Holding Space: What it is & Why it Matters.

What is “holding space?” And why does it matter at work?

Holding space is being present with someone without judgement and acknowledging their emotional state while being mindful of your own. Each person has a unique experience shaped over the course of their lifetime. Even before we are born, research suggests we begin developing emotional responses in the womb connected to our mothers’ emotional states throughout the pregnancy - especially those related to stress hormones.

After we are born, our brains develop flexible neural pathways which account for 60% of the human brain and enable us to process and store information. These pathways largely contribute to who we are. They help us identify patterns (of observed behaviors, actions, objects, etc.) and construct beliefs (conscious and unconscious). Neurons fire in our brain when a situation arises in our present which is similar to an experience from our past. Take language, for example - if you speak 1 language (English, for example) and you hear another language you don’t understand (Swedish in this instance), you will know that Swedish is a language, but you won’t find meaning in it until you create new neural pathways to understand Swedish. This takes massive effort and intention.

While neural pathways are helpful and enable us to move through the world, at times, they can also hold us back. They are the root of unconscious biases and predicate how we unconsciously react to emotional triggers. Our unconscious reactions may negatively impact our ability to effectively collaborate and communicate at work.

The hard truth: negative behaviors (conscious or unconscious) are often the result of unprocessed/unacknowledged emotions. People react poorly when they feel unseen, unheard, or misunderstood.

The good news: because we are capable of learning a new language, we are also capable of changing our behaviors. We can learn new ways to respond to our emotional triggers and develop greater awareness of our unconscious biases. Like learning a new language, this takes great effort and intention, and starts with self-reflection.

Holding space is especially important in the workplace. Unconscious biases and negative behavioral patterns impact our ability to collaborate and communicate - directly and indirectly. Communication and collaboration impacts employee satisfaction, employee and customer retention, and company productivity and profitability. Holding space increases the collective happiness and psychological safety of workplace dynamics.

Curious how to more effectively hold space for others? Book a free 1:1 session!