Coach Meeting 2

Meeting with Coachee

            Lauren and I met and to discuss the various conversations we had engaged in during the week. She mentioned a recent conversation where she had been acting as an opposer and mover, yet for the majority of that conversation, things did not seem to be going in a productive direction. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the person she was debating with (she was in field 2) suddenly became agreeable and the dialogue moved on to field 3. She was unsure of how exactly this happened.

            This opened up a new discussion between us about mindfulness throughout dialogue. I shared with her a similar experience I had years ago and how my reflection on that experience continues to this day. There were certainly implications towards the proprioception of mind we have been discussing in class. We then talked about the difficulty in maintaining awareness of what’s going on with one’s internal self while recognizing what’s happening internally in those we engage in dialogue with.

            This led into a conversation about being aware of emotional states, and how they are often the steering force in a conversation. A dialogue artist’s emotional state was recognized as a key element in charging the container, especially regarding safety.

            We closed with a look at our own roles as coach and coachee. Lauren if very willing to be vulnerable in our discussions, which is very helpful, and she mentioned that I am good at asking probing questions. It seems our styles create a productive dialectic.