Outdoor Coaching: What It Is And What Are Its Benefits
For a long time, it has been assumed that the main sources of learning that human beings can draw on take place in classrooms; spaces created to transmit knowledge verbally in the manner of classic master classes: the educator speaks and the students or apprentices listen, and if necessary, ask questions to be resolved at that moment.
This conception of knowledge has a part of truth: it is clear that the use of words is one of the keys to our evolution as a species and as a society, because we inherit a large part of cultural content through language. However, assuming that our growth as people is only due to the memorization of verbal information in rooms at educational centers (or even our own home) limits us greatly.
Personal development, our psychological and emotional maturation, occurs through experiences that go beyond words and that usually take place in the diversity of scenarios that the nature that surrounds us presents. This is the idea on which outdoor coaching is based which this article is about.
Coaching is a discipline that proposes personal development strategies in private and/or professional life. Thus, in the field of coaching, a distinction is made between the coach, who is the professional in charge of energizing and conducting the sessions, and the coachee, on the other hand, who is the one who receives the coaching sessions. Furthermore, the coach’s intervention can be applied to individuals or groups.
Generally, coaching is presented as a way of harness the potential of people ; That is, to give strength to what is already in operation and has positive repercussions. That is, it does not have the goal of reducing the discomfort generated by illnesses, strong crises that cause a strong emotional impact, etc. This last type of problem is addressed by psychotherapy.
On the other hand, there are different branches into which this discipline is divided. On the one hand, there is individualized coaching, which adapts to the needs and problems of a specific person, giving them support in projects that have to do with professional goals or vital concerns linked to personal development. And on the other is business coaching, which, as its name indicates, aims to generate a change in the functioning of an organization
What is outdoor coaching?
As is clear from its name, outdoor coaching is a form of coaching that is designed to exploit the potential of situations that can only take place outdoors. Specific, tends to put emphasis on spaces where nature predominates and there is an absence or scarcity of environments modified by humans.
In general, outdoor coaching programs last between several hours and several days, and are applied working through team dynamics; Its application in individual coachees is rare. These can be teams formed ad hoc for the proposed activity (that is, forming them on the spot) or they can be based on natural teams (this is what happens, for example, when these groups are formed in advance based on the divisions that exist between different departments of a company).
Why choose an outdoor context far from the hustle and bustle characteristic of cities and densely populated areas? Mainly, for the following reasons:
On the other hand, it should be noted that although outdoor coaching proposes to “disconnect” for a time from the everyday and already known, Its objective is always linked to the type of experiences that coachees face in their daily lives For example: managing work stress, resolving conflicts through dialogue in work teams, making decisions in the face of new challenges, enhancing assertiveness, etc.
Thus, coaches who offer natural coaching services offer both the techniques and strategies to work on the training aspects through experiential learning, as well as the spaces that facilitate immersion in these activities, something that facilitates the involvement of the participants and the emotional connection. with what is taking place. In places like forests, dune beaches or mountain peaks there are no reminders of everything that worries us and/or ties us to routine, and it doesn’t take much effort to see things with different eyes.
Do you want to benefit from outdoor coaching?
If you want to participate in an outdoor coaching program, you may be interested in the proposal of Eugenio Burzaco Bussolini Natural Coach.
It organizes retreats and Intensive Natural Coaching campuses in a privileged environment: the Mediterranean nature of Mallorca.
