device that contains, frankly, an inconceivable amount of data. What if a coach were to use a client’s smartphone as a lens into their behaviours, enabling the client to see what they really spend their time doing?
Digital wellbeing settings provide insights into the number of times the phone has been unlocked, email apps show which emails have been read and sent, and at which times, and which are still being ignored. Banking apps show in hard numbers a client’s spending habits, while taxi apps, podcast apps, on-demand video apps and meditation apps will have a beautifully unambiguous record of what activity has taken place, and when.
And then there are wearables. Smartwatches are becoming more common, and more advanced technologies are increasing in popularity all the time. A client
might be able to talk through their habits around sleep, diet and exercise, but (at least in theory) the numbers don’t lie. Thinking you are walking 10,000 steps a day isn’t the same thing as seeing it demonstrated in a tool.
- Collaborative spaces
There are all sorts of products available that enable multiple users to interact simultaneously with a document. Some file-sharing sites allow several people to update files at the same time, while online whiteboards are designed to make that process transparent and visual.
When working with groups and teams, chat, poll and interactive presentation functionality can make the space more inclusive. And one big advantage is that they produce a nice record of what you’ve discussed in the session (which raises a question for me of confidentiality: the client should be comfortable with an employee of the provider being able to see what they generate).
- Symbolic modelling
We represent ourselves digitally as avatars every day; using symbols to represent people and concepts can enable clients to articulate their thoughts, without words. The whiteboard tools mentioned above can do this, while some have been designed specifically for coaching contexts that allow us to benefit from the exercise. Other tools can make the experience 3D. By placing various symbols in a digital landscape, a client is empowered to quite literally change their perspective to that of, for example, their spouse, realising for the first time that they just don’t see the client’s work deadlines in the same way that they do – or at all!
- Coaching toys
As a dad of four boys, I play with plenty of Lego at home, and coaches are some of the only adults that are allowed to do that at work. And it’s possible to replicate at least part of the experiences of some of those more tactile coaching tools using technology. There are tools available that will shuffle virtual decks of programmable cards, for example, allowing concepts like personal values to be categorised and prioritised. Others specialise in image cards, allowing for metaphor and storytelling to enter the coaching conversation.
- Get more creative
Some coaches might want to introduce digital painting and sculpting technology products to enable a client to reflect visually. And if you’re pushing technology as far as it will go, virtual reality would allow a client to step into and explore their mind map in an embodied way. Others might want to explore creative writing, and there are lots of AI-enabled story prompts to support with that. I also particularly like the idea of using digital poetry magnets to play with words, because they limit the options and therefore encourage a client to make sense of what’s available to them.
Something that’s simply impossible to do without technology is to use sound recording and production, for example, by playing back a client’s statement to them, or as an accompaniment for improvised singing. If that sounds a bit bold, how about using a dynamically generated soundscape to support in a mindfulness exercise, or engaging some binaural beats to induce a state of learning or relaxation?
And it might be nice to use 360-degree interactive tours of inspiring locations to generate new thoughts. Many clients talk about achieving goals in terms of climbing Mount Everest; if they were to virtually clamber to Base Camp in a coaching session, what insights might they gain?
- Virtual reality
The cost of some virtual reality (VR) headsets can feel a bit obstructive, and it takes a level of courage for some people to strap it to their head. However, embodying an experience in VR can be a powerful way to accelerate shifts in beliefs and values, for example, in digital versions of the empty chair technique. I’ve coached for several dozen hours in VR, and there are coaching riches to be mined if we approach it intelligently.
Concluding thoughts and advice
Every coach must use technology that best serves clients while staying authentic. The easiest way to discover what that might be is to have a play. If you enjoy using a piece of technology, chances are, your clients will, too.
Clients have an uncanny knack of making technology stop working. When we introduce it into a coaching session, we’re extending our role past that of coach and into technical support: if a client asks where the undo button is, or why everything has just gone black, we must maintain rapport and resolve the issue.
Be brave. Try new technology. Ask a client what they’d like to experiment with. Then reflect on the experience, learn and in a year look back with gratitude on the decision you made to be the best coach you can be.
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About the author
- With a background in technology assurance, Sam Isaacson is the author of How to Thrive as a Coach in a Digital World (OUP, 2021), leads Grant Thornton’s coaching services, and sits on the UK ICF Technology Working Group. Sam chairs the UK’s Coaching Professional apprenticeship trailblazer group, and is the first person to have delivered executive coaching in virtual reality.