Coaching counting down to the metaverse

The world of coaching is always having to adapt to changing attitudes to technology. In years past that included things that are now commonplace like emails for communication, and most recently video coaching. It's my belief that coaches should keep on top of the biggest technology trends, in order to:

1. meet coachees where they are, rather than us giving a first impression of being out of touch, sabotaging rapport (I'll come back to that)
2. not get flummoxed when change is thrust upon us (the instant need to adopt video calling in 2020 essentially didn't impact some coaches, while the ones who in 2019 were insisting that coaching could only happen in person took much longer to adapt)

With that in mind, I thought I'd share a bit about perhaps the biggest major technology trend at the moment (although there are a few more that would be vying for that crown!): the metaverse.

Quickly: what is the metaverse?

In short, it's the interaction between digital content and the real world. For an extreme vision of this, watch the six-minute video Hyperreality. A less extreme example would be Google Lens, through which I've identified several butterflies in my garden much more rapidly than I ever did with my British Butterflies book as a child.

"The metaverse" is a conceptual term and is a bit unhelpful, because it sounds singular, like "the internet". But it's more like the term "social media": Facebook, LinkedIn and TikTok have some shared characteristics, but we understand they're different places. Metaverse technologies - at least for the foreseeable future - will be reliant on compatible hardware and software to work. Using, let's say, a virtual meeting space from Meta will require us to launch it separately from whatever else we're doing.

What's the current state of play?

The world of immersive technology is a tricky one to keep on top of because it's so active at the moment. The big players are busy for a start:

• Meta recently released a video showing a VR headset prototype that's "indistinguishable from reality".
• Apple released a tool without fanfare that maps even small rooms very accurately (yes, that Apple, the one with a proven track record of taking already established technology and suddenly making it mainstream. Like Bluetooth headphones, which have been around since 1999, yet which failed to be adopted by the masses until AirPods appeared).
• Xiaomi has a video announcing the launch of its extraordinarily subtle smart glasses: if you only watch one video from this article, watch this one.
• Microsoft and Magic Leap have announced smaller headsets to be released this year.

And it isn't just them. Lesser known providers are making noise as well, like Lumus with their glasses that wouldn't get a second glance in most public settings, Kat VR raising over $2 million for their VR treadmill, and many more.

What does this mean for coaching?

Like any new technology, there are push and pull factors that encourage us to adopt this. There are obvious potential advantages:

• We can shake hands again. Let's not understate the deep level of connection that brings - even the illusion of touch is powerful when our bodies can't really tell the difference.
• The lack of distractions while wearing a headset causes both coach and coachee to be more present.
• The act of embodying an avatar removes all the anxiety associated with seeing oneself on screen and wondering if the other person has noticed that stray hair, or mess in the background.
• The creativity stifled by our intense, unconscious addiction to unachievable eye contact is suddenly unlocked again, particularly where objects and painting tools are present in VR.
• The ability to change environments enables us to switch gears at a deep level that's impossible to recreate in person without travelling vast distances.
• The ability to move, changing perspectives for things like chair work, while still remaining together, makes a big difference.

We're not currently at a point where our coachees are insisting on us meeting them in VR, so the push isn't there quite yet. That time will likely come - I'm perhaps a step ahead of most, and I've had several people now ask to meet me in VR as their first preference.

Unarguably, the technology also has its downsides. There are currently no facial expressions. It's less accessible, both practically and financially. The act of presenting oneself behind an avatar might not be the most effective for coaching. But given the trajectory of things, I think coaches should be getting ready for the change to come.

It all comes down for me to rapport. Depending on whom I'm coaching, I'll meet them through a video platform of their choice, over the phone, in person, or - yes - in VR. The primary driver for that medium is what I think will help us work best together. There are more gimmicks with newer technology, but making a decision based on that would be unhelpful and morally wrong. We don't coach to play games but to change lives. A coachee who wants to meet with cameras on shouldn't feel held back by a coach who still hasn't figured out how to do that properly: to a certain extent, the trust will be negatively impacted. In the same way, a coachee who feels overwhelmed by the advanced technology of video shouldn't be forced to engage in VR.

What should coaches do?

Most coaches probably sit in the camp of not having tried VR yet. If you haven't tried meeting someone in VR, give it a go! The lowest cost entry would be turning your smartphone into a headset via a piece of Cardboard and connecting to the free app vTime XR, replicating the experience of 1990s chat rooms but by meeting as avatars. A better quality but more expensive option would be to pick up a proper VR headset - the best one for most would be the Meta Quest 2 - and explore some of the many vast worlds available for exploration. If you have a spare $22,500 lying around, why not use it to give the Galea a try (providing you don't mind waiting until late 2023 for shipping)?

And please, whether you're new to it or have been experimenting for several years, please do keep me up to date with your experiences and findings, so we can all learn together.

While I'm here...

I announced yesterday that preorders for my new book have just become available: click here. There are two chapters in there about VR so if this sort of thing interests you, why not order your copy today?