Executive Functioning Coaching: All Your Questions Answered
We know there are a lot of questions surrounding executive functioning as well as the coaching process. So we took some time to sit down and have a chat with one of our executive functioning coaches, Reece D’Angelo, in order to answer some of those questions.
We cover the general questions, like what is executive functioning, and what coaching looks like from a practical standpoint, but we also dive into the finer skills such as emotional regulation, developing focus, and the importance of reflection when learning new skills.
Questions are fielded by our Marketing and Design Specialist, James Leighton
J: So, what is executive functioning?
R: A set of processes that allow us to create goals, plan, manage tasks, prioritize, and focus, in order to achieve them.
J: Those are very important skills to develop and master. What goes into something like focus? I know in my life, focus often means saying no to something else, or making a choice to let go of something more immediately gratifying. Do you talk about or address things like this in your coaching?
R: Of course! Emotional regulation is an executive function skill. It can be really difficult to choose to do something less satisfying like an assignment, as productive as it may be. When working with students on these skills, I help them break down tasks into tiny chunks – often just focusing on one small step at a time (let’s hop on your portal), because that can feel more manageable. When tasks are broken down, it also allows more flexibility for taking brain breaks to help improve focus.
J: How did you get into executive functioning coaching/tutoring, and what interests you about it?
R: It was a slow, non-linear process. I started working in higher education in student and leadership development, and I’ve always looked at my student support from a holistic perspective. So when I started working specifically in academic support 8 years ago, it was a natural fit because executive functioning impacts all aspects of a student’s life, not only academics. I love watching students’ confidence grow as they get small wins and find their sense of belonging.
J: Nice, when you are coaching a student, what does that look like, are you looking for certain skills and abilities that are weak, or certain areas you always like to focus on?
R: The coaching process is a very individualized experience because the ways in which focus may affect one student, affects another differently. Each student has unique experiences, academic/life situations, learning difficulties, support structures, etc., so when I’m working with a student, I consider them holistically, and no two students are alike. Practically speaking, it’s holding a student accountable for planning, check-ins, repetition and reminders and helping them build self-efficacy. There’s a lot of reflection in the process, as well as co-creating next steps and goals moving forward. Over time this results in new habits and cognitive pathways.
J: Oh, reflection sounds interesting. I know that’s an important part of developing new skills or internalizing any new knowledge. How do you facilitate reflection, what is that process like?
R: There’s a common saying, “We learn from our experiences”. Instead, I believe we learn from reflecting on our experiences. The actual event (or non-event) teaches us nothing unless we can make judgements and assessments on what happened, what the impact may be, and what we will do differently next time. Students find it incredibly helpful to have a Coach to facilitate that conversation, get feedback, predict outcomes, and make decisions about how they can progress in their growth and development. Often I will rely on counseling techniques like open-ended questioning, reframing, as well as challenging the student’s assumptions. This process is eye opening and through it, students can gain wonderful insights into the inner workings of their own brains
J: So, I’ll be honest, as someone who struggled with ADD as a child, I know that poor planning, and execution can have a broader impact on our wellbeing and livelihood than simply missing assignments or doing poorly on a test. As an executive function coach, how do you approach these co-occurring areas of concern?
R: My degree is in Counseling, so even though I don’t work with students clinically, I do rely a lot on that background and training. In my experience, it’s all about balance. Sometimes, the student’s environment is such that we can work on goal setting and long-term habits, but sometimes it’s more like crisis management and navigation, and getting done what needs to get done most immediately. We aim to minimize those scenarios, but life happens, and we can’t always predict how and what will affect us, which is why it’s so important as a Coach to be flexible and compassionate.
J: Flexibility, compassion, and balance sounds like a good recipe to me. When I look at executive functioning coaching and services, I always see things like self-monitoring, attentional control, emotional regulation, and task initiation. These are huge, important internal skills! How do you help someone build these sorts of skills?
R: I like to ask students what environments or situations have allowed them to be successful in the past. I take a strengths-based approach to working with students, not that weaknesses don’t matter. We acknowledge the weaknesses, but then capitalize on the student’s strengths in order to help them overcome challenge. A lot of it is growth mindset and helping the student gain confidence and learn that it’s never too late to grow and learn. Sometimes it is helping them with practical and tangible tools, specific calendars, or ways of breaking tasks down, or evidence-based learning strategies, engaging in reflection and metacognitive awareness.
J: Are there any books that you recommend related to executive functioning?
R: Yes, I recommend:
Smart but Scattered by Peg Dawson and Richard Guare
Choke by Peter C. Brown
Mindset by Carol Dweck
Understanding how we Learn by Weinstein and Sumeracki
Make it Stick by Brown, Roediger III, and McDaniel
J: Okay, now that we’ve gotten the serious stuff out of the way, who’s your favorite actor, one fun fact about you, and what are some things you like to do in your free time that help with stress relief?
R: I love Tom Hanks, I enjoy painting and doing pen and ink drawings, and my favorite candy is KitKats.
J: That’s awesome, haha. Tom Hanks is legitimately the best. Thanks for talking with me today Reece!
R: Likewise! Thanks, James.