Welcome to The Green Chair Conversations!
A few months ago, a former student and I were talking when she mentioned how much she missed the talks we used to have with her flopped in the big green chair in my office. That chair was famous around campus. I had inherited it from another professor when she left to pursue other goals, and it has since been passed on to another professor for new generations of students to enjoy.
I don’t think the picture really does it justice, but it definitely shows how green it is… It’s a bit squashier than it appears in the picture and was great for lounging and getting comfy for a chat. That chair saw countless student’s lives, laughter, confessions, apologies, and tears.
There were serious discussions of Dr. Who, Star Wars, and World of Warcraft right along with hours of advising, mentoring, and Q&A about all things Comparative Politics, International Relations, research, and academic writing.
Many a conversation about grad school and law school letters of recommendation took place in that chair, as did academic advising, mentoring, and career counseling. But it wasn’t always “business”. Like anyone else, students have lives, and all too often their personal challenges threatened to derail their education, and the chair saw those conversations as well.
After talking to my former student a few months ago, I was reminded of the magic of that green chair and what it represented. It was a safe place to seek help, whether personal or academic. It was a place where students knew they had my undivided attention or where I would leave them to sit quietly if that’s what they needed.
The chair was a place to hold space in whatever way was needed and helped create a comfortable place from which effective and authentic communication could occur.
That chair was magic.
When I refocused my coaching on communication, both with others and Self, I was thinking about restarting my blog and wanted it to reflect that focus. Being reminded of the green chair came at the perfect time. Funny how twice now it is my relationship with former students that has provided me with inspiration for my business…
The idea of the green chair, and what it represented for my students, is exactly what I want to achieve with my clients: the comfortable space where they can come to be heard, be coached on what concerns them, and when appropriate, use my expertise to learn tips and techniques that will help them navigate the interpersonal or intrapersonal issue at hand.
I believe we should all have that safe and helpful Green Chair place in our lives, and this blog is one expression of that.
Welcome!
