Bringing the magic of nature inside
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts”
Rachel Carson
Wordsworth believed that a daily bathe in nature was essential to human health and to the growth of the spirit and the mind.
Through the Covid-19 pandemic many of us discovered the power and magic that nature has to make us feel better and restore our perspective. The pandemic was also a catalyst for line managers and coaches to take their conversations outside.
Of course, there are occasions and situations where it is not possible or appropriate to work outdoors and so it’s back to yet another zoom meeting or perhaps a phone call. Wouldn’t it be great if we could bring some of nature’s resourcing magic to those?
Well you can, here is a list of ideas to support both you and your coachees:-
Place some flowers in the room that you are working, even better if you’ve gathered them from the garden.
Have a plant in the room.
Sit next to a window to get the benefit of any view you may have and natural daylight.
If you are on the phone, can you sit in the garden? Or change location out of the room you normally work in? Or sit facing the window?
Have some shells, pebbles, conkers or pine cones on your desk.
Could you light a candle with a nice outdoor scent?
Have some bird song playing quietly in the background or listen to natural sounds before the call.
Pop an image on the wall of your favourite location.
Could you have a goldfish in your study?
Send your coachee a nature poem to read before your call.
Take a walk outside beforehand, even if it’s just round the garden or to the post office.
As a bit of pre-work, you could suggest that your client takes a walk outdoors to consider what they’d really like to get from your coaching session, so they get really clear on how best they’ll use the time with you. It’ll also create an anchor for their session.
An open window brings fresh-air into the room, great for a change of energy.
Could you share a nature video clip to use as a bit of pre-work or a short meditation.
Please do let us know how you get on trying some of these ideas and even better if you could share some of your own.
Lesley holds an MSc in Executive Coaching from Ashridge Business school and she has 16 years commercial experience with Mars. She holds an EMCC Senior accreditation. Read More >
She is the author of ‘Coaching Outdoors; the essential guide to partnering with nature in your coaching conversations’.
Contact by calling +44 (0) 7799 581792 or email info@coachingoutdoors.com.