Tomorrow, September 15, Louise Evans will be introducing the Five Chairs method in Malta. During the event, organised by Quad Consultancy, Evans, a transformational coach and expert in behavioural intelligence, will explain how the Five Chairs method can act as a transformational tool that forces us to examine our behaviours in every moment and consciously choose our more productive behaviours over the toxic ones.

The Five Chairs method is described as a transformational tool that helps people be more productive and fulfilled - how does it work?

The 5 Chairs is a kind of behavioural road map designed to help us become more aware of how our attitudes and behaviours are having an impact in the world in all our interactions. As humans, we all have tendencies to revert to unhelpful, unproductive or defensive behaviors, especially when we’re under stress. We all do and say things we regret and this often has a negative impact on our relationships, causing us personal unhappiness.

I designed the 5 Chairs to help us reduce these acts of self-sabotage to a minimum and encourage us to make new choices about we show up in our lives. The method consists of 5 chairs, each with its own colour,  name, animal metaphor, symbolic object and set of human behaviours. These are the red Jackal chair, the yellow Hedgehog chair, the green Meerkat chair, the blue Dolphin chair and the violet Giraffe chair. They act as a mirror to our daily attitudes and behaviours, a sort of compass guiding us towards greater self-awareness and understanding, helping us choose more positive and virtuous behaviours over less productive and unhelpful ones.

I designed the 5 Chairs to help us reduce these acts of self-sabotage- Louise Evans

The Chairs help us closely observe ourselves in the act of living and recognise our  behavioural tendencies in the moment. We then become more skilled at choosing reactions which are more appropriate and enrichening for both ourselves and the people in our lives 

So the Chairs invite us constantly to ask one question. 'Who do I want to be?' Simple as it might appear, this one question deeply defines both our personal and professional success. We can either lift people up by respecting, valuing and  appreciatng them or we can hold them back by disregarding, offending or hurting them. The choice is ours and we can all be more mindful here. 

The method seems to put the full onus of behaviour on the individual - and yet behaviour is also influenced by peers, society and the environment. How does a person assume 'full control'?

Imagining we can assume ‘full control’ of our behaviours is utopic. We’re so heavily influenced not only by our cultural, professional and family contexts but also by our daily instinctive, and often misguided, amygdala hijack reactions which, though designed to keep us ‘safe’ from outside threats often lead us to exaggerated reactions in our daily conversations. We can however aspire to ‘more’ control of our behaviours, which is indeed a noble and worthwhile task if somewhat arduous and not for the faint-hearted! 

This is where the 5 Chairs can come into play by helping us  be much more ‘conscious' of the surrounding influences are directly effecting ur behaviours. All this, however, requires an enormous amount of self-awareness, self-motivation, self-discipline and patience as well as determination and dedication in the long term. Reprogramming entrenched negative behavioural patterns or learning new ones is no mean feat. But it is certainly possible. I personally was consumed by jealously and possessiveness as a result of a dysfunctional relationship with my mother and my resulting behaviours and attitudes were seriously holding me back in life. It took me many years to free myself from this psychology ‘prison’. Behavioural change is a personal choice and requires determination, dedication and practice, but like so many other life skills it is definitely achievable. I designed the 5 Chairs to  help speed up this process! 

Is this method effective mostly on a professional level - or can it also be used at home?

I initially experimented with the 5 Chairs methodology in international organisations where I work as a coach and facilitator. For 10 years I tested it out across different cultures, industries, hierarchies and generations, with great success. The method is simple, accessible and memorable and the feedback usually consists of people saying they enjoy more self-awareness and self-agency and ultimately more self-confidence.  

I was more recently contacted by different representatives of the educational world requesting to test it out in schools. This has now become a project very dear to my heart and we are increasingly touching the lives of children, especially between the ages of four and 14. Their response to the methodology has been astounding. They immediately connect to the animal metaphors and very quickly learn to express their inner feelings and needs. By working with teachers, students and parents we are now beginning to touch whole communities. 

The Five Chairs method also works towards more effective communication. In a world that is very loud with constant messages, how critical is this? 

Part of the mission of the 5 Chairs is to promote conscious communication, which now, more than ever, is critical. Our cohort is so bombarded and overwhelmed  with information of all types and forms that it’s easy to slip into complacent and unthoughtful speech and action. Incivility has a huge cost in our society and is very contagious. It’s a real challenge to manage our daily input  of information without becoming numbed down by all the constant ‘loud’ messaging and unfortunately critical thinking is still not a core skill on school syllabi. One of the central missions of the 5 chairs methodology is to promote Nonviolent Communication, the powerful work of the late Marshall Rosenberg, where we learn to transform our thinking from ‘what is wrong’ with people to asking 'what are their needs?’ The 5 Chairs invite us to shift our communication style from judgment and criticism to curiosity and empathy based on the negotiation of each others needs.

How do you think the Five Chairs model will impact your local audience?

In many ways I feel very connected to Malta in that I share some important historical touch points. I’m British born, have been living in Italy since 1986 and my husband is Arabic, from Palestine! I love the culture mix which is quintessentially Maltese and thoroughly look forward to sharing the 5 Chairs and experiencing the reaction to them.