Resource Page
This is the webinars and articles page that provide background information and resources about Gestalt coaching.
Intro to Gestalt
Free Mini Series of 5 videos which I’ve created to give you a basic understanding of the key principles of Gestalt Coaching.
They cover:
1. Positioning of Gestalt in the spectrum of coaching practice
2. What is Gestalt and how to use it in your coaching practice?
3. Awareness in the Present – the Four Dimensions
4. Gestalt Paradox of Change
5. What next? Theory into Practice
There are a number of reflective questions to help you think of Gestalt in relation to your coaching practice.
Videos arrive every few days by email giving you time to, reflect, digest and link to your coaching practice.
Look forward to meeting you at one of the Foundation programmes
Use of Self as Instrument of Change
‘Self as Instrument’ of change is now a well used term. But it is at the heart of Gestalt and central to its practice as a coach.
We use our senses, cognition, soma and emotions as a way of truly engaging in the coaching dialogue. As you discovered in the Foundation Programme disclosing what is happening to you in the relationship is powerful and fruitful. In some ways it flies in the face of traditional performance coaching and invites you the coach to be fully and personally involved - but with awareness of boundaries.
Somatic Resonance is a term I’ve coined to describe the physical or ‘gut’ reaction we have when we are open to the other and resonate on to their emotional experience. This is generally called ‘Intuition’ but I prefer a more specific and practical investigation so we know how and when to use it.
Parallel Process is a more generic and systemic concept to describe a similar process to Somatic Resonance. Drawing on the notion of Field Theory where we are all interconnected - we focus on what is happening to us/our coachee as a replication of the dynamics in the Field of the coachee. Once you get the hang of using Parallel Process, it becomes a powerful intervention for building awareness of what is happening in the System.
CREATIVE EXPERIMENTATION
An experiment is basically an activity or exercise that focuses the coachee on a specific area of awareness to develop insight and change.
The skill of a Gestalt Coach is being able to create experiments and pitch them at the right level of intensity to take the coachee into challenging but safe arenas to learn new ways of being. We call this a ‘safe emergency’.
On the workshop I’ll explain the four levels of intensity and how to identify when and which one to use.
We’ll also explore creative mediums to enhance the experiment and identify how/when to use them.
What you’ll discover is how to make the session fun for yourself and the coachee while simultaneously working at a profound and intimate level
Gestalt Cycle & interruptions
The Gestalt Cycle of Experience maps out the route we go through as we engage with another person or the world at large.
In its purest form this is simply the rhythm of Contact/Withdrawal – waking for the day and sleeping at night; meeting saying hello the goodbye. When we do this with ease then life flows effortlessly but when we block this with anxieties, concerns, fears than we feel tense and carry ‘unfinished business’.
Those blockages we call ‘Interruptions’ and are often habitual and unaware patterns that leave us unsatisfied and incomplete.
The Gestalt Cycle has a number of stages that describe how we are thinking and feeling at different points in this engagement. There is also a language and framework for us to understand what is happening at these Interruption points so the coach can create interventions that ‘unblock’ the flow and leave the coachee resolved and able to move on.
Polarites & Projections
We lead our lives within well-defined limiting beliefs, which keeps it predictable and familiar. When life throws us a difficult experience we have to adapt and learn new ways of coping. Gestalt Coaching is the opportunity to explore those unpredictable events and discover how to take risks to be more alive. You're invited to experiment with extremes/polarities - in a safe context, so you can rediscover the breadth and creativity in your personality and how to live a more vibrant and satisfying life.
I covered the theoretical framework for Projections in the Cycle and Interruptions webinar. This time I will demonstrate the Empty Chair experiment as one example of how we can use Projection to experience these Polarities and free ourselves from depleted contact. I will explain the technique for making this a powerful and very effective tool.
Please watch the free Introduction to Gestalt video series at www.gestalt.uk in advance so you have a more solid understanding of the basic principles underpinning this webinar.
Gestalt Coaching & tango
The essence of Argentine Tango like Gestalt Coaching is a rich, improvised partnership. A vehicle that provides significant insight and awareness in five overlapping areas:
1. Being Present in the Moment - Mindfulness
2. Power of Non-verbal dialogue
3. Quality of Connection - Use of Self
4. Somatic Awareness - embodied experience
5. Effectiveness of Leader/Follower relationship
In this free webinar I outline the key principles of Gestalt, illustrate the connection with Coaching and how these five areas are embedded in Argentine Tango.
While this webinar will give you a valuable understanding, the real learning comes with F2F experience & practice.
My first experience of Tango came 20 years ago in a Gestalt leadership coaching programme with PwC. So from the beginning, I was exploring and discovering the rich link between these elements. Since then, I’ve been teaching internationally on how to draw on the insights from Tango to deepen our coaching practice.
Signature Presence
In this webinar I will explore from a Gestalt perspective, how you can ‘show up’ in life and as a coach, to make the most of who you and have the impact you want in any relationship.
This may mean that you chose to become the centre of attention, or quietly sit back – either way you are effortless and satisfied in your connection with others.
I’ve identified five components (5 C’s) that can help you develop a strong signature presence:
1. Context for the relationship – Role, Environment, Audience, Purpose
2. Communication style – Voice tone, Posture, Language, Attitude
3. Capability and credibility – Research, Experience, Training
4. Confidence in self – Self-Respect, Self-Belief, Self-Doubt, Self-Hatred
5. Centred and being present – Alive, Connected, Grounded & Trusting
In the webinar I cover each one in detail and in the follow-on workshop will address each with reference to your coaching style and where you could improve.
In the coaching demonstration I illustrate my Signature Presence as a coach and address one or two of the five components with the coachee.
Coaching the Interpersonal Dynamics of Couples, Teams & Groups
In this webinar I will explore from a Gestalt perspective, how you can ‘show up’ in life and as a coach, to make the most of who you and have the impact you want in any relationship.
One of the biggest challenges in Team* coaching is handling the interpersonal dynamics, especially conflict, because it’s the emotional component that many coaches have difficulty in managing.
The base line in most theories of Team Development is creating a balance between Psychological Safety and Productive Challenge – e.g. Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions – 1. Building Trust & 2. Managing Conflict.
This webinar focuses specifically on this aspect of Team Coaching, because Gestalt has a wealth of theory, models and tools which supports the coach in being more skilful in relationship connection.
The webinar starts by positioning Interpersonal Dynamics in the context of the vast range of influences on the team using Hawkins model from Systemic Team Coaching: Five Disciplines of a Team.
I then outline the relevant Gestalt theory and a model we’ve developed called the Facilitators Map which addresses the six capabilities that foster awareness of relationship dynamics and how to improve communication and connection between team members.
This model and practice require extensive ‘Use of Self’ as the instrument of change and so demands a lot of inclusion and self-disclosure by the coach. It will be important for you to read the attached chapter from Ch.1 Overview of Gestalt Coaching. & Ch.9 Team & Group coaching from my book Fertile Void, Gestalt Coaching at Work and watch the short Introduction to Gestalt videos to gain the maximum benefit and learning from this webinar.
*Using title Teams as shorthand that includes Couples and Groups