I have always been fascinated by behavioural psychology, and my work as an ICF-accredited coach has deepened that interest. One question I keep coming back to is: How do you know what to say, or what question to ask, that will help someone see something differently and ultimately change their behaviour?
We can give people information. We can teach them new concepts, frameworks and processes. I think information alone rarely creates lasting behavioural change. If learning remains purely intellectual, we are competing with everything else demanding their attention. For information to become meaningful, it needs to connect with the person. It needs to feel relevant. It needs to have personal significance and, often, an emotional connection that makes them think:
“This matters to me.”
“This could help me achieve something I care about.”
That is when learning has a greater chance of being remembered, integrated and applied. This is why simply telling people what to do is often an inefficient way of creating behavioural change. Information can create understanding, and understanding does not automatically create action. The real challenge is helping people make the connection between what they know and what they actually do. That is where coaching becomes powerful as it creates the space for people to stop, reflect, make meaning, challenge their assumptions and discover something for themselves. And I think when the insight becomes their insight, the possibility of change becomes much greater.
““Your success in life will be determined largely by your ability to speak, your ability to write, and the quality of your ideas. In that order.””