Susan Britton MCCICF Award-Winning Coach Educator, Neuroscience-Informed ICF/SHRM Coach Training, INSEAD Executive Masters in Change, Advocate for Evolutionary Shift from “Red Zone” to “Blue Zone” for Leaders, Coaches & Fellow Humans

Neuro Coaching Tip: Neuro Emotional Contagion What Is Your FACE saying?

Name: Neuro Coaching Tip: Neuro Emotional Contagion What Is Your FACE saying?
Uploaded: 2025-02-17T06:00:45+00:00
Duration: 1 min 12 s
Channel: Susan Britton MCC
Description: In this brief neuroscience coaching tip, Susan Britton explains that coaches can unintentionally transmit emotional contagion through their body…

17 Feb 2025 · 1 min

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In this brief neuroscience coaching tip, Susan Britton explains that coaches can unintentionally transmit emotional contagion through their body language, such as nodding in agreement, which may signal to clients that the coach approves of their thoughts or actions. She emphasizes that coaching should be client‑authored, meaning decisions must arise from the client, not the coach’s influence. To prevent inadvertent signaling, she advises coaches to listen with engaged curiosity—maintaining an attentive, interested demeanor without a flat affect—so their non‑verbal cues reinforce the client’s autonomy rather than the coach’s preferences.

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Susan here with the Academies and a tip on neuroscience that has to do with emotional contagion. So we know that we can communicate emotional contagion to our clients for good or for bad. One of the important things to think about is that what is your body language saying that might be communicating emotional contagion in a way that you don't really intend it to? So for example, we know that as coaches we're not supposed to be encouraging our clients to do something that we think they should do. It has to be client-authored, what they think they should do. So if you notice that when you're listening to your client and your head is nodding with them like, "Oh, I'm totally in agreement with this," you want to be cautious about that because the client is picking that up, whether overtly or maybe covertly, in a way that says, "Oh, my coach is pleased with what I'm thinking about or saying or describing here." So listen intently, not with a flat affect or flat face, but definitely in a way that says, "I'm engaged in this and curious about it." So So if you stay curious about what that means for the client, then your body language is going to communicate that it's about the client and not about pleasing you as the coach.