Trusting your inner wisdom in team coaching to navigate conflict and strengthen psychological safety

What is team coaching?

Team coaching involves partnering with and walking alongside teams to help them learn together, relate together, reflect together, achieve together, and grow together. Team coaching supports teams in leveraging their collective talents and gifts to achieve goals, strengthen performance, enhance team health, and transform themselves, their team and their organization(s). Traylor et al. (2020) summarize that team coaching focuses on learning and development, goals and performance, team self-awareness and team health/functioning over a sustained time. Team coaching is systemic and intentional, focusing on individual, interpersonal and team relationships; team priorities and tasks; internal and external partner connections; and, wider systemic/societal contexts (Lines and Leary-Joyce, 2024; Peters and Carr, 2013a). Team coaching positively impacts team performance, interaction, communication, affect (e.g., trust, respect, psychological safety), as well as ongoing team and individual learning and growth (Salihovic, 2021; Peters and Carr, 2013b).

What does team coaching look like?

Team coaching is nuanced and complex. Important approaches to team coaching include:

using a combination of team coaching and individual coaching with team members and team leads,
iteratively gathering insights from the team, organizational partners, and external partners,
creating and maintaining conditions for psychological safety (Edmundson, 1999; 2018) and growth,
challenging and stretching performance for individual team members and the team as a whole,
providing expertise, mentorship, facilitation, and guidance where helpful,
building conditions for sustained team health and change,
evaluating and communicating the impact of team coaching interventions, and
paying attention to our own growth, restoration and self-care (Graves, 2021).

According to Peters and Carr (2013a) the structure of team coaching includes six core components:

Assessment (team coaching readiness, engagement of team members, stakeholders and context),
Coaching for Team Design (team purpose, structure and talent),
Team Launch (team charter, direction, vision, goals, working agreements),
Individual Coaching (leader, team members),
Ongoing Team Coaching (coach, team lead, team members, peer coaching), and
Capturing Learning, Success and Impact (results and outputs, team and social processes, individual learning, partner perspectives).

The importance of psychological safety in team coaching

Psychological safety is core to team processes, especially when teams are navigating conflict. Gallo (2023) describes psychological safety as “a shared belief held by members of a team that it’s OK to take risks, to express their ideas and concerns, to speak up with questions, and to admit mistakes — all without fear of negative consequences.” Based on work by Amy Edmondson (e.g. Edmondson, 1999; Edmondson, 2018), Gallo emphasizes that psychological safety creates more motivated and engaged teams, leads to better decision-making, and fosters a culture of continuous improvement. In short, psychological safety leads to better team communication, performance, creativity, resilience, and learning.

What’s core to ensuring psychological safety?

Bresman and Edmondson (2022) highlight three key approaches leaders or coaches can take to create psychological safety:

Framing: Frame team meetings and conversations as important opportunities for collaborative information sharing and intentionally invite team members to share different perspectives. Ensure you provide space and time to hear from all team members. Frame differences as valuable from the start.

I anticipate that we will all bring different perspectives to this conversation. Our diverse viewpoints will help us more fully understand each other and the issue at hand. These different perspectives enrich our discussion and help us arrive at a better outcome.

Inquiry: This is what coaches do best! Ask open questions that inspire deep dialogue. Great leaders and coaches ask questions that are curious, learning-focused, and have no correct or pre-determined answer. Don’t know what to ask? Keep it simple.

What do you think?
What else might we consider?
How do you feel about this?
What matters most?
How should we move forward?

Bridging Boundaries: I love this one. Bresman and Edmondson (2022) recommend that strength-based questions around hopes, skills and expertise, and challenges can help build psychological safety. These questions help team members see where they can bridge their expertise and boundaries. They provide a foundation for moving forward and stealthily inspire vulnerability.

What do you want to accomplish?
What do you bring to the table?
What are you up against? What are you worried about? What concerns you?

Digging deep to inspire team transformation

Team coaching is more than what you do or how you structure an experience with a team. Team coaching is coaching, and coaching is about transformation. It’s about digging below the surface.

Expert team coaches work to create psychologically safe spaces for open and honest conversations. They help teams lean into and resolve conflicts and disagreements. They learn to read the space by noticing shifts in energy, somatic responses and communication patterns to uncover what matters most. They are calm, affirming, and curious. They name shifts in team dynamics and are “prepared to drop the plan and respond to what is emerging in the team” (Lines and Leary-Joyce, 2024, p. 109).

This is the messy, magical, and essential part of team coaching that inspires new awareness and insight and results in sustained learning and transformation. It forms the heart of team coaching. This type of learning happens when teams uncover and challenge their assumptions, beliefs and frames of reference (Mezirow, 1997). Make no mistake, this is tough work. For coaches, this means leaning into team dynamics, team conflict, team tensions, team energy, team safety, team interaction, and the unspoken undercurrents of team processes.

Digging below the surface takes practice and courage. It often starts with listening to our inner wisdom. As coaches, our emotional responses and inner sensory reactions are powerful indicators that something is happening with the team that we need to pay attention to. Tuning into our inner wisdom is a coaching superpower, and mindfulness practices can help us develop this superpower.

Using the RAIN mindfulness practice to harness our inner wisdom and transform teams

I first learned about the RAIN mindfulness practice through Dr. Tara Brach’s work. I often use the RAIN (Brach, 2021) practice to navigate and live through the inevitable and common human experiences associated with stress, anxiety, anger, fear, frustration, grief, sadness, and burnout. RAIN stands for Recognize, Allow, Investigate, and Nuture.

Let’s break down how to leverage the RAIN practice to navigate tension and conflict in team coaching.

Imagine you are coaching a team, and you suddenly feel tension arising.

Drawing upon the work of Lines and Leary-Joyce’s (2024) approach to conflict and Brach’s (2021) RAIN framework, here is an example of how RAIN can help. Take note of how RAIN is used as an internal strategy for the team coach and as a coaching framework for the team throughout this example.

Recognize

Recognize what is happening and note what is emerging within you. Tap into your inner wisdom. Your feeling body is filled with wisdom. It has much to offer and teach your thinking mind. Pause and reflect on questions such as:

What thoughts, behaviours, and feelings am I experiencing?
What emotions are surfacing for me?
Where are these emotions living in my body?
What sensations am I experiencing?
What are these sensations wanting from me?
How could these feelings be an indicator of what others are feeling?

To help the team recognize and name what they are experiencing, identify what you are experiencing and invite them into the process.

I am feeling some tension arising. Do any of you feel that way, too?

Allow

Allow the experience, emotions, and sensations to be there, just as they are. There is no need to suppress, fix, judge or avoid these arisings. Remember that these reactions are there to support and help you. They are alerting you to pause and pay attention to something important. They are there to support your and the team’s success and learning.

You may acknowledge your sensations silently in a way that is meaningful to you.

I see you anxiety. I feel you as my jaw and hands clench.

To help the group uncover and allow their experiences, explore questions such as,

What are you noticing or experiencing as a team?
What emotions or sensations are you noticing arise within you?

Allowing is about creating space for folks to name, acknowledge and sit with their discomfort. Your role as team coach is to create a safe, open discussion where team members can identify what they are experiencing without judgment. It is the beginning of helping the team identify patterns of conflict and their impact on team dynamics and performance.

It may be helpful for team members to use statements starting with,

I feel…
I am…
I notice…

Create space for all voices to be heard. Encourage team members to name and sit with their discomfort, rather than judge, blame or rush to solutions. Validate and encourage different perspectives and encourage team members to do the same. Remember, this inner work is tough and may be new to many team members. Some team members may benefit from accessing an emotions or feelings wheel. I still use an emotions wheel regularly, as in the moment, it’s tough to identify what’s happening within us!

Your calm and reassuring presence is essential. Consider taking grounding breaths throughout the process. Affirming statements can help folks ease into the conversation.

It’s natural for strong emotions to arise during conflict.
Different people may experience this situation differently.

Investigate

Investigate with curiosity, interest and care. Investigation starts with you. You may silently reflect on questions such as,

What information are my emotional sensations providing me about my experiences as a team coach?
What information are these arising providing me about the team structure, dynamics and processes and the broader system they function within?
What patterns in the team’s dynamics and interactions am I noticing?

To dig deeper into an exploration of tension and conflict with the team, you may explore questions such as,

What patterns are you noticing?
What is this situation offering or teaching the team? What opportunities is it revealing?
How might the team structure be contributing to this situation?
What broader organizational dynamics or external contexts may be contributing to this situation?
What are your roles, contributions and responsibilities related to this situation?
What strengths could emerge from working through this?
What do you need from the team in this moment?
What does the team need from you?

Again, your calming and curious presence is essential. Notice your and the team’s tone, posture and somatic responses and intentionally work to ease tension throughout the discussion. Take pauses and breaks if necessary.

Nurture

Nurture psychological safety and demonstrate compassion and self-compassion. Demonstrate compassion and encourage self-compassion by openly acknowledging, appreciating and affirming courageous and vulnerable contributions.

Self-compassion (Neff, 2023) involves giving ourselves support and compassion, just as we would a friend, especially when we are experiencing discomfort, suffering and pain. It includes demonstrating self-kindness, acknowledging the common humanity of our experiences, and practicing mindfulness. It is about reducing the separation we feel from one another.

Working through conflict and disagreement is tough work. Self-compassion can be demonstrated throughout the RAIN cycle. For example, you may silently acknowledge,

Working through conflict is an important component of my role as coach. It’s tough work.

The gentle movement of placing one of your hands on top of the other can help demonstrate self-compassion and care.

Encourage self-compassion and compassion by the team by normalizing and emphasizing the importance of team conflict.

Thank you for working through this process. Conflict and disagreement are critical to fostering team health.
Working through moments of tension, conflict and disagreement provide incredible opportunities for team learning, innovation, and growth.
It takes courage, expertise and vulnerability to lean into team tensions. You’ve strengthened the way you interact as a team and surfaced new and different perspectives.

Nurture psychological safety through shared framing, inquiry and bridging boundaries (Bresman and Edmundson, 2022). Check-in and facilitate a debrief to synthesize what the team learned and how they will move forward. Ensure you allow for time to hear from all team members.

The act of psychological safety is a demonstration of compassion and self-compassion as the team is provided with time to normalize and mindfully reflect upon the learning and growth they have accomplished.

Consider questions such as,

What strengths emerged from working through this?
What did you learn about navigating team conflict and ensuring psychological safety as you worked through this? As individuals? As a team?
How will you carry forward what you learned as a team?
What might you add to your team agreements based on this experience?
How will you reflect upon and celebrate the work and growth you have experienced today?

Conclusion

Listening to and leaning into our inner wisdom is one of the most important practices we can develop as team coaches. Like any practice, it takes practice! RAIN provides an accessible framework for helping us leverage our and the team’s inner wisdom to navigate tension, disagreement and conflict, and to strengthen psychological safety.

RAIN has completely reframed conflict and tension for me. It’s helped me see this discomfort as an essential part of team health, learning and growth. Most importantly, it’s given me a grounded approach to strengthen my capacity to help team members and teams become more curious, human-centred and resilient.

Call to action

I encourage you to find one component of the RAIN practice that resonates with you and to try it in a team coaching experience. The RAIN practice can apply to your individual leadership and coaching practices too. You may start by recognizing the emotions and sensations that arise within you during a team discussion, or by engaging in a conversation of what the team experiences during a moment of energy, passion and joy. RAIN can also illuminate joyful team experiences. You may start by sharing and discussing this post with a coaching colleague or a leadership team you are working with. There is no one or right way to bring the RAIN practice to life. Do what feels most meaningful and important to you!

References

Brach, T. (2021) Blog: The RAIN of self-compassion. https://www.tarabrach.com/selfcompassion1/

Bresman, H. and Edmondson, A. (2022) Research: to excel, diverse teams need psychological safety. https://hbr.org/2022/03/research-to-excel-diverse-teams-need-psychological-safety

Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383. https://doi.org/10.2307/2666999

Edmondson, A. C. (2018). The fearless organization: Creating psychological safety in the workplace for learning, innovation, and growth. John Wiley & Sons.

Gallo, A. (2023) What is psychological safety? https://hbr.org/2023/02/what-is-psychological-safety

Graves, G. (2021). What do the experiences of team coaches tell us about the essential elements of team coaching? International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching & Mentoring, 15. https://radar.brookes.ac.uk/radar/file/fe000ae4-258d-4fed-8fcb-8d2d484295e1/1/IJEBCM_S15_16.pdf

Lines, H. and Leary-Joyce, J. 2024. Systemic Team Coaching 2nd Edition. AoEC Press.

Mezirow, J. (1997). Transformative learning: Theory to practice. New directions for adult and continuing education, 1997(74), 5-12. https://www.ecolas.eu/eng/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Mezirow-Transformative-Learning.pdf

Neff, K. D. (2023). Self-compassion: Theory, method, research, and intervention. Annual review of psychology, 74(1), 193-218.

Peters, J., & Carr, C. (2013a). High Performance Team Coaching: A Comprehensive System for Leaders and Coaches. Friesen Press.

Peters, J., & Carr, C. (2013b). Team effectiveness and team coaching literature review. Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice, 6(2), 116-136. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17521882.2013.798669

Salihovic, K. (2021). Team coaching in the workplace. A literature review on team coaching and solving performance deficiency in the workplace, University of Gothenburg, School of Business, Economics and Law.

Traylor, A. M., Stahr, E., & Salas, E. (2020). Team coaching: Three questions and a look ahead: A systematic literature review. International Coaching Psychology Review, 15(2), 54-68. https://www.siopsa.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ICPR-Vol-15.-No.-2-Autumn-2020.pdf#page=56

The practice of moving toward happiness in leadership and life

Leadership is tough work. It can feel overwhelming and all-consuming. At times, our work as leaders can take a toll on our happiness and well-being. Reflecting on 2024, I noticed one consistency – more moments of joy in my life. I’ve lived with anxiety and depression since my early 20s. I’ve worked through my mental health highs and lows with the support of therapists, medical health professionals, medication, family, friends, executive coaches, self-compassion, mindfulness, and ongoing learning. I am not alone in this journey, 20% of the Canadian population experience a mental illness in any given year. At any time in our workplace, 1 in 5 of our colleagues struggle with mental health challenges, and leaders play a critical role in acknowledging and supporting workplace wellbeing. Strengthening our capability to experience joy and happiness is an important leadership skill to start with.

What strategies have I used to experience more joy and happiness in my work and life?

Acceptance

I’ve accepted that happiness is not something I suddenly achieve and sustain. Happiness is an ongoing life practice. In their book Build the Life you Want, Arthur Brooks and Oprah Winfrey recommend that rather than striving to be happy, we should focus on becoming happier. They contend,

“Happiness is not a destination. Happiness is a direction.”

Positive Psychology

I’ve worked to build and flex my happiness muscle by integrating daily practices supported by research on positive psychology. Critics of positive psychology assume it only draws upon strengths and the positive aspects of life. Some fear it promotes toxic positivity. However, positive psychology research suggests it’s not solely about focusing on the positive. Positive psychology interventions and approaches provide strategies for leaning into, sitting with, and acknowledging challenging emotions and the varied experiences we face in life, including our stresses, losses, failures, and mistakes (Wong, 2011). Experiencing positive emotions (e.g., joy, hope, contentment), reducing stressors, and promoting positive coping and resilience are critical to human flourishing (Seligman, 2012).

In the workplace, frequent experiences of positive emotions and happiness lead to:

enhanced individual and organization learning, problem solving and creativity,
improved social relationships,
better workplace performance and productivity,
decreased susceptibility to burnout, absenteeism and turnover,
increased job satisfaction, and
higher rates of organizational citizenship and community volunteerism (Clément et al., 2024; Fredrickson, 1998; Lyubomirsky et al., 2005).

What is positive psychology?

Positive psychology moves towards an open and appreciative approach to human motives, capacities and potential, and our individual and collective capacity to flourish (Sheldon and King, 2001; Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). Positive psychology reinforces:

the positive qualities of people and life,
our capacity to learn from challenging life experiences. Many of our challenging life experiences contribute most to the development of our strengths, resilience, and a deeper understanding of human suffering, and
the more we practice noticing what’s working, and identifying and using our strengths, the more we focus on the positive around us and the more we can build our psychological reserves, resources, and resilience to address future life events (Frederickson, 2001; Wong, 2011).

Nine happiness practices I depend on as a leader and human

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a practice developed over time, involving: 1) focused, self-regulated attention on immediate experience and, 2) orientating our experience of the present moment towards curiosity, openness, and acceptance (Bishop et al., 2004). Mindfulness has transformed my life. It has become a daily practice and way of being, with approaches such as the Metta (or loving-kindness) meditation, breathing meditation, and mindful/deep breath awareness providing grounding throughout my day. I am not alone in experiencing the benefits of mindfulness. Mindfulness practices such as sitting meditation, body scanning, and mindful movement positively impact well-being, stress, and rumination (Shapiro et al., 2008). Developing mindful awareness and acceptance of the present moment is one of the toughest human experiences that requires a lifetime of practice and learning. I encourage you to learn more about mindfulness practices by checking out the UCLA Mindful app and Berkeley’s Greater Good in Action website.

Managing Challenging Emotions

I once asked a colleague who formally studies Buddhism if the purpose of meditation was developing our capacity to respond thoughtfully rather than react impulsively to challenging situations. They nodded with a gentle, warm, and proud smile. I am certain the purpose of meditation is more complex. However, I was reassured that I was on the right path. I am human and experience the natural and ongoing flux of emotions and feelings that arise within us. A core component of my happiness practice is becoming more mindful of how I manage and regulate my emotions in order to respond thoughtfully to situations that trigger me. Learning to name and acknowledge the feelings and sensations that arise in my body is my first step (e.g., I feel angry and frustrated. My jaw is tense. My heart is racing). Next, I breathe deeply. I often intentionally breathe in kindness for myself and breathe out kindness for others. Deep breathing lowers blood pressure, reduces stress and anxiety, and shifts the autonomic nervous system from sympathetic (i.e., our fight or flight response) toward parasympathetic dominance (i.e., our body’s ability to relax) (Jareth et al., 2006; Tavoian & Craighead, 2023). Deep breathing helps us regulate and respond intentionally when we feel triggered. My more regulated responses to triggering situations usually involve letting go and doing nothing or pausing and responding from a place of learning and curiosity, rather than judgment. Developing the capacity to manage and regulate our emotions is one of the most important superpowers of successful leaders.

Shifting our Limiting Beliefs into Lifting Beliefs

The loudest and most frequent voice we hear is the voice inside of our heads. Our thoughts impact our emotions, behaviours, and perceptions of everyday life experiences. Like many humans, my inner thoughts are often unkind and do not always serve me well. In her book The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times, Michelle Obama describes our destructive self-thoughts as our fearful mind. In her words, this mind says things like, “…you suck, you’re a failure, you’re not very smart, and you never get anything right.”

Cognitive reframing is a strategy used to shift our negative, distorted, and self-defeating thoughts and beliefs in order to influence our resulting emotions, behaviours, and well-being (Robson Jr & Troutman-Jordan, 2014). As an executive coach, I refer to this practice as shifting our limiting beliefs into lifting beliefs. For example, when I make a mistake as a leader, I often get stuck in thoughts like, “You are such an imposter. You have no idea what you are doing. You are a failure.” I’ve become better at pausing and mindfully catching these thoughts in action and reframing them with beliefs such as, “No leader is perfect. The best leaders take time to reflect upon and learn from things that don’t go well.” The first few times I tried this, it was awkward, forced, and painful. The more I practiced, the more my perceptions of my experiences shifted and the more self-compassionate I became. Kristin Neff (2023) describes self-compassion as “how we relate to ourselves in instances of perceived failure, inadequacy or personal suffering” (p.194). Neff confirms the positive impacts of self-compassion on our emotional states, mental health and well-being. She’s found that practicing self-compassion helps us lean into our negative emotions, reduce rumination, and develop skills for self-regulation. The practice of transforming my limiting beliefs into lifting beliefs has helped me become a more empathetic, kind, and present leader and human.

Gratitude

The positive and immediate impacts of expressing gratitude and appreciation amaze me. If I feel my sense of joy and hope waning, my go-to coping strategy is to create a gratitude list. I do this regularly through journalling, meditation, and brief moments of reflection. Evidence-based gratitude interventions include taking a few moments daily to reflect on a few things you are grateful for and why (Wood et al., 2010). Inspired by author Shawn Achor, I also often take one or two minutes each day to connect with a friend or colleague and share something I appreciate about them and why it makes a difference. This might be in the form of in-the-moment feedback, a phone conversation, text, direct message, or email. By sending appreciation to others, I fill their buckets, reflect upon the importance of the positive qualities I see in them, and consider how I might model these capacities myself. Gratitude practices immediately improve my mood and have ripple effects throughout my life as I continue to actively seek and look for things I am grateful for and appreciate in others. In her book, The Serviceberry, Robin Wall Kimmerer reminds us that through gratitude, we are also reminded of the “enoughness” in our lives and “the knowing that you already have what you need.”

Reflecting on Daily Wins and Success

As a leader, there are times when I get stuck on everything that needs to be fixed in my life, with the teams I work with, in the organization I work in, across the higher education sector, and in the world. When I feel overwhelmed and like everything in life is not working, I turn to the three good things exercise. Positive Psychology expert Dr. Martin Seligman and colleagues introduced and tested the “3 good things in life” exercise (Seligman et al., 2005). The concept is simple. At the end of the day, set aside a few minutes to reflect upon and write about three things that went well and their causes. Seligman et al. (2005) found that doing this for just one week can result in immediate and sustained positive impacts on our happiness, even after months of stopping. Give it a try. You’ll feel gratification and positive states of emotion arise as you reflect upon your three daily wins and find your days focused on looking for what’s working rather than stuck in a mind trap of what’s not working.

Savouring Everyday Moments (or micro-moments) of Joy

Savouring is the practice of holding onto and appreciating the emotional experiences associated with positive events. For example, you receive positive feedback from a colleague. You intentionally take 15-30 seconds to silently reflect upon the emotions (e.g., I feel proud and grateful) and sensations (e.g., My breathing has softened. I feel relaxed warmth in my chest) that arise from that feedback, or you take time to savour the experience of receiving the positive feedback by sharing it with a friend or family member later that day. Jose et al. (2012) found engaging in small moments of daily savouring can broaden and build (Fredrickson, 2001) happiness so we experience even more happiness throughout our lives. In other words, if we develop the habit of savouring, we are more likely to maintain states of overall happiness, regardless of the nature of the events that we experience in our lives. Momentary savouring creates mindsets with long-term adaptive benefits that strengthen our capacity and resilience to manage future events (Fredrickson, 2001).

Meaning

What drives you to do what you do?
What contribution would you like to make to the world?
What’s your larger purpose?
What are the values or intentions that drive you?
What’s most meaningful to you?
What matters most in your life?
Who do you want to be in your life?
What draws you to your work and engagement with your community?

These are tough, existential questions. And they are worth exploring and revisiting at least once a year. My larger purpose is to help build more human-centred individuals, organizations and communities. That’s what drives me. It’s my greatest hope to strengthen the power of connection and humanity in the world around me. My core values are kindness, collaboration, curiosity, and hope. This purpose and these values fuel my daily interactions, relationships, teaching, learning, coaching and leadership practices, and community connections. It’s taken me half a century to learn that happiness is not grounded in the things I acquire or the job titles I achieve. Deep (i.e., eudaimonic) happiness is grounded in the pursuit of purpose, meaning, and making a difference in our lives (Wong, 2011).

Physical Activity

Research suggests that few of us engage in enough physical activity and that daily physical activity, including aerobic activity and strength/flexibility training can benefit those with mental health challenges, especially those who experience depression and anxiety (Paluska & Schwenk, 2000). Thankfully, exercise is a happiness practice that comes easily to me. Movement is my medicine. Daily activity increases my strength and physical stamina and helps me process many of my daily challenges and emerging anxieties. It’s like an active (or an act of) meditation. It feeds my mind, clears my thoughts, nourishes my soul, and challenges my body. I aim for at least 30 minutes of daily activity, through a combination of cycling, running, yoga, and strength training. What helps me achieve this goal? I have equipment at home, saving both money and time. When I can, I feed two birds with one seed by experiencing and enjoying the beauty of running, cycling, or hiking on the trails around me. The benefits of exercising in nature are astounding. Engaging in nature-based physical activity significantly improves mental well-being and “…can have a profound effect on psychological functioning” (Turecek et al., 2025, p.12).

Nutrition

I am not a fan of restrictive diets. My well-being is improved when I focus on fueling my mind and body with nutrient-rich whole foods. I strive for balance. I eat (mostly) locally sourced meats. I love tofu and rich, aged, dairy-filled cheese. I enjoy savoury treats, including ripple potato chips and French fries. I make homemade sourdough and jam. I prefer white pasta and rice, even though whole-grain versions have more fibre and nutrients. I have a green salad most days. I can’t imagine a day without coffee or chocolate. My simplified approach to nutrition for well-being starts with asking, “What can I add to my daily nutrition to move towards happiness and better health?” Lately, my focus has been increasing my intake of fruits, vegetables, and plant-based proteins, ensuring I stay hydrated, and taking daily doses of probiotics, vitamins, and minerals. This simplified approach is supported by research. Studies exploring the link between mental health and nutrition suggest there are positive benefits to ensuring appropriate consumption of nutrients and minerals such as B vitamins, vitamin D, zinc and magnesium, daily probiotics, and fibre and nutrient-rich foods (Grajek et al., 2022).

Conclusion

Happiness doesn’t just happen. Moving toward happiness takes ongoing and intentional practice.

These nine evidence-based strategies for happiness have become lifelong practices for me. Do I integrate every practice every day? No. I aim for consistency. When I sense a shift in my well-being, these practices give me the confidence and capacity to take action. They’ve helped me become an expert in my own journey towards happiness.

Call to Action

Identify one of these practices that resonates with you or you are curious about. Try it out. Reflect on how it impacts you. Share your experiences with a colleague or friend. One of the reasons I wrote this post is to inspire more conversations about joy and happiness in the workplace. I think it’s the type of conversation we don’t have enough of, and that could help transform our organizations, teams, and the humans who give them life.

Note: cover image generated using Canva’s AI image generator Magic Media based on the title of this blog.

References

Bishop, S.R., Lau, M., Shapiro, S., Carlson, L., Anderson, N.D., Carmody, J., Segal, Z.V., Abbey, S., Speca, M., Velting, D. and Devins, G., (2004). Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical psychology: Science and practice, 11(3), 230.

Brooks, A. C., & Winfrey, O. (2023). Build the Life you Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier. Portfolio, Penguin.

Clément S. Bellet, Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, George Ward (2024) Does Employee Happiness Have an Impact on Productivity? Management Science 70(3):1656-1679. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4766

Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The Role of Positive Emotions in Positive Psychology. American Psychologist, 56 (3), 218-226.

Grajek, M., Krupa-Kotara, K., Białek-Dratwa, A., Sobczyk, K., Grot, M., Kowalski, O., & Staśkiewicz, W. (2022). Nutrition and mental health: A review of current knowledge about the impact of diet on mental health. Frontiers in Nutrition, 9, 943998.

Jerath, R., Edry, J. W., Barnes, V. A., & Jerath, V. (2006). Physiology of long pranayamic breathing: neural respiratory elements may provide a mechanism that explains how slow deep breathing shifts the autonomic nervous system. Medical hypotheses, 67(3), 566-571.

Jose, P. E., Lim, B. T., & Bryant, F. B. (2012). Does savoring increase happiness? A daily diary study. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 7(3), 176-187.

Kimmerer, R.W. (2024) The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World. Scribner, NY.

Lyubomirsky, S., King, L., & Diener, E. (2005). The benefits of frequent positive affect: Does happiness lead to success? Psychological Bulletin, 131 (6), 803-855.

Neff, K. D. (2023). Self-compassion: Theory, method, research, and intervention. Annual review of psychology, 74(1), 193-218.

Obama, M. (2022) The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times. Crown, NY.

Paluska, S. A., & Schwenk, T. L. (2000). Physical activity and mental health: current concepts. Sports medicine, 29, 167-180.

Robson Jr, J. P., & Troutman-Jordan, M. (2014). A concept analysis of cognitive reframing. Journal of Theory Construction & Testing, 18(2).

Seligman, M. E. , Steen, T. A. , Park, N. & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive Psychology Progress. American Psychologist, 60 (5), 410-421.

Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55 , 5–14.

Seligman, M. (2012). Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being. Atria books.

Sheldon, K. M. & King, L. (2001). Why Positive Psychology Is Necessary. American Psychologist, 56 (3), 216-217.

Shapiro, S. L., Oman, D., Thoresen, C. E., Plante, T. G., & Flinders, T. (2008). Cultivating mindfulness: effects on well‐being. Journal of clinical psychology, 64(7), 840-862.

Tavoian, D., & Craighead, D. H. (2023). Deep breathing exercise at work: Potential applications and impact. Frontiers in Physiology, 14, 1040091.

Turecek, S., Brymer, E., & Rahimi-Golkhandan, S. (2025). The relationship between physical activity environment, mental wellbeing, flourishing and thriving: A mixed method study. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 76, 102769.

Wong, P. T. P. (2011). Positive psychology 2.0: Towards a balanced interactive model of the good life. Canadian Psychology, 52(2), 69–81.

Wood, A. M., Froh, J. J., & Geraghty, A. W. (2010). Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration. Clinical psychology review, 30(7), 890-905.

From learning-centred to human-centred education

When I started my work in educational development and teaching and learning in the early 2000s, we talked a lot about the need to shift our focus from teaching to student learning in higher education. Fundamentally, this meant embracing a mindset more focused on what and how students learned rather than the content we taught, or how we would transmit knowledge. Through a learning-centred approach, students were seen as the starting point of the curriculum, learning experiences focused on meaningful student engagement and collaboration, learning skills such as metacognition, problem-solving, critical reflection, evaluating evidence, and developing arguments were seen as essential to developing subject matter expertise, and instructors and students were recognized as part of a learning community, sharing the work and process of learning (Paris and Combs, 2006; Weimer, 2013).

I feel a shift in higher education that is now moving us from a learning-centred approach to a human-centred approach to higher education.

I am only starting to conceptualize what this might mean. One of the key principles of human-centred design is that it considers “human perspectives” in all steps of the process, thereby creating outcomes that are meaningful to all involved (Burns, 2018; Leason et al., 2022). Human-centred design recognizes those within the system as whole beings who are multi-faceted, and places the needs and well-being of humans at the centre of design processes (Leason et al., 2022). Advocates suggest that human-centred design approaches help embrace ambiguity and complexity, create community, recognize the importance of local context, and support innovation and well-being (Bazzano et al., 2017).

What could this mean for higher education?

I’ve adapted some of Gill and Thomson’s (2017) work on human-centred education to describe a few core principles for a human-centred approach to higher education (HCHE) below:

Human Flourishing: HCHE focuses on the well-being and flourishing of all within the system, respecting the needs of faculty, staff, students and the community itself.
Holistic Development: HCHE focuses on the development of whole beings and communities. This includes looking beyond academic or performance metrics and goals, toward indicators of emotional, physical, social, psychological, and spiritual well-being and development.
Lived-Experience: HCHE recognizes and affirms the lived experiences and expertise of those within the community, as intrinsically important and valuable. HCHE meaningfully includes the lived experiences of students, staff and faculty in planning, design, and decision-making processes.
Learning in and as a Community: HCHE recognizes that staff, students and faculty contribute to the planning, creation, and nurturing of teaching and learning communities.
Learning Beyond Knowledge and Skills: HCHE conceptualizes learning beyond acquiring and demonstrating knowledge and skills (aka learning as doing) to focus on learning as a lifelong process, and a way of being, caring and meaningfulness (aka learning as being).
Care, Compassion, and Respect: HCHE creates and nurtures a relational culture of care, compassion and respect. In the wise words of Dr. Michael Hart, this principle recognizes the importance of “relationships before tasks” in our academic spaces, workplaces and communities. It emphasizes caring and respectful relationships across all levels of the academic community.
Iterative Learning, Reflection, and Growth: HCHE develops sustainable processes and systems for meaningful feedback, learning, improvement, and growth to improve teaching and learning. This includes the many systems and processes that support teaching and learning across multiple organizational levels. Feedback for learning goes beyond data collection to include critical reflection and meaning-making for individuals, teams, classes, programs, communities, units, and the institution.

What did I miss? What would you add or change to these principles to make them better?

How could these principles be used?

These principles could be used to inform how we approach course and curriculum design, how we develop academic processes and policies related to teaching and learning, and as a foundation for meaningful reflection, conversation and dialogue.

For example:

An individual faculty member could apply these principles to redesign a course in partnership with students.
Student councils and working groups could use these principles to develop priorities for advocacy and action.
These principles could inform the work of teaching and learning working groups or committees.
Faculties or departments could use these principles to open a conversation about curriculum renewal, or faculty, staff and student wellbeing.
Institutions could adapt these principles to inform strategic planning for teaching and learning.

Concluding thoughts

One of the gifts that the pandemic taught me is the importance of human well-being and flourishing, and the humanity of our work. Perhaps human-centred approaches will help us reimagine how we approach higher education, whether it be the courses we create, the workplaces we are part of, or the communities we contribute to. Human-centred principles could help us hold tightly to what matters most.

I welcome any thoughts and insights on what these principles could mean for higher education, and how you would strengthen them!

References:

Bazzano, A. N., Martin, J., Hicks, E., Faughnan, M., & Murphy, L. (2017). Human-centred design in global health: a scoping review of applications and contexts. PloS one, 12(11), e0186744.

Burns, C. (2018). Human-centred design. In eHealth Research, Theory and Development (pp. 207-227). Routledge.

Gill, S., & Thomson, G. (2017). Human-centred education: A practical handbook and guide. Routledge.

Leason, I., Longridge, N., Mathur, M. R., & Nickpour, F. (2022). An opportunity for inclusive and human-centred design. British Dental Journal, 233(8), 607-612.

Paris, C., & Combs, B. (2006). Lived meanings: what teachers mean when they say they are learner‐centered. Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 12(5), 571-592.

Weimer, M. (2013). Learner Centred Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice. Second Edition. CA: San Francisco. Jossey-Bass.

Leadership and the Sacred Pause

I’ve identified one leadership skill to practice this year. It’s a tough one (maybe the toughest of all!), so I’ve given myself a year to practice and reflect on it, and maybe move one step forward to becoming a more conscious leader and human being.

You know that moment between when something happens that triggers you (aka “the stimulus”). It may be a comment in a conversation or meeting, an action from a colleague (or yourself), or it may be an organizational decision that is completely out of your control. Something happens that causes your emotions to kick into high gear. Most often in these moments, I react (aka “the reaction”). In more cases than not, that reaction is sometimes more charged than I would like it to be. These reactions are often grounded in a space of judgment, rather than in a space of curiosity and learning. In those moments, I am not my ideal self as a leader.

The sacred pause

I first learned of the concept of the sacred pause from Tara Brach (n.d.).

Tara shares that the sacred pause involves stopping and “paying attention to your immediate experience” or what is happening within you. Say I am triggered by something that I disagree strongly with in a meeting (“the stimulus”). A typical response for me may be to interject, interrupt the conversation, and strongly state my point of view. In most situations, I am not putting my ideal leadership self forward in these moments.

Insert “the sacred pause” in between “the stimulus” and “the reaction”, and you get a more thoughtful and intentional leadership response.

The sacred pause of breathing kindness

Breathing kindness is my go-to strategy for practicing the sacred pause. Here is how it looks.

If I am catch myself feeling triggered in a meeting:

I notice. I am experiencing a strong reaction and emotion.
I identify the emotion and my inner experience. I am feeling anger and frustration. My heart is racing, my jaw is tense, and my eyes are tightening.
I breath. I take a deep breath (or 20!) breathing in kindness for myself and breathing out kindness for others.

After noticing, feeling and breathing, I am able to more thoughtfully and intentionally respond to the stimulus. My most common response in these moments? Nothing at all. The more I practice the sacred pause of breathing kindness, the more I’ve come to recognize that my charged inner experiences pass naturally, AND what is triggering me in the moment passes as well.

The sacred pause of inner inquiry

This is a mindfulness strategy that I use when something has triggered me, I hold onto it, and I am consumed by the experience. In these situations, I find myself stuck in my head, spinning in a mind trap. We’ve all been there. We sit and fester in our thoughts and challenging emotions. When I catch myself in these moments, I engage with a longer sacred pause of inner inquiry, reflecting on the following questions, which too are inspired by Tara Brach’s work (Brach, 2023).

What’s important? What matters most right now?
What am I feeling and experiencing? What is happening inside me right now?
How can I meet this (i.e., what is happening inside me right now), with kindness?
What is my truest path forward? What does love want from me?

There are times when my reflections stop after the first questions, as I realize that what was consuming me, really wasn’t that important at all. Other times, my journal is filled with reflections and options for moving forward that more clearly align with my values, and who I want to be as a leader.

Embracing our emotions at work

I work in higher education. The affective or emotional part of our leadership practice is not something we often talk about, or make visible. And yet, our work as leaders involves our emotions, and our reactions to those emotions – EVERY SINGLE DAY. We can’t leave the “beings” part of humanness when we walk out of our house in the morning.

I’ve held onto a teaching shared by Arthur Brooks (2023) in his book, Build the Life you Want that he co-authored with Oprah Winfrey. He shares that emotions are just signals that there is something happening that requires our attention and action, AND if we take the time to pay attention to and observe these signals, our conscious brain gets to decide how to respond. The sacred pause gives us time to do this; to transition our limbic reactions to more metacognitive and intentional actions.

A challenge to you

Embrace your full self as a leader – emotions and all! Our emotions have a real impact on our experiences and actions as leaders. Learning to lean into, reflect upon, and manage our reactions to our emotions is a leadership superpower. Try or adapt one of the strategies above the next time you feel triggered by your emotions at work. As always, I’d love to learn from you. If you’d like to share another strategy for taking a sacred pause at work, feel free to add it to the comments below!

References

Brach, T. (n.d.) The Sacred Pause. Accessed at: https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/practices/practices/view/21412?id=21412

Brach, T. (2023) Four Spiritual Inquiries: Finding Heart Wisdom in Painful Times. Accessed at: https://www.tarabrach.com/four-spiritual-inquiries/

Brooks, A. and Winfrey, O. (2023) Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier. Portfolio/Penguin, NY.

Exploring the structure of a coaching conversation

What is coaching?

The International Coaching Federation defines coaching as:

partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. The process of coaching often unlocks previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity and leadership.
ICF, nd

In practice, coaching involves partnering with people through an emerging process of generative self-discovery, curiosity-driven inquiry, deep listening, reframing, and future-focussed action, learning and growth (Maltbia, et al., 2014). Maltbia et al. (2014) highlight four factors that are critical to successful coaching relationships and engagements, which can be conceptualized from both the coachee’s and coach’s perspective: clarity in needs and focus, conditions for framing the situation and identifying barriers and support, commitment to determining desired outcomes and goals, and continuous improvement with a focus on iterative action and reflection. They further describe three essential coaching competencies:

Co-creating relationships: building relationships based on trust and mutual respect. Developing awareness of and accessing one’s own coaching presence and engaging in metacognitive awareness and regulation of one’s own emotions and thinking.
Productive dialogue: listening deeply to what is shared through people’s words and behaviours. Engaging in curiosity and learning-centred exploration and inquiry.
Helping others succeed: exploring, expanding and (re)framing multiple perspectives and points of view. Partnering to facilitate action, learning, growth, and change.

What is the impact of coaching? What makes coaching effective?

Coaches help people dig deep to elevate their self-awareness and thinking, as well as their capacity for learning, growth, and change. Theeboom et al. (2014) confirm that coaching has a significant effect on a range of outcomes such as: improved performance, skill development, well-being, coping, work attitudes and goal-orientation. Their findings indicate that coaching is effective in improving functioning for individuals, even when coaching occurs across a small number of sessions. They point to the importance of solution-focussed coaching approaches, that encourage deep understanding, critical reflection, and transformative learning.

Deep learning approaches encourage people to question assumptions, make meaning, relate ideas, and use evidence to explore the broader implications and application of their learning (Entwistle and Tait, 1990; Trigwell and Prosser, 1991). When we engage in critical reflection, we create meaning by uncovering and challenging our assumptions, beliefs, and frames of reference (Mezirow, 1998). Transformative learning involves critical reflection and occurs when our previously held assumptions, beliefs and frames of reference shift and change to create new insights and understandings (Mezirow, 2003). Coaching is also often grounded in metacognition or learning more about and improving how we think and learn (Stanton et al., 2021). It may also include moments of mindfulness that encourage people to become aware of and notice their inner experiences so that they work to become more self-regulated and less reactive or “triggered” by their thoughts and emotions (Hülsheger et al., 2013). Like the best professional learning experiences, coaching is based on a social and constructive learning process that draws upon the coachee’s unique situation and experiences through collaborative dialogue (Webster-Wright, 2009).

I have experienced these conditions in action as a coachee, with many experienced executive coaches. They have helped me recognize that I am my greatest critic. I have tendencies towards fear-based thoughts and mind traps. I lean towards perfectionism and create excessively high standards for myself. AND, I know I am not alone in this.

I’ve worked with coaches to get below the surface and become more aware of and work through my fears – fears of failure, judgement, of not being deserving, smart enough, or good enough. These thoughts have not stopped, but through coaching, I’ve been able to develop future-focussed strategies to give them less space. I have learned to reframe my limiting beliefs (e.g. I am a failure.) to lifting beliefs (e.g., Nobody is perfect, I am committed to always learning and growing.). Coaches have helped me get there through their skilled presence, listening, awareness and questioning, “Is there a limiting belief in what you just shared that could be reframed or rethought?”

I’ve accepted that my emotions are often my greatest teacher, guiding me towards something in the moment that I need to pay attention to. Coaches have worked with me to develop skills in recognizing and acknowledging my emotions through mindful questioning, reflection, and awareness, “I feel the weight of what you just shared, where are you experiencing that in your body right now?” What is the emotion trying to teach you?”

I’ve learned to leverage my own gifts and strengths, “What strengths and expertise do you bring to this situation that may bring you grounding and stability?” I have leaned into the power of connecting to my own wisdom of experience and intuitive gifts – “What’s worked for you in the past? What does your gut tell you?”

Each coaching conversation has challenged me to find a path forward. I have become a much stronger and more mindful leader because of coaching. Coaches have helped me step back and metacognitively reflect, “What have you learned about yourself and your situation through this conversation?” They’ve pushed me towards action, “What’s one commitment that you will make this week based on what you’ve worked through today?” They’ve left me with challenging questions for further reflection, and they’ve helped me step back to celebrate my successes. In my experience, each coaching conversation is unique, evolving, sometimes a little messy and unpredictable, and deeply connected to what matters most given my current situation and context.

What does a coaching session look like?

How can these learning theories and approaches possibly come together in one coaching conversation? The truth is, there is no one coaching structure, framework or approach that works for all. Although it is certainly our aspiration, not all coaching conversations are deep, transformative, critically reflective, and mindful. Coaching is as much (or more) about our presence or who we be in the conversation, as it is about what we do. Who we be as a coach is often best framed in the context of the ICF Coaching Competencies:

Demonstrates ethical practice
Embodies a coaching mindset
Establishes and maintains agreements
Cultivates trust and safety
Maintains coaching presence
Listens actively
Evokes awareness
Facilitates client growth (ICF, nd).

One of the most widely used coaching models is the GROW model (Goals, Reality, Options, Wrap-Up). Coaches need to be both authentic and flexible to the context and needs of the person they are partnering with in conversation, rather than to any one structure or model (Grant, 2011). Developing this sense of authenticity and flexibility takes time and practice. Despite the shortcomings of coaching structures and models, I know from experience how much grounding they can provide. I learned through Essential Impact’s Excelerator Coaching^TMframework (Engage, Enlighten, Empower, Excel, Evolve), which was embedded in our experiences through the Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching at Royal Rhodes University.

A simplified structure for a coaching conversation

My mind gravitates towards simplification. Below I’ve adapted Maltbia et al.’s (2014) work to provide an example structure for coaching conversations based on three essential components (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Example structure for a coaching session based on three essential components: 1) co-creating trust and clarifying focus, 2) engaging in curiosity-driven and solution-focussed inquiry, 3) helping people succeed & find their path forward.

In the below section, each component is paired with guiding questions to inspire generative inquiry.

Co-creating Trust & Clarifying Focus

What do you need to get comfortable in this space together? What do you need to transition into this conversation?
What will be of greatest value for us to talk about today?
What is most important about this? What’s at the core of this for you?
What would success look like at the end of this conversation for you? What would you like to leave our conversation today with that would help you move forward?
What would shift or change for you if you achieved this?

Engaging in Curiosity-driven & Solution-focussed Dialogue

What do you need to work through and/or work out?
What’s holding you back?
What results/changes do you really want to see?
What’s important? What matters most?
What do you want to move towards?
Who do you want to be as you approach this situation?
Imagine one year down the road, you have achieved success, what does this look and feel like?
What are you doing or not doing to support these results (or what you want to see)?
What’s worked (or not worked) for you in the past?
What strengths do you bring?
What roadblocks or tensions do you experience?
What would your wisest, kindest self say to you?
What is yours to do? What’s your responsibility there? What do you have control or influence over?
How might you see things differently? What else might be true?
What are the beliefs or assumptions in what you just shared that may need to be rethought or reframed?
In one or two words, how would you describe how you feel?
Where do you feel that inside your body?
What is this feeling or belief trying to teach you?
If you could zoom out from this issue from afar, what might you notice?
How could you put this into perspective? What is one thing you could do better?
What advice would you give a colleague in this situation? What advice might a colleague offer to you?
If you had nothing to lose, how might you approach this situation?
What does your gut tell you?
What are some possible paths forward? What other options come to mind for you? What else could you do?
What have you heard yourself say about how you might approach this situation?

Helping People Succeed & Find their Path Forward

Looping back to the beginning of the conversation and what you set out to accomplish, where are you now?
What did you learn about yourself? What did you learn about your situation? How will you use this learning going forward?
What’s shifted for you? What realizations have you had? What are your breakthroughs?
What’s the right next step for you? What commitment (or micro-step) will you make to move forward?
What barriers might you face?
What resources or supports do you have to draw upon?
How will you hold yourself accountable?
How will you celebrate your success?
How do we close this time together?

Despite the apparent simplicity of many coaching models and structures (including this one!), coaching is never linear. The best coaching conversations are unpredictable, dynamic, and cyclical.

Of course, it is never obvious at the start of any coaching session how the session will actually evolve, and coaches need to work with an emergent, iterative process. Indeed, for experienced coaches the uncertainty of the session and the unexpected discoveries made along the way are a large part of the joy of coaching. For the novice however, this uncertainty is often a source of anxiety and frustration and novice coaches tend to react to these feelings by to clinging too tightly to the model.
Grant (2011, p. 35)

A challenge moving forward

I encourage you to share, adapt and use this framework to help guide coaching conversations in your local context.

Try one or two questions (e.g., what’s most important? or, what else might be true?). Practice one coaching competency (e.g., listening deeply) that resonates strongly with you or that may stretch and challenge you.

The best coaches are critically reflective learners themselves. Take some time to reflect on the following:

What worked for you?
When did you feel most engaged?
What barriers did you face? When did you struggle or feel challenged?
What did you learn?
What is one thing that you would do differently next time?

Like life, there is no perfection in coaching. It is the ultimate dance of learning, curiosity, discovery, and growth – for both coach and coachee.

References

Grant, A. M. (2011). Is it time to REGROW the GROW model? Issues related to teaching coaching session structures. The Coaching Psychologist, 7(2), 118–126.

Entwistle, N., & Tait, H. (1990). Approaches to learning, evaluations of teaching, and preferences for contrasting academic environments. Higher education, 19(2), 169-194.

ICF (nd) What is coaching? Accessed at: https://coachingfederation.org/

ICF (nd) ICF Core Competencies. Accessed at: https://coachingfederation.org/credentials-and-standards/core-competencies

Maltbia, T. E., Marsick, V. J., & Ghosh, R. (2014). Executive and organizational coaching: A review of insights drawn from literature to inform HRD practice. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 16(2), 161-183.

Mezirow, J. (1998). On critical reflection. Adult education quarterly, 48(3), 185-198.

Mezirow, J. (2003). Transformative learning as discourse. Journal of transformative education, 1(1), 58-63.

Trigwell, K., Prosser, M. (1991). Relating approaches to study and quality of learning outcomes at the course level. British Journal of Education Psychology, 61, 265-275

Hülsheger, U. R., Alberts, H. J., Feinholdt, A., & Lang, J. W. (2013). Benefits of mindfulness at work: the role of mindfulness in emotion regulation, emotional exhaustion, and job satisfaction. Journal of applied psychology, 98(2), 310.

Stanton, J. D., Sebesta, A. J., & Dunlosky, J. (2021). Fostering metacognition to support student learning and performance. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 20(2), fe3.

Webster-Wright, A. (2009). Reframing professional development through understanding authentic professional learning. Review of educational research, 79(2), 702-739.

Five practical strategies for fostering learning and wellbeing in student assessment

Recently, we’ve heard that students and course instructors are reporting feeling overwhelmed. Assessment is often at the centre of these conversations. Jones et al. (2021) acknowledge that assessment practices impact both educator’s and student’s perceptions of their wellbeing. They highlight some common tensions related to challenge, format, weighting, flexibility, and group work. I anticipate more research to surface on assessment practices for wellbeing in higher education, as we continue to learn and heal from our experiences during the global pandemic.

Over the past year, I’ve noticed a handful of strategies that continue to surface as potential ways to promote wellbeing in student assessment. Many of these strategies align with and build upon research from Ross (2021) on assessment practices using a lens of ethics-of-care. I’ve summarized five approaches to promote wellbeing in student assessment below:

Wherever possible, focus on implementing practices that align with principles for Universal Design for Learning into student assessment practices (CAST, n.d.). UDL principles support multiple means of engagement, multiple means of action and expression, and multiple means of representation (Coffman & Draper; 2022; La et al., 2018). Strategies may include intentionally connecting assessments with student interests, supporting self-assessment/reflection, and providing flexibility, choice and a variety of forms of assessment throughout the semester (CAST, n.d.; La et al., 2018).
Provide some flexibility to adjust submission timelines throughout the semester. One example is to provide late banks where students have a set amount of time (e.g., 48-72 hours) to use and distribute without penalty when they are struggling to meet assignment deadlines throughout the semester (Schroeder et al., 2019).
Let students bring a page of self-generated notes or a flashcard into an exam. This strategy may help reduce stress and anxiety, and promote metacognition as students strategically consider what they already know and where their growing edges are in terms of the course material (Settlage & Wollscheid, 2019).
Wherever possible, streamline and make transparent grading processes. For example, work with students as partners to co-develop the assignment grading criteria (Meer and Chapman, 2014), and have them submit a self-assessment of their work based on these criteria (Yan & Carless, 2022). What are they most proud of? What came most easily to them in completing this assignment? Where did they struggle most? What would they most like to improve upon? What 1-2 areas do they most want to receive feedback on? Use this self-assessment to help streamline where and how you provide feedback when grading.
For in-class presentations, have students present to small groups, rather than to the entire class. Many students experience fear when presenting publicly – practice, preparation and support can help to alleviate some of this fear (Grieve et al., 2021). Providing opportunities for students to practice and present their work to small groups of peers may help reduce anxiety, streamline the use of class time, and foster peer learning and development. For these presentations, consider focussing the grading process on student’s reflections of the growth and development of their presentation skills, and on communication skills such as active listening, and providing/responding to peer feedback. You may even consider doing this multiple times throughout the semester so that students have more than one opportunity to practice their presentation, communication, and feedback skills.

By no means is this an exhaustive list. There are many creative ways to implement assessment practices that further foster wellbeing for students and educators. I’d love to hear your ideas, as I predict this will be a growing topic of discussion in higher education over the coming years.

References

CAST (n.d.) UDL ON CAMPUS · Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education: UDL and Assessment. http://udloncampus.cast.org/page/assessment_udl

Coffman, S., & Draper, C. (2022). Universal design for learning in higher education: A concept analysis. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 17(1), 36-41.

Daniel M. Settlage & Jim R. Wollscheid (2019). An analysis of the effect of student prepared notecards on exam performance. College Teaching, 67:1, 15-22, DOI: 10.1080/87567555.2018.1514485

Grieve, R., Woodley, J., Hunt, S. E., & McKay, A. (2021). Student fears of oral presentations and public speaking in higher education: a qualitative survey. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 45(9), 1281-1293.

Jones, E., Priestley, M., Brewster, L., Wilbraham, S. J., Hughes, G., & Spanner, L. (2021). Student wellbeing and assessment in higher education: the balancing act. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 46(3), 438-450.

La, H., Dyjur, P., & Bair, H. (2018). Universal design for learning in higher education. Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning. Calgary: University of Calgary. https://taylorinstitute.ucalgary.ca/resources/universal-design-learning-higher-education

Meer, N., & Chapman, A. (2015). Co-creation of marking criteria: students as partners in the assessment process. Business and management education in HE, 1-15. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.11120/bmhe.2014.00008

Settlage, D. M., & Wollscheid, J. R. (2019). An analysis of the effect of student prepared notecards on exam performance. College Teaching, 67(1), 15-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2018.1514485

Schroeder, M., Makarenko, E., & Warren, K. (2019). Introducing a late bank in online graduate courses: the response of students. The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2019.2.8200

Ross, R. (2021) Reflecting on Well-Being and Assessment Practices Using an Ethics-of-Care Lens. Summer Wellness Series Workshop, University of Calgary. https://taylorinstitute.ucalgary.ca/series/summer-wellness

Yan Z. & Carless, D. (2022) Self-assessment is about more than self: the enabling role of feedback literacy. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 47(7), 1116-1128, DOI: 10.1080/02602938.2021.2001431

Supporting wellbeing for students and educators

By: Natasha Kenny (Senior Director, Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning)

and

Patti Dyjur (Educational Development Consultant, Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning)

It’s been a tough couple of years for students and educators (Brazeau et al., 2020; Morgan and Simmons, 2021). Over the past few weeks, we’ve increasingly heard from our academic community that students and educators are struggling. There is an acknowledgement that we have not taken the time to intentionally reflect upon and heal from what we have experienced from the global pandemic. Our individual and collective wellbeing has and continues to suffer and students are experiencing a “skills gap” in their approaches to time management, organization, independence and commitment, and communication (Napierala et al., 2022). Without a doubt, we need more conversation and shared leadership to address our experiences moving forward (Abdrasheva et al., 2022; Garcia-Morales et al., 2021).

We’ve been thinking a lot about how to address some of the challenges students and educators are currently facing in their courses. Acknowledging that this work is complex and will have to be addressed across multiple organizational levels, we were drawn back to some of our earlier work on how the PERMA flourishing framework (Seligman, 2012) might be used to help? For example, Morgan and Simmons (2021) have used this framework to develop a wellbeing program in universities in the UK.

In a previous post we shared how the PERMA framework could be used to support student and educator wellbeing in the classroom. We share an adaptation of that post here:

Seligman’s (2012) PERMA model: Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Accomplishment

Positive Emotions: feeling joy, hope and contentment; reducing stressors; promoting positive coping and resilience

For instructors: schedule daily, weekly and monthly time to replenish and recharge; get up from the keyboard and take a microbreak; implement gratitude practices; ask for help from a trusted colleague or ask if you can help them; practice self-compassion; keep a ‘happy day’ email folder to store and revisit thank you messages and notes of appreciation from colleagues and students.

For students: Implement incremental learning tasks; create low-stakes assignments; incorporate student voice in and flexibility in setting deadlines (we love the concept of late banks); incorporate class time to check-in with students; incorporate mindfulness/contemplative pedagogies; promote a positive learning environment for all by establishing community and presence and cultivating equity, diversity and inclusion; connect with students through strategies such as learning their names and checking in with them to see how things are going.

Engagement: feeling attached, involved and an ability to concentrate on activities; creating meaningful opportunities to draw upon strengths and interests

For instructors: talk to your colleagues/department head about your strengths and interests; bring your strengths and interests into the classroom; engage in your workspace where students and colleagues can see and connect with you (e.g., studio, office, lab); leverage zoom or other virtual spaces to connect one-one with students, colleagues, and small groups; rest, recharge and detach from work during vacation time (we know this one is tough!).

For students: provide choice in course activities and assignments; help students identify their strengths and interests through self-assessment activities and classroom discussion; encourage learning activities that relate to and encourage students to share their interests (e.g., discovering and sharing relevant readings and resources); bring relevant connections and “real-world” examples into the course to help students make meaning; incorporate collaborative activities in online courses such as jigsaws or world cafes; include online discussions to promote engagement; incorporate principles of Universal Design for Learning; incorporate variety in teaching and learning activities.

Relationships: feeling connected, supported, and cared about; promoting opportunities for collaboration and interaction within and amongst teams

For instructors: connect with a community of practice or learning community related to something that interests you; invite people for coffee; recognize your colleagues (e.g., write a letter of support or send a brief email of acknowledgement); ask for feedback from a trusted colleague; seek and/or offer peer mentorship; invite students to lead class discussions; intentionally connect with a colleague or community off-campus for fresh ideas and connections.

For students: Facilitate peer and active learning, problem-solving and discussion activities; encourage students to get up and move – change seats and connect with a “new neighbour”; encourage learners to talk to elbow partners (students next to them); encourage study groups and/or collaborative note-taking; set up informal study groups; foster an inclusive learning environment; build in supports to facilitate positive team dynamics if assigning group work.

Meaning: feeling valued and connected to something greater than self; connecting to purpose; promoting reflection

For instructors: seek opportunities to mentor and provide positive feedback to colleagues; participate in a teaching square/triangle; prepare and/or revise a philosophy statement that speaks to your core values and purpose as a teacher – share this with students and/or a colleague; reflect on your teaching goals and impact (where are you making a difference? where would you like to further make a difference?)

For students: Model reflection (sharing what you learned from your mistakes); promote co-op programs and experiential learning opportunities; provide context around how student learning in the course is connected to students’ academic, personal and professional development; have students set their own goals for learning; collect and respond to mid-semester student feedback – stop, start, continue; encourage metacognitive activities (e.g. exam wrappers); relate course concepts and topics to current events; have students create their own materials such as graphic organizers/ notes, concept maps, and summary notes.

Accomplishment: progressing towards goals; feeling capable and a sense of accomplishment; providing autonomy; celebrate success

For instructors: Keep notes of your successes (e.g. after class, at end of the week); celebrate small wins and achievements along the way (e.g. have coffee with a colleague; keep a stack of sticky notes to document what’s working on the corner of your desk; acknowledge that accomplishments come in many shapes and forms; share goals with a mentor/supportive colleague; connect with colleagues you trust to help each other with accountability and perspective; provide space to share key teaching successes and learnings at department meetings.

For students: Share positive and balanced feedback; encourage students to recognize their successes in a final course reflection; allow students to select from a series of questions to respond to in their assignments; design open-ended projects to give students choice in a topic that interests them; allow students to demonstrate their learning and reflect on it with online portfolios.

We continue to wonder:

How could these approaches and this framework be used to further support educator and student wellbeing as we continue to learn and heal from our teaching and learning experiences during the pandemic?
Overall, how might we design courses to promote a sense of wellness, for both students and instructors?
How might we more broadly foster well being through our assessment practices across higher education?

References:

Abdrasheva, D., Escribens, M., Sabzalieva, E., Vieira do Nascimento, D., & Yerovi, C. (2022). Resuming or reforming? Tracking the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on higher education after two years of disruption. Instituto Internacional de la UNESCO para la Educación Superior en América Latina y el Caribe. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000381749

Brazeau, G. A., Frenzel, J. E., & Prescott, W. A. (2020). Facilitating wellbeing in a turbulent time. American journal of pharmaceutical education, 84(6). https://www.ajpe.org/content/84/6/ajpe8154.short

García-Morales, V. J., Garrido-Moreno, A., & Martín-Rojas, R. (2021). The transformation of higher education after the COVID disruption: Emerging challenges in an online learning scenario. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 616059. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.616059/full

Morgan, B., & Simmons, L. (2021, May). A ‘PERMA’response to the pandemic: an online positive education programme to promote wellbeing in university students. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 6, p. 642632). Frontiers Media SA. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2021.642632/full

Napierala, J., Pilla, N., Pichette, J., & Colyar, J. (2022) Ontario Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experiences of Ontario First-year Postsecondary Students in 2020–21. Toronto: Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario. https://heqco.ca/pub/ontario-learning-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-experiences-of-ontario-first-year-postsecondary-students-in-2020-21/

Seligman, M. (2012). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Atria books.