Research Paper Assessment

Name: Date: Student ID: Email:

Annette Lohnes-Fornoff June 9, 2012 265738 lohnesfornoff@googlemail.com

The Inner Team A Coaching Tool to Achieve Authenticity

The Inner Team A Coaching Tool to Achieve Authenticity

Content:

1. Introduction 2. What is The Inner Team? 3. The Team Conference 4. The Team Leader 5. The Inner Team Tool in the Coaching Process 6. The Achievement of Authenticity with The Inner Team Tool 7. Conclusion 8. Bibliography

Annette Lohnes-Fornoff 265738

1. Introduction
"The Inner Team" is a powerful tool that enhances the coaching process. Its purpose is to disentangle the babble of inner voices that affects and constraints clear, effective and positive communication in our daily and professional life. It also helps to develop awareness of our emotional and mental structures that influence our behavior and attitude.

2. What is "The Inner Team"?

The model of The Inner Team refers to the babble of voices that we hear in our mind, some more frequently and persistently than others. Our mind does not necessarily speak to us in just one clear and congruent voice. Usually, there is a whole chorus of voices, in all kinds of pitches, melodies and sounds. Some voices are female, others are male, some are children, some adults voices, some are shy and soft, other voices are selfconfident and harsh. These inner voices come from deep inside us, from our subconscious, our mind or our soul. They speak inside of us, like messengers delivering information from our profound inside to our consciousness. Regardless of our will power, they have their own energy and strive. They speak up when our mind is preoccupied with solving problems, making decisions or considering choices. Usually, these voices create an inner dialogue, discussing, debating, analyzing, or fighting the issue of consideration. A renowned German communication scientist and coach Friedemann Schulz von Thun created the method of The Inner Team. Since he introduced the tool to public in his book Miteinander Reden: 3 in Annette Lohnes-Fornoff 265738 2

1998 and in his lectures, it has claimed a lot of success and praise. Schulz von Thun developed the method of untangling the babble of inner voices and creating the dialog with The Inner Team in order to solve internal and external conflicts and to clarify difficult decisions.1 According to Schulz von Thun, this inner plurality2 can lead on one side from torturous see-sawing to being totally paralyzed, on the other side manifests the broad spectrum and complexity of our personality, a fascinating inner group dynamic.3 Furthermore, Schulz von Thun points to the resemblance of this inner dialog with a group and team dialog; hence, the metaphor of The Inner Team.4 A team of people consists of a plurality of personalities, of gender, styles, emotions, challenges etc. just like the team of our inner voices.

3. The Team Conference

In order to understand the dynamic of The Inner Team and to apply it in coaching, Schulz von Thun developed the idea of the team conference. The purpose of the team conference is to provide an inner forum where every voice can speak up and where a dialog can take place. The team conference is the conscious meeting and debate of all inner members, who speak up to the raised question.in order to find an answer that is based on an inner agreement This inner agreement of all members is more adequate and authentic than the decision of a single member or a group of members.5

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www.gwg-ev.org, p. 1 Schulz von Thun, p. 25 3 Schulz von Thun, p. 19 4 Schulz von Thun, p. 20 5 Schulz von Thun, p. 105-106 Annette Lohnes-Fornoff 265738

The right moment for launching a team conference is when we realize that we are stuck in a certain situation, we are blocked to make a decision or we find ourselves irritated, helpless and confused in regard to a situation or problem. The team conference is being set up at the moment, when we start listening to our inner voices and become aware of the process within ourselves. The model of The Inner Team requires deep listening to the inner voices. At first, we might not recognize an individual voice; we just perceive thoughts, emotions and impressions6. The information we receive is diffuse and blurry. As we listen more accurately, we differentiate various voices, a plurality of voices. Now begins the process of identifying these voices. Since every voice articulates a particular message, they are recognizable. Once they are identified, every single one of them receives a name. Each voice gets a unique and specific name. The naming helps to realize where a message is coming from and to comprehend its origin and source. Here are some examples for names: Nervous Wreck Coward Bragger Strict Teacher Shy Girl Silly Clown

Although they come from different sources, places, time periods, they contribute to and compose the same personality. They are all part of one

Schulz von Thun, p. 29 Annette Lohnes-Fornoff 265738 4

personality. They do not necessarily demonstrate unity and harmony. Therefore, there are three constellations occurring in team conferences:7 Inner tangle/huddle/confusion Predominance of loud and quick voices Confrontation (resulting in fights or blockage)

Recognizing and accepting the diversity of voices and, even more cumbersomethe bad voices, the uncomfortable, disturbing voicesis quintessential for the success of the team conference and, later on, for the success of the communication. In summary, during the team conference, it is important that all voices are listened to, also the ones that we do not like very much, so that later not a single team member is left out of the decision.8 The team conference is successful, when every voice is treated as an equal member.

4. The Team Leader

After having identified the voices, listened to them and to their dialog intensively, the process needs to be directed by a team leader. The team needs a leader who coordinates the inner dialog and combines the plurality of voices to one firm and clear intention. Leadership according to the model of The Inner Team demands self-awareness and openness to listen to the plurality of voices inside of teams. The leader or the head of the team is the one in our mind that affiliates the voices of the team members and considers them as part of the consciousness.9 We
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Schulz von Thun, p. 105 www.gwg-ev.org,p. 2 9 Schulz von Thun, p. 79 Annette Lohnes-Fornoff 265738 5

recognize the leader, because we identify ourselves with that authority, which stands above the whole and strives for unity.10 In spite of all the inner plurality, in the end, we say I, not We. That is the voice of the team leader. Hence, the team leaders function consists of control, mediation, integration, conflict management and communication (inward and outward). He launches and directs the team conference, challenges the team members to speak up openly and coordinates the plurality of opinions and emotions. At last, he is the one who articulates the statement of the team. Therefore, a strong inner leadership overcomes insecurity, disharmony, disintegration and confusion within a team and guides it to communicate and act authentically and successfully.

5. The Inner Team in the Coaching Process

A case study: A Writers Block This case is taken from a peer coaching experience that took place during the CPCP training program at ICA from Dec. 2010 to June 2011. For the sake of anonymity, the name of the client has been changed. Since she went to High School, Andrea had problems writing papers and essays. Whenever and whatever she had to write, she was experiencing tremendous inner struggles. She doubted her ability to express herself. She was afraid of failure. The white, empty paper frightened her. She skipped classes and credits at college in order to avoid humiliation and failure. Twenty years later, she is confronted with the same conflict: she has enrolled in a training program that requires writing papers. Fear and insecurity rise up again. Yet, this training is essential for her professional advancement. She has to face the conflict and, therefore, seeks the support of a life coach.

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Schulz von Thun, p. 79 Annette Lohnes-Fornoff 265738 6

During the coaching session, the coach encourages her to set up a team conference. What kind of voices does she hear, when she is confronted with her issue? What do they say to her? In fact, the coach supports her in this process, but it is her inner team leader who opens the inner dialog, manages the discussion and comes up to a conclusion. Therefore, the client is in charge of the coaching course. Andrea perceives all kinds of feelings, impressions and statements. It is a mixture of everything - fears, doubts, anger, hope, and ambition. As she expresses what she feels and thinks, she recognizes there is not just one but there are several voices, each one with a particular message. She gives them names. 1. The Fearful Daughter: I have failed so many times before I am never able to write a paper ever in my life. It is her voice as a child. As she used to be afraid to fail in the eyes of her parents who were very ambitious, she is still afraid of not being good enough. 2. The Career Woman: I have to write the best and most satisfying paper. She wants to perform well and reach high standards. Success and acknowledgement in her professional life are very important for her. 3. The Loving Friend: Even if I dont write a good paper, I am still a very nice and good person. Is it so important to write papers, anyway? 4. The Strict Teacher/Trainer: If I do not hand in the required paperwork, I will not be certified and qualified as a coach. What will I be doing professionally? 5. The Harsh and Unfriendly Old Woman: I have not worked hard enough. If I had worked hard enough, I would write my papers accurately and promptly without having to write any draft. Stop writing bad papers! Having named the voices, Andrea can feel into their energy. She can ascribe a voice to a real person, she can localize where a voice is coming Annette Lohnes-Fornoff 7 265738

from. She can analyze its significance in this particular situation. The voice that sounds most dominant and forceful to her is the voice of the harsh and unfriendly old woman. The voice says: Stop! What does the Stop! mean? Where is the voice saying Stop! coming from? Feeling the energetic power of the voice, Andrea hears her grandparents talking to her as a child. The memory of her past, when her demanding, strict and authoritarian grandparents imposed their values and beliefs upon her, is breathtaking, but also relieving. She realizes how they made her stop, even though she was striving to move on. They expected her to be successful in school, but, in their way, not respecting her individual and special manner to approach and experience life. As a result, doubts and fear of failure were blocking her all the way to her adult life. To her, writing a paper meant to do it in her grandparents way: she did not know that writing drafts, rewriting a paper again and again, was regular and normal. From the context of the voices, she understood that the Stop! was not hers. She had inherited it from her grandparents. It was their Stop! Because it did not belong to her, she realized she could get rid of it. This realization released her from her blockage. As a result, she wrote her papers and finished her program. In this manner, Andrea was able to find an interpretation for all her voices. The voice she could rely on in crisis was the loving friend, whereas the career woman would push her forward in her career. Andreas case demonstrates how The Inner Team can be relevant in the work with underlying beliefs. It can help to overcome the blockages by identifying the voices that inflict underlying beliefs on us. Like Andrea, many people, even highly successful people, harbor deep beliefs contrary to their personal mastery. Very often, these beliefs are below the level of the conscious awareness.11 And as Andrea, most of us hold one or two contradictory beliefs that limit our ability to create what we really want.12

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Peter Senge, p. 144 Peter Senge, p. 145 Annette Lohnes-Fornoff 265738 8

Awareness and openness are the essential keys in working with "The Inner Team and on our way to inner freedom, because structures of which we are unaware hold us prisoner. Once we can see them and name them, they no longer have the same hold on us.13 In most other cases, The Inner Team will be applied when a person has a problem to communicate a decision, a wish, an opinion, or just a statement. It then helps to act with a clear and precise attitude, to speak with a firm and self-confident voice, because the person who is aligned with himself can encounter the world with unified forces. They grant him the charisma of unambiguousness, confidence, ease, aplomb, authority and in connection with them assertiveness.14

6. The Achievement of Authenticity with The Inner Team

Life and Leadership Coaching supports clients to emerge as happy, content and creative individuals. Peter Senge defines this goal as personal mastery, (which) goes beyond competence and skills... It means approaching ones life as a creative work, living life from a creative as opposed to reactive viewpoint.15 Striving to be authentic and aligned with oneself is innate to every human being. Authenticity asks for the balance between the inward world and the outward world, meaning how we communicate and act in the world around us. We call this personal mastery or presence. According to Alan Seale presence is the energy essence that you radiate or emanate, either as an individual or a collective, simply by being who you are It is how you show up in the world16 As a coaching tool The Inner Team supports the client to find the place of profound alignment.17 It is a place of inner clarity and certitude.
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Peter Senge, p. 149 Schulz von Thun, p. 155 15 Schulz von Thun, p. 131 16 Alan Seal, p.1 17 Alan Seal, p. 2 Annette Lohnes-Fornoff 265738 9

The recognition of the intentions that strive or block him inside is the clients first step to make himself understood in the world around him. Last but not least, it is the first step to personal transformation, or in Alan Seales words to Transformational Presence (which) includes exploring ideas, beliefs, and concepts without judgment. It requires listening on many levels of awareness listening for the voice of the soul, for the words underneath the words18

7. Conclusion
The effectiveness of coaching profoundly depends on the tools used in the coaching process. Like a doctor, the coach carries a toolkit that can be applied depending on the client, the situation, the issue, and the need. Therefore, even if identifying and analyzing the voices can be a cumbersome and tedious process in certain cases, The Inner Team serves as a powerful tool to encourage personal mastery, transformational presence or the emergence of an authentic, happy human being.

8. Bibliography:
1. Miteinander reden: 3, Friedeman Schulz von Thun, Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, Sonderausgabe April 2011 (This book has not been translated into English. The quotes in this paper were translated by the author of this paper.) 2. The Fifth Discipline, Peter M. Senge, Crown Business, March 23, 2006 3. Create A World That Works, Alan Seale, Weiser Books, May 1, 2011 4. http://www.gwg-ev.org/cms/cms.php?print=1&textid=752,

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Alan Seal, p. 7 Annette Lohnes-Fornoff 265738 10

Schulz von Thun: Vom zerstrittenen Haufen zum Inneren Team mit einem Interview mit Professor Schulz von Thun (Written in German. The quotes were translated by the author of this paper.)

Annette Lohnes-Fornoff 265738

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