The Focus of Attention in Coaching

The focus of attention is a key-aspect of performing. What any one of
us can attend too is what ever our conscious minds are drawn too.

Our consciousness gives us the ability to be aware of our surrounding
environment. We sense the world through it's sight, sounds, tastes,
touch and feel. As you know, these five senses, though limited, form
the basis of any of our experiences.

What our minds are able to focus on is very limited. With all the vast
amounts of information that bombard our senses our brains evovled a
system of filtration.

This filtration system blocks out much of the environmental stimuli,
while allowing information that is most relevant to our current and
ongoing situation. The question that naturally comes up is: how does
the brain know what to filter out and what to allow in?

The biological and neuroligical explanation for the brais filter is
beyond the scope of this blog. The simple version is that there is a
tiny part of the brain called the Reticular Activation System (RAS).,
which is the biological filter.

If there is some threat or risk to our person, our brains are wired to
focus our attention on it for reasons of survival. In our day-to-day
lives situations of survival don't constantly pop up as they use too
(at least not so often in developed nations). So often our attention
is drawn to things that are important and that interest us.

For example, you may have recently purchased a new hybrid car of a
certain make, style and colour. Before you bought the vehicle it may
only have been a very faint blip on your mental radar, but now that
you have one you begin to see the same car everywhere.

How does this apply to performance in either sports or business? The
ability to improve performance or build skill is wholely-dependent on
being able to focus attention. As a coach in business or sports this
is a key skill in helping your employees/athletes.

The primary method to focus is through the use of questions. That is,
well-designed questions that immerse the learner in the lesson.
Questions that encourage a person to answer what they would hear; what
they would do; what they would see; and what they would feel that
would demonstrate the right technique or the appropriate behavior.

Helping your employees/athletes to get into such detailed imagery of
all the involved senses, helps form a very vivid and vibrant picture
in the their minds's eye of how to perform. Remember: every action or
behavior always follows an image a person has of that action or
behavior. If your learner can imagine it, they can do it.

Being so specific and concrete allows for little if no-room for
misinterpretation of the correct and improved performance. Asking the
learner for their thought on the appropriate performance and then
following-up with feedback is a powerfully effective method I use to
focus attention and immerse them in the experience.

Cordially,

Jason W Liem
(+47) 957 66 460
MINDtalk@email.com
www.mindtalk.no
Blog: www.jasonliem.blogspot.com
Twitter: Twitter.com/MINDtalkCoach