COACHING i n t e r n a t i o n a l

NUGGET

Empowering you to Empower Others!

METAPHOR
Learning Objectives
Find and free your apple tree, be all you were born to be. Colleen-Joy

? Explore the use of metaphor in coaching

? Understand how

Metaphor, symbol and analogy have always been used as powerful communication devices. They have a way of delivering meaning and understanding with simplicity and grace. When a coach uses metaphors or symbols (especially those that the coachee chooses) they invite deeper levels of understanding without the interference of the conscious mind. To understand why this works, consider the 3 parts of the human brain. Neocortex, mammalian brain and reptilian brain. Every human brain is made up of these 3 parts.
? The reptilian brain is structurally like the brains of reptiles and provides hardware

metaphors and symbols access the emotive brain

associated with our most primitive instinctive reflex responses to life and danger. If your house was on fire, your reptilian brain would likely enable to give you the instincts to survive. It also provides us with a primitive kill or be killed response to danger. This brain is in evolutionary terms, the most ancient.
? The mammalian brain is structurally like the brains of mammals and provides us

with the hardware associated with our emotive instincts and intuition. Nurturing of young, belonging to a tribe, emotional responses to life all are processes of this part of our brain. It also is linked to smell, melodic rhythmic sound, symbol and memory. This is the second most ancient brain in evolutionary terms.
? The neocortex is the largest in humans and structurally provides us with the

hardware associated with logic, rational thinking, and cognitive functioning. Processing, analysing, reasoning, labelling, language and mathematics are all processed by this part of the brain. This is the youngest brain in evolutionary terms. For someone to fully engage and to be open to a communication, a process or anything presented to them, all 3 brain structures have to be satisfied. Our reptilian instincts need to be shown that we are safe. Building rapport and providing a professional safe space to coach in does this. Our logical neocortex needs to be happy that what is being seen or heard is logical and makes common sense. Then the gatekeeper of the conscious mind relaxes. Now all that's left is to access the mammalian brain. If you only satisfy the neocortex and reptilian brain, you will have surface level communication. If you engage the mammalian brain, you integrate the communication at an emotional place.

Copyright 2011, Colleen-Joy Page. www.innerlifeskills.com

COACHING i n t e r n a t i o n a l

NUGGET

Empowering you to Empower Others!

METAPHOR pg 2
Learning Objectives
Find and free your apple tree, be all you were born to be. Colleen-Joy

? Explore the use

of metaphor in coaching continued

? Understand how

Here is an outline of the communication and coaching techniques that relate to the mammalian brain. SOFTENING AND TONE When you use softening (taking the harsh edge of your voice and words) and tones that are gentle and melodic, you are more easily able to reach a person at the mammalian level of emotion and intuition. A melodic rhythmic tone works especially well. METAPHOR AND SYMBOL Using symbols and metaphors works well to move deeper than logic and reasoning (neocortex) and straight into the more archetypally wired mammalian brain. Here are some examples of ways to use metaphor in coaching communications:
? Values exploration. The coachee chooses an animal, symbol or nature metaphor

metaphors and symbols access the emotive brain continued

that they relate to or like. This choice will symbolically represent qualities and values that they relate strongly to. ? Purpose work. The coachee finds a symbol to represent their found sense of purpose. The symbol then becomes a touchstone to focus on while integrating and actualising their purpose. ? Solution finding. The coachee chooses a symbol or metaphor for their problem/challenge and then seeks to resolve the symbol and in so doing can discover symbolically represented solutions. ? Creating awareness. When working with symbol or metaphor, we create opportunities for incubating insights and for creating new awareness. Symbols and metaphors are multidimensional, they contain far more than literal words contain. Use them to open up new perceptions and possibilities.

Copyright 2011, Colleen-Joy Page. www.innerlifeskills.com