Lesley Roberts 
Coaching Outdoors [EPUB ebook] 
The essential guide to partnering with nature in your coaching conversations

Table of Contents

PRELIMS

• Foreword by Neil Reynolds, Mars Inc


• What you will find in this book

MAIN CONTENT

PART 1 – Setting the Scene

• About the author and introduction


• A brief orientation to coaching in general


• What is coaching outdoors?

& Coaching outdoors in the context of other types of coaching

Why has Coaching Outdoors become Topical?

• Why has being outdoors become so talked about now – a comment on society today


• Today’s business world


• Covid-19


• Peter Hawkins challenge

Benefits from Being Outdoors

• The evolutionary human connection with nature


• Benefits of being outside


• Positive effects of nature


• Research into walking outside and coaching and walking

PART 2 – Getting Started

Choosing the Right Location

The differences between extreme adventures, hill walking and a walk in the park

• City, rural, office grounds


• Where to go, what is appropriate and what isn’t?


• What practicalities need to be considered?


• Green space/blue space research


• ACTIVITY – Self-coaching walk

Contracting

• What’s different to indoors?


• What do I need to include?


• ACTIVITY – Practice with a client

Weather

• Where’s your comfort zone?


• Where’s your clients comfort zone?


• ACTIVITY – Self-exploration walk

Kit

• What to wear


• What to take


• ACTIVITY – Self-exploration walk/Reflection exercise

Psychological Safety

• Considerations


• How locations can support a variety of issues


• ACTIVITY – Plan for a client session & re-tweak contract if necessary

Give it a Go

• ACTIVITY – Prompt to give it a go in a client session & reflect

PART 3 – The Circle of Benefits

Benefits for the Coachee

• Space


• Perspective


• Creativity


• Presence


• Side by side

Benefits for the Coach

• Nature as Co-facilitator/The Evoked Companion


• Speed of connection


• Depth of conversation


• Presence


• Bravery

Benefits for the Organization

• Making the business case


• Overcoming resistance


• Wellbeing/Resilience


• A new way of working for faster results


• Longevity of impact


• It’s all about how you introduce it

Benefits for the Planet

• It all starts with our relationship with nature


• Personal responsibility


• Personal choice

PART 4 – Who am I to Coach Outdoors?

Your purpose

• ACTIVITY – Self-Coaching & Journaling

Your personal outdoor practice

• Model for time outdoors

Your outdoor coaching practice

• ACTIVITY – Elevator pitch

PART 5 – Nature as Co-Facilitator

Opportunities for The Coach – Making the most of the outside environment

• More than just taking the worksheet outside

Nature as a mirror

• Stories and examples


• ACTIVITY

Metaphor

• Stories and examples


• ACTIVITY

Constellations

• Stories and examples


• ACTIVITY

Seasons

• Stories and examples


• ACTIVITY

Give it a Go

• Trust your intuition


• ACTIVITY – Prompt to give it a go in a client session & reflect

PART 6 – Teams & Remote Work

Working Outdoors with Teams

• What is the difference to working with an individual?


• What to be aware of


• Opportunities for teams/team coaches


• Stories and examples

Working Remotely with Nature

• Over the phone


• Over computer


• (including examples, ideas and top tips)

PART 7 – Final Thoughts

The Future of Coaching Outdoors

Conclusion

• Coaching Outdoors is accessible and multi-beneficial for most and appropriate for many, brining benefits to both coach, client and organization.

END MATTER

Appendices

• Sample map of an outdoor space for coaching


• Check-list of things to inform client about


• Check-list of things to bring; coach and client


• List of ideas for working with nature indoors


• Risk Assessment form

Acknowledgements

References

Lesley Roberts is a business coach and adventurer. In 2000 she began a 16-year corporate career with Mars Inc spending 8 years in the commercial side of the business before moving into people development, where she brought her insights from working outdoors to her coaching work with leadership teams and executives. In 2016, Lesley founded Brave Conversations, working with global teams and individuals to unlock their potential. In 2019 she founded Coaching Outdoors, bringing with her all she has learned about people development and leadership from her corporate career as well as working with youth at risk in the Highlands of Scotland and testing her own limits in the Clipper 11/12 Round The World Yacht Race. Her aim is to bring the many benefits of partnering with nature to as many people as possible. Lesley holds a BEd in PE and an MSc in Executive Coaching from Ashridge Business school. Her research focused on how Nature can support both coach and client. She is an EMCC Senior Practitioner and is the proud winner of the Global EMCC Coaching Award for her ‘Getting Started’ and ‘Nature as Co-Facilitator’ coaching programmes.