Playfulness in Coaching: Exploring Our Untapped Potential Through Playfulness, Creativity and Imagination

Cover
Endorsement
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
Part I What Is Playfulness in Coaching?
	1 Welcome
		1.1 Introduction
		1.2 Once Upon a Me-Search (Stephanie)
		1.3 My Playfulness Story So Far… (Teresa)
		1.4 Our Coaching Approaches
		1.5 Our Storytellers
			1.5.1 Kirsten Barske
			1.5.2 Steve Chapman
			1.5.3 David Clutterbuck
			1.5.4 Julie Flower
			1.5.5 Nankhonde Kasonde-Van Den Broek
			1.5.6 Graham Lee
			1.5.7 Auriel Majumdar
			1.5.8 Nobantu Mpotulo
			1.5.9 Neil Mullarkey
			1.5.10 Jonathan Passmore
			15.11 Matthew Pugh
			1.5.12 Heather Simpkin
			1.5.13 Emma Skitt
			1.5.14 Robert Stephenson
			1.5.15 Christian Van Nieuwerburgh
		1.6 How We Wrote this Book Playfully: From Intent to Reality
		1.7 Getting Started With Your Playfulness
		Notes
	2 Why Playfulness?
		2.1 Why Playfulness?
		2.2 Why Focus On Playfulness in Coaching?
		2.3 What Can Go Wrong?
		2.4 Approach of This Book
		2.5 Our Hope
		Notes
	3 What Do We Mean By Playfulness in Coaching?
		3.1 First, a Little Note
		3.2 Why Do Humans Play?
		3.3 Play and Playfulness in Coaching
			3.3.1 Fireside Chat With Prof David Clutterbuck
		3.4 What Do Coaches Mean By Playfulness?
			3.4.1 How Playfulness Manifests in the Coaching Session
			3.4.2 The Qualities Which Underpin Playfulness in Coaching
		3.5 Final Thoughts
		Notes
	4 The Benefits of Playfulness in Coaching
		4.1 Through Accessing Different Perspectives, Opening Up Different Possibilities
		4.2 Creating Space for Exploration
		4.3 Accessing the State in Which We Can Learn, Connect, Co-Create and Expand
		4.4 Flow
		4.5 Creativity
		4.6 Imagination
		4.7 Capacity to Deal With Change
		4.8 Finding Balance
		4.9 Capacity to Deal With the ‘Hard’ Stuff
		4.10 Beyond the Mind: Deepening Connection to Heart and Body
		4.11 Deepening Relationships and Positive Emotions
		4.12 Well-Being
		4.13 Conclusion
		Notes
	5 The Be Playful Onion Model
		5.1 The Onion
		5.2 The Outer Layer – ‘Doing’ Play
		5.3 The Middle Layer – Expressions of Playfulness
			5.3.1 Fireside Chat With Professor René Proyer
		5.4 The Heart of the Onion – Playful Way of Being
		5.5 Reflections On the Be Playful Onion Model
		5.6 What’s Fun Got to Do With It?
		5.7 Conclusion
		Notes
	6 Our Neurobiology and Playfulness in Coaching
		6.1 Once Upon a Time …
		6.2 Honouring Complexity
		6.3 Our Neurobiology and Playfulness
			6.3.1 Understanding the Impact of the State We’re in
			6.3.2 Meanwhile, in the Brain…
			6.3.3 Relevance to Coaching
			6.3.4 Implications for Playfulness
			6.3.5 Bringing It Together: Implications for Playfulness in Coaching?
		6.4 Both Client and Coach
		6.5 The Coach
			6.5.1 Activating Our PNS
			6.5.2 Accessing Playfulness in Coaching
			6.5.3 Different Perceptions of Safety
		6.6 The Client
			6.6.1 Creating Safety Through Play
			6.6.2 Safety as a Base for Play
		6.7 Conclusion
		Notes
	7 Adding Emotions Into the Mix
		7.1 Before We Begin
		7.2 Adding Emotions Into the Mix
		7.3 Thoughts On Emotions in Coaching More Generally
		7.4 Playfulness and Positive Emotions
		7.5 Ode to Joy
		7.6 What’s Love Got to Do With It?
		7.7 The Kaleidoscope of Positive Emotions
		7.8 Why Does It Matter If Playfulness Generates Positive Emotions?
			7.8.1 Emotions and How We Think, Feel and Behave
			7.8.2 Fireside Chat With Prof Richard Boyatzis
			7.8.3 Broaden-And-Build Theory
		7.9 Playfulness, Positive Emotions and Behavioural Change
		7.10 Negative Emotions and Playfulness in Coaching
		7.11 Conclusion
		Notes
	8 What’s So Funny?: A Closer Look at Humour
		8.1 Playfulness and Humour
			8.1.1 What Is Humour?
		8.2 Functions of Humour, Laughter and Play
			8.2.1 Tension Relief and Coping
			8.2.2 Emotional and Interpersonal Benefits
			8.2.3 Social Functions
		8.3 The Shadow Side of Humour
			8.3.1 Humour (Closely Interlinked With Playfulness) in Coaching
			8.3.2 What Can Humour Add to Coaching?
				8.3.2.1 The Coaching Relationship
				8.3.2.2 Working With Emotions
				8.3.2.3 Working With Thoughts
				8.3.2.4 Working With Thoughts (Extra Considerations for Groups)
				8.3.2.5 Humour Supporting Behavioural Change
		8.4 Let’s Get Personal
			8.4.1 Humour Styles
		8.5 As We Alight From Our Whistle-Stop Tour…
		8.6 Conclusion
		Notes
	9 Risks: Part and Parcel of Exploring
		9.1 A Note On Our Approach in This Chapter
		9.2 The Shadow Side of Playfulness
		9.3 Your Attitude to Risk
		9.4 On the Individual Level
			9.4.1 General Things to Look Out For
			9.4.2 Damaging Rapport
			9.4.3 Misfiring
			9.4.4 Misreading
			9.4.5 Hard to Read
			9.4.6 Hitting Barriers Too Hard
			9.4.7 For the Coach, Not the Client(s)
				9.4.7.1 Check-In Question for Reflection-In-Action and Reflection-On-Action
		9.5 Playfulness Can Lead to Deep Work – What If I Cause Harm?
		9.6 Additional Considerations at Group Level
			9.6.1 Meeting the Group/team Where They’re At
			9.6.2 The Shadow Side of Humour: Things to Have On Your Radar
			9.6.3 Damage to Psychological Safety Or Group Cohesion
			9.6.4 Group Dynamics
		9.7 Ideas for Addressing Risk
		Notes
Part II Stepping Into Playfulness: From Theory to Practice
	10 Tending the Seedlings of Playfulness
		10.1 Stepping Into Playfulness: From Theory to Practice
		10.2 Barometer of Playfulness
		10.3 Can Anyone Be Playful?
		10.4 What Play Habits Did You Take With You Into Adulthood?
		10.5 More Stories We Tell Ourselves
		10.6 Attachment Theory
		10.7 Beliefs About Playfulness
		10.8 Connecting With Play
		10.9 Working With the Whole Body
		10.10 How Do You Know When You Are Being Playful?
			10.10.1 Fireside Chat With Graham Lee
		10.11 What You Focus On Grows
		10.12 Conclusion
		Notes
	11 Practical Ways to Dial Up (More) Playfulness
		11.1 Tapping Into Your Environment for Play
		11.2 Have You Tried Something New Lately?
			11.2.1 Embracing Sweet Discomfort
		11.3 Building On Trying Something New
		11.4 Having a Word With The Inner Critic and Perfectionism
		11.5 Addressing Fear of Embarrassment Or Shame
		11.6 Working With Your States to Support Playfulness
		11.7 No One Is an Island
		11.8 Making Space for Your Imagination and Daydreaming
		11.9 Strengthen Your Humour Muscles and Laugh More
		11.10 Presence, Mindfulness and Playfulness
		11.11 Conclusion
		Notes
	12 Things to Consider in Practice
		12.1 Things That Might Get in Your Way
			12.1.1 Capacity
			12.1.2 Confidence
			12.1.3 Complacency
			12.1.4 Competence and Capability
			12.1.5 Credibility
		12.2 Things Affecting Your Client Which Might Get in the Way
			12.2.1 Don’t Want to Be There Or Don’t Want to Change
			12.2.2 Individual Considerations
			12.2.3 Psychological Safety and Group Dynamics
			12.2.4 Gender
			12.2.5 Culture: Organisational and More Generally
		12.3 Reflection
		Notes
	13 The Playfulness Scrapbook: A Collection of Stories, Ideas, and Tools
		13.1 Getting Started: Contracting and The First Invitation to Play
		13.2 Being Playful With What a Coaching Session ‘Should’ Look Like
		13.3 Being Playful: Tone and Climate
		13.4 The Invitation
		13.5 Word Play
		13.6 Playful Anchors and Playing With Identities
		13.7 Metaphors
		13.8 Game of Thrones
		13.9 Storytelling
			13.9.1 Thoughts for Practice
		13.10 Writing
			13.10.1 Ideas for Practice
		13.11 Music
			13.11.1 Ideas for Practice
		13.12 Movement
			13.12.1 Beyond Conversations Towards Bigger Experiments
		13.13 Playing With Imagery, Visual Mapping and Modelling
			13.13.1 Ideas for Practice
				13.13.1.1 LEGO® Serious Play®
				13.13.1.2 Drawing and Art
				13.13.1.3 The Roundabout of B*ll*cks
				13.13.1.4 Draw Your Team as a Character
				13.13.1.5 Post-It® Notes
				13.13.1.6 Collections of Art Cards and Images
				13.13.1.7 Playing With Image Cards Visual Mapping
				13.13.1.8 Modelling and Using Objects
		13.14 Stepping Into Playfulness
			13.14.1 Ideas for Practice
				13.14.1.1 Put On the ‘Curiosity Glasses’ Experiment
				13.14.1.2 Five Senses Walk
				13.14.1.3 Body Talk
				13.14.1.4 Playing With States
				13.14.1.5 Playing With Time
				13.14.1.6 Playing With Perspective: The External World
				13.14.1.7 Playing With Perspectives: The Internal World
			13.14.2 Ambassador and Gremlins
		13.15 Improv and Other, Bigger Experiments
			13.15.1 Improv
			13.15.2 The Character Compass With Playfulness Experiment
			13.15.3 Bigger Experiments
			13.15.4 Bob and the Daffodils
			13.15.5 Groups/teams
				13.15.5.1 The Rapping Nurse
				13.15.5.2 Forum Theatre
		13.16 Working Remotely
			13.16.1 Further Ideas for Practice
				13.16.1.1 Fishbowl Online
				13.16.1.2 Online Tools
				13.16.1.3 Virtual Reality Coaching
		13.17 Bringing It All Together
		Barometer of Playfulness
		13.18 When It Comes to Playing Or Being Playful, What Level Are You for Each of the Below?
		Playfulness Mixing Deck
		Take a Playful Moment
		13.19 A Moment for Play
		13.20 Playlist of Playful Moments to Randomly Select
			13.20.1 Meeting Your Playful Self Through Art, Modelling Or Imagination
			13.20.2 Let’s Get Jiggly
			13.20.3 Playful Extra Challenge
			13.20.4 Explore The Treasure Map of Playfulness
			13.20.5 Be the Playful Human and Build Fun Into Your Day
			13.20.6 Create Your Playful Hat
			13.20.7 Create Your Playful Vision Board
		Playful Experiments for Life and Work
		13.21 Envisioning Your Playful Self
		13.22 Stepping Into Your Playful Self
		13.23 Draw Or Model Your Playful Self
		13.24 Playful Extra Challenge
		13.25 Connecting With Your Playful Side Using Chairwork
		13.26 Playful Relationships
		13.27 Playful Extra Challenge
		Notes
	14 The Next Chapter
About the Authors
Index