ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the challenges inherent in coaches observing another’s non-verbal communication as a basis for making observation a part of their listening. It argues that observing the speaker offers the coach a rich entrée into the speaker’s inner life. The chapter suggests that the coach needs to regard the speaker’s non-verbal behaviour as clues that need to be explored with sensitivity to clusters, context and culture. It argues that the coach must first get to know the speaker and their non-verbal behaviour so they can ‘compare the speaker with themselves’. That provides a basis for tuning into how a speaker’s non-verbal clues express what they are experiencing as they speak.
The chapter shows how coaches can notice different ways in which ‘the body speaks’. Particularly, they can notice two elements of difference: differences over time that signal changes in the speaker; and differences between the verbal, vocal and physical that can point to hidden or unvoiced thoughts and feelings. It argues that coaches do not need to interpret non-verbal clues, but need to notice what might be significant and share their observations without attachment.
