INTELLIGENCE
3 steps to a better
SKILLS
memory As China hosts the World Memory Championships in December, here are some solutions for those who struggle to recall crucial facts and figures
The ‘memory palace’ A favoured technique of champion list-learners (and Sherlock Holmes), this involves associating an image – the more surreal, the better – with each point you need to remember. Mentally scatter these images around any building you know well (your “palace”). To recall the items, simply visualise yourself walking from room to room.
The Mongolian method Some of the world’s best memory athletes hail from Mongolia. Yanjaa Altunsuh, a Swede of Mongolian descent, has memorised the entire Ikea catalogue. She uses “creative memory”, a technique apparently taught in Mongolian schools. It entails making up a story in which you mix vivid word associations with a series of evocative actions. She says: “To help you recall my first name, imagine a lot of yen falling down the sides of my face. I’m Japanese-looking sometimes – and some people seem to think I have a lot of money. Then imagine me being a ninja (I was a martial artist), so at least you have ‘Yenja’.”
Retrieval processing In essence, this involves repeatedly testing yourself on what you’ve just learnt. Research by psychologists Jeffrey Karpicke and Henry Roediger has found that this method can result in 80 per cent accurate recall one week later.
8
WAYS TO BECOME A GREAT COACH
Liz Hall, the co-owner and editor of Coaching at Work magazine, has been an independent coach since 2008, working with clients ranging from KPMG and NCR Corporation to the NHS and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. She shares her tips on how to help your people reach their full potential
Enlightened business leaders worldwide are harnessing the power of coaching. Developing great coaching skills will help you, your employees and your organisation to become more resilient, creative and productive. Add compassion and mindfulness to the mix – a combination I call conscious coaching – and you’ll have a potent recipe for success.
1 START WITH YOURSELF
Coaching is an “inside-out” practice. Start by questioning whether your own assumptions are really true. Ask yourself: “What have I done successfully before in similar circumstances to my current situation and what can I learn from that?” Also practise mindfulness techniques regularly. Being mindful helps you to develop compassion, for others and for yourself. This will enable you to be more present, resourceful and creative in your coaching conversations.
2 ASK, DON’T TELL This should be your
mantra as you work to develop a coaching leadership style – you don’t always have to be
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directive as a director. Being more collaborative and asking others what they think will boost their engagement, creativity and productivity. In coaching conversations, it means asking what the other person wants to talk about, how they’d like to explore that issue and what outcome they’d like to see.
3
POSE POWERFUL QUESTIONS
Thought-provoking questions are a hallmark of great coaching. They can help people to access hidden wisdom, see the bigger picture and “get unstuck”. Try these: “What would happen if nothing changed?” “What’s standing in your way?” “What do you really care about?” “If a miracle should happen after you go to sleep tonight and the issue at hand turns out exactly as you want when you wake up tomorrow, what would you see, hear and feel?”
4 DON’T FEAR EMOTIONS
Ask people how they’re feeling. Emotions are messengers: they mobilise energy and are crucial in decision-making. Many a culture-change programme has
bombed because employees’ emotions weren’t heeded.
5
LISTEN DEEPLY In my new book, Coach
Your Team, I set out six levels of listening: interrupting (which doesn’t really count), waiting your turn, giving advice, attentive listening, active listening and deep listening. In coaching, the last of these means listening fully to non-verbal, as well as verbal, language – and to your own reactions. For example, you may suddenly feel anger when you’re coaching and realise that this emotion isn’t anything to do with you. Sharing this knowledge can help to shed light on hidden issues aff ecting the other person.
6
CLARIFY AND REFRAME
Clarifying and reframing what others are saying can help them to feel understood and able to move forward. If they reveal that they’re struggling to make themselves heard in meetings, for instance, you might reply: “It sounds as though you’re finding it hard to be assertive…” Inviting others to reframe can help them gain
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