tm © inspiration365 ltdjanuary 2014 use of perception in coaching to help managers/leaders achieve...

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© inspiration365 Ltd January 2014

Use of perception in coaching to help managers/leaders achieve

their goals and be more perceptive

Fiona Williamscoach and mentor at inspiration365 Ltd

Oxford Brookes University10th Annual Coaching and Mentoring Research

Conference

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Setting the scene

"I see nobody on the road", said Alice."I only wish I had such eyes", the King remarked in a fretful tone. "To be able to see Nobody! And at that distance, too! Why, it's as much as I can do to see real people, by this light."(Carroll, Through the Looking Glass)

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Adelson, Checker Shadow Illusion. Available from: <http://web.mit.edu/persci/people/adelson/checkershadow_illusion.h

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Perception: complex, debated & unknowns

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Initial coaching themes developed

External Focus

Internal Focus

Perceptual Filters

Drawing Together

• What are we sensing - external events, people, environment?

• Meaning of perception

• What are we sensing internally?

• What are our internal thoughts, meaning making?

• What are our internal filters to perception?

• How do we perceive ourselves?

• How can we draw together and action what we've learnt on perception?

As underpinned by literature reviewStrengthening crucial skills

Moving away from grey

Emotional intelligence

Reducing perceptual filters

e.g. listening e.g. soft thinking (Claxton)

e.g. facial language (Ekman)

e.g. self-deception(Bachkirova)

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Methodology

3Action cycles Managers/

leaders(co-researchers)

Direct contact hours

Thematic analysis

7 42 lots

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There's more to perception than I thought…

• Co-researcher: "…you all know the theory of the different senses of perceptions but I wasn't really conscious of the signals, um, that I could pick up on or the effect that they could have"

• Mezirow (in Fostering Critical Reflections in Adulthood) "habits of expectation that constitute our frame of reference"

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Joining the dots

• Co-researcher: "…I think I feel much more comfortable now with my preferred working style that can be appreciated by other people so I'm not trying to change or assume I had to adopt certain, different behaviours. So that's been a big shift which will be very helpful for me in the future"

• Beliefs held which defined co-researcher’s sense of self and acted as conditioning perceptual filters (Bachkirova, Developmental Coaching)

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Flying by the seat of one’s pants

Action research was messy (Herr and Anderson, The Action Research

Dissertation)

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Conclusion

• Themed coaching approach helped co-researchers achieve their coaching goals / synthesise learning and be more perceptive

• Perception: valuable coaching topic and seemingly, in part, a mechanism for change

• Apt for all managers/leaders at all times? (limitations/further research)

• Transferable to other coaching practices via Perception's PrismTM

and more…

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Perception’s PrismTM 1

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Perceiving stuff

1 • How do you read other people?

• How do you take in external info.?

2 • Sensory inputs? Intuition?

• Picking-up body language?

• Mindfulness, meditation, focusing

• Illusions

3 Filters to perception, being perceived, self-perception

4 Ekman, Emotions Revealed. Claxton, 'Beyond Cleverness: How to be Smart Without Thinking'. In: Henry (ed.) Creative Management and Development

Perception theme

1 Opening inter-vention

2 Areas to explore

3 Links to other themes

4 Some liter-ature links

Filters to perception

1 • What assumptions are you making?

2 • What is another perspective of X? What assumptions are relevant now?

• Influencing beliefs? Culture?

• What are clients avoiding talking about?

3 Self-perception, perceiving stuff, being perceived

4 Bachkirova, Developmental Coaching

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Perception theme

1 Opening inter-vention

2 Areas to explore

3 Links to other themes

4 Some liter-ature links

Self-perception

1 • How do you describe yourself?

• I noticed/heard/sensed you saying…

2 • How would someone else see you?

• Self-perception of emotions (emotional competence)?

3 Filters to perception, being perceived

4 Harter, The Construction of the Self

Being perceived

1 • How do you think other people perceive you?

• How do you want to influence others?

2 • Personal branding

3 Filters to perception, self-perception, perceiving stuff (esp. other people)

4 Trichas and Schyns (2012) 'The face of leadership: Perceiving leaders from facial expression', The Leadership Quarterly. Vol. 23, No. 3

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Questions

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Final thoughts…

• Why not explore perception and ask yourself: how do I perceive?

• A seemingly simple question yet I wonder where the question will take you. Feel free to let me know…

Fiona WilliamsTwitter: twitter.com/fionacoachLinkedIn: uk.linkedin.com/in/fionawilliamsWebsite: www.inspiration365.org.uk

tm © inspiration365 ltdjanuary 2014 use of perception in coaching to help managers/leaders achieve...

Documents

tm inspiration365 ltdjanuary

perceptions prism tm

developmental coaching

coaching goals

annual coaching

coaching practices

perceptive perception

frame of reference slide