A walk along a blustery beach

Why I’m falling in love with coaching outdoors

I wouldn’t consider myself to be an “Outdoor Coach”, or someone who is “Coaching in nature”, mainly because most of my coaching takes place face to face in a nice comfy safe quiet space either virtual or in person and I’m not big into restrictive labelling.  However, more and more often I find myself suggesting taking our coaching session outside and going for a walk, particularly when the relationship is a bit more established, and you’re into the groove of your coaching experience.  I’m loving how positive the experience has been.

Getting into the woods can be calming, the acoustics are amazing and there’s something quite magical about huge old trees and the tales they could tell.  Getting rugged up and going for a walk on a blustery beach gives the sensation of literally blowing the cobwebs away; it somehow heightens all of our senses as we’re using most of them more consciously; sights, sounds, smells obviously, but also touch in the different texture of the ground beneath us and of course taste if we grab a coffee or a cold drink.  Nothing more comforting than a hot coffee on a cold day.  Coaching is a meeting of equals, and I don’t know why, but going for a walk seems to align us as humans.

We’re on the move.   We’re moving forward and that seems to give a sense of momentum to the conversation, perhaps a subconscious natural forward outlook.  This spattered with a few stops, perhaps a stop on a bench overlooking the view, taking it all in, seems to make the experience quite powerful.  We are not looking at each other continuously, research shows this can be quite liberating as there’s less sense of external or self-analysis.  Coaching is a non-judgmental space but somehow spending a bit of time talking candidly with no one ‘watching’, feels really unjudged and free. 

I personally notice silence is somehow more natural, powerful and useful, no ticking clock feelings, less pressure and my clients seem more creative in the silence.  It somehow becomes a space for both of us to breathe, sigh, create, reflect, just stare, become aware of putting one foot in front of the other on our own heart beat; it’s all incredibly valuable in your thinking process.  Silence outside feels encouraging, perhaps because time and nature are still marching on around you, the waves are still pounding the beach, the clouds still rolling in the sky, the life in the woods still scurrying around and other people doing their do, regardless of you and your stuff.

Volume is acceptable outside; expressing emotions with some passion and volume is easier.  Using your hands with less of self-conscious control that we reserve for indoors is more natural.  Sometimes you just want freely volumize your thoughts and really express them; give them the space to come out as nature intended.  Many of my clients feel less self-conscious about expressing themselves, not worrying about someone in the next room, or next to you having a coffee or feeling observed.  Sure, there are a few people around but you’re moving, they’re not listening in, they’re going about their own business, thinking their own thoughts. Someone described this like their words can just be carried into the breeze and allowed to land gently, you can choose to pick them up and use them or leave them to blow away….

Here's what surprised me the most - my hearing seems to get better.  I mean it doesn’t, I’m just listening even more intently, because I’m not looking at you and picking up on non-verbal’s - we’re walking and I’m looking ahead like you are; relaxing my visual listening heightens my aural listening.  I don’t take a huge amount of notes in our sessions, but outside I take none at all, so I’m fully tuned into what you are saying.  I guess I might be missing some of the visual non-verbal’s that are important, but I hear so much more; perhaps because you express so much more.  Who knows; I know there will be science behind this.  I’m fascinated by it.

There’s so much to relate to; the open space of the beach, the enclosed feeling of a woodland path, the clear or cloudy skies, the bright or dull lighting.  How the environment affects your mood and your perception of what you’re currently working on.  The sense of invigoration of being somewhere different.  It’s so important to capture all of what you’ve experienced and often there’s no time for a full journal before you drive off back home or to the office; I love to do a few little voice memos to myself in the car and a fuller reflection later.

Outside is a powerful space to coach and be coached.  I’m falling more and more in love with mixing up my coaching spaces with a good old hoof along a blustery beach.

If you like the cut of my jib and fancy a walk and talk: I’m here for it.  Like, literally here: 👇🏼

www.gillcalearycoaching.co.uk  gill@gillcalearycoaching.co.uk 07702719003