Neuroscience is the study of how the nervous system affects our behaviour and physical movement, resulting in certain thought-processes and actions. Bongi had heard about neuroscience, but she wasn’t familiar with its benefits or applications in the business environment. However, when she started to understand how people function and how their nervous system controls various aspects of how they conduct themselves, she became fascinated by this topic.
Mirror Neurons
In building her new knowledge base, Bongi started to notice something called ‘mirror neurons’. This fascinating phenomenon showed that when one person performed a certain act, very often the person they were with would mirror the same behaviour.
This could be explained as follows:[i]
Mirror neurons are a class of neuron which modulate their activity both when an individual executes a specific motor act or when they observe the same or similar act performed by another individual.
The relevance to Bongi was that she was able to watch how people interacted with one another and how ‘connected’ they felt by how much they mirrored one another’s behaviour. She herself could build relationships with others as they would mirror her actions, and she theirs, and thereby create a sense of unity between themselves.
Amygdala Functions
Further to this, Bongi noticed that different people reacted differently to fear. She found out how the process of neuron mirroring would stop when someone’s amygdala function became activated. The amygdala is commonly thought to form the core of a neural system for processing fearful or threatening stimuli[ii]. This includes the possible detection of threat and the activating of the appropriate response[iii]. The amygdala sits in the limbic system and helps people to evaluate the importance of the information being presented, and the emotional reaction they should have. It becomes very pertinent within a coaching environment when managing aggression, anxiety or fear.
Figure 1: Where the amygdala sits in the limbic system[iv]
Bongi discussed these mirror neurons and amygdala functions with her Business Coach, Margi. Margi shared with her that many Business Coaches use the mirror neuron to establish rapport with their clients. This assists in making clients feel secure and not threatened by the coaching process because subconsciously they feel a connection with their coach. Bongi understood the relevance and immediately started using this new tool.
Some of the information Bongi had been given regarding the amygdala felt very technical and scientific, and she was concerned that she was out of her depth. To simplify things, Margi gave her this example from the business environment: A manager shouts at a female employee for making the same mistake for the third time. The employee’s response is to flee the office. Seeing this, a colleague’s response is to become infuriated at the manager’s behaviour and to go and punch him. On reflection, everyone realises that they overreacted in some way, and they acknowledge that they do not know what came over them.
What came over them is what we call an amygdala hijack, which happens when your emotions trigger the fight-or-flight response. Hormones are released and the body decides that there is some threat to its safety, resulting in either becoming aggressive or running away from the situation.
With a real-life example to follow, Bongi was able to connect the amygdala function with various coaching interactions and workplace scenarios in which she had been involved.
S.C.A.R.F. Model
Margi had taught Bongi the S.C.A.R.F. model through which coaches are able to interact with people in a way that makes them feel secure and safe. David Rock[v] introduced this brain-based model which explains how different stimuli are seen as being ‘good’ or ‘bad’ by different people. The good stimuli translate into rewards and the bad into threats. Bongi was very respectful of others and the S.C.A.R.F. model helped her to ensure that there were no amygdala hijacks or invasions of personal space during her coaching sessions.
The various areas of the S.C.A.R.F. model are as follows:
Figure 2: Description of the areas of the S.C.A.R.F. model[vi]
Working with individuals, Bongi behaved in a professional manner. This ensured that she maintained an awareness of some people’s need for status, meaning that they gauged their own worth in relation to how they saw others. This cannot be threatened as the person will feel judged and not open to the coaching session.
The area of certainty meant that some people have a need to know what will be happening and what their control will be in that circumstance. This need for clarity provided a tool for Bongi to ensure that clear and measurable objectives were set in the coaching sessions, and that these were kept in mind at all times. Losing focus on the agreed path ahead means that the coachee may start to feel threatened and panic as they are unsure of what lies ahead.
Some people have a strong need to be autonomous in their own lives. Within the coaching environment, the coach does not tell the coachee what to do, rather the coachee is guided through their own decision-making process. Originally Bongi struggled with this because she knew what would be best for the coachee. Over time, she started to learn that certain people need to be in control of their own decisions, and by taking that away from them, she was creating a negative emotional reaction.
Not everyone has a need to be connected to others, yet those who crave relatedness feel comfortable and safe when they have significant and meaningful relationships with others. Bongi was usually able to assess this relatively quickly in a coaching session by asking questions about the other people in the coachee’s life. She was careful not to overstep her mandate, and keep the conversation professional, understanding that the person in front of her had specific needs to either relate to others or not.
Fairness is a value that many people treasure. As such, when something is perceived to be unfair there will be an emotional reaction and an amygdala hijack. This could relate to any incident or statement or to a personal belief and therefore Bongi tried to be open to discussion if she felt that the coachee was feeling threatened by something that was believed to be unfair.
The S.C.A.R.F. model provides a healthy and significant tool for a coach to ensure that the coachee does not feel threatened or undermined in any way.
Other Neuroscience Breakthroughs in Coaching
One of Bongi’s main key performance areas was to ensure retention and satisfied staff. Using neuroscience tools was helpful to her in that she was better able to understand people and their emotions. Respecting and being aware of people’s potential fears or emotional hotspots adds a huge impetus to ensuring effective coaching sessions and positive mental health.
In January 2022 MIT Sloan showed that a toxic workplace is nearly 3 times more likely to cause mental health issues and resignations. Covid has had a significant impact on the stressful factors that appear in everyday work life.
The following diagram indicates the importance of the stated issues on a continuum relative to receiving compensation:
Figure 3: Figure supplied in the Water Research Commission’s Invitation to Bid April 2022
Not getting drawn into her coachee’s emotional responses was sometimes difficult for Bongi because she cared deeply about people and how they react to situations, and how safe they felt in her coaching sessions.
To read more about Over-Emotionality, click here for SA Business Coaches’ blog→
Using neuroscience to enhance her understanding of people, building trusting relationships and rapport, and encouraging effective two-way communication and constructive feedback became a natural methodology that Bongi used daily. Understanding how people’s nervous system makes them behave and respond in certain ways gave her the unique perspective to work with each person as an individual. Neural mirroring enabled Bongi to ensure stable and comfortable relationships, within the confines and respected areas of the S.C.A.R.F. model, which ensured that the amygdala functionality was healthy.
Bongi had only started her journey into discovering how neuroscience could be beneficial to her, and she was excited to keep learning more so that her coaching would be that much more effective.
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https://www.fullstory.com/blog/use-scarf-to-model-motivation/→
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