The Benefits of Outdoor Coaching: gaining new perspective, creative problem-solving, and finding focus
From the desk of: Rachel Fagnant-Fassler
Early on in my career, as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (psychotherapy and career counseling), I discovered the magic of outdoor sessions. Inevitably, a single walking session would unlock a year of “a-ha” moments in a mere 50 minutes. Between the movement, the fresh air, and the escape from the intensity of constant eye contact, the outdoor stroll seemed to overcome so many of the artificial obstacles in the typical counseling setting.
Years later, with over a decade of experience in the executive search and coaching space, I find myself drawing on those early lessons daily. At CFW, I instituted the Walking Meeting as my approach to one-on-ones with team members, and we used the brisk walks through Manhattan and Brooklyn to work through key challenges and opportunities. We’d often find our moments of creative brilliance would emerge on those walks, and at the end of the meeting, we’d rush back to the office to write down all our fresh ideas.
Now, in Denver, I’m working with career coaching clients in a similar capacity–only here, we can get to a mountain trail in a matter of minutes, so the vistas have gotten better, and the walks look a lot more like hikes. These outdoor sessions simply work – so well. I find the conversations are richer, the realizations are more profound, and the action-oriented ideas that emerge are more creative. So what’s going on in an outdoor session that makes such a big difference? A few key elements, it turns out:
Creativity and Problem-Solving: There are clear links between walking (as well as being in nature) and increased creativity. A Stanford study reported a 60% increase in creative thinking while walking. Two core areas of focus in our coaching work are problem-solving and creative ideation. Whether we’re addressing a pressing challenge at work or focused on generating ideas for future career pathing, creativity and problem-solving (often, the combination of the two!) are essential in a successful session. So this creativity/walking correlation is particularly important in our work.
Deep Reflection (vs self-consciousness): Research has shown positive effects of coaching side-by-side (vs. facing each other), with participants reporting the experience as more “liberating, non-judgemental, less scrutinized, and relaxing.” This side-by-side experience creates more conducive circumstances for deep reflection, free from burdensome self-consciousness. In my outdoor coaching work, I find clients are more open, freed up to think about things other than how they look or are being perceived in the moment.
Enhanced Focus: While there is not a direct correlation between being outside and enhanced focus, there is clear evidence that our digital devices significantly reduce the quality of our attention. Thus, the move outdoors, away from screens, is a simple way to reduce digital distraction and digital drain. In his book, Stolen Focus, Johann Hari refers to “switch-cost effect”. He explains,“If you check your texts while trying to work, you aren’t only losing the little bursts of time you spend looking at the texts themselves – you are also losing the time it takes to refocus afterwards, which turns out to be a huge amount." This kind of constant distraction uses a lot of mental energy and detracts from deep, sustained thinking, the kind necessary for an engaging, fruitful coaching session. Getting a client away from their computer screen and their desk with their smartphone constantly sending notifications can be a game-changer for individual attention and focus in session.
Learn more about our coaching practice on our website. And, if you’re in the Denver area, contact rachel@cfwcareers.com for more info on Outdoor Coaching.