What is coaching?
This week I thought I'd share a little about what coaching is as I realise I talk about it a lot but there are many definitions of what it is and misunderstandings of how it works.
In essence, I define coaching as the method by which I help a client to get from where and how they are now to where and how they’d like to be, far more effectively and quickly than the client would alone. My role is to support my clients in identifying and achieving their goals, helping them to learn in the process so they can apply their learning to other goals and other areas of life. It's a process to create lasting change and success.
How do I do this?
I ask my clients powerful questions to help them gain real clarity about what they want to be, do and have in all areas of their life. In doing so I help them to examine what their core values are so that they are sure that their desires are grounded in what is most important to them.
I help my client to examine what resources they have, internal and external to help them achieve their goal. And we examine the issues that may get in the way. Sometimes these issues are practical considerations or they could be limiting beliefs about themselves. We work on these to ensure that they do not become stumbling blocks to success.
I help my client to put together an action plan to reach the next step in achieving their goal and I provide on-going support in the form of accountability and helping them when they encounter obstacles. My one-to-one clients on my 12 week coaching programme have access to me between sessions via the voxer app and email.
I challenge my clients, with their permission, to examine their beliefs about themselves and their actions. I encourage them to create the life that they dream of. To be bold and take action.
I listen at a deep level – to the words being used, the tone of voice. I notice what isn’t been said and watch body language. It’s my job to notice. Often I hear things that the client doesn’t even realise she’s communicating. Sometimes it’s through the words used like the client who said “I’m not good enough” four times in ten minutes and had no idea that she’d said it at all, let alone that’s how she felt about herself. Sometimes it’s in the tone of voice. These are things we don’t notice ourselves. In reflecting back words used, the tone and asking more questions I help my clients get to a deeper understanding of themselves and their current situation.
You will notice that so far I've talked about asking questions. It's not my role as a coach to give you advice. The coaching relationship is about empowering you and my giving advice can be disempowering. My advice turns out to be great and you can tell yourself that you only succeeded because of my advice – disempowering. You take my advice and don’t succeed – well then you tell yourself it was the coach’s fault, not your own – again a disempowering belief.
Like many coaches I have a whole raft of tools that I use with my clients in addition to the powerful listening and questioning techniques. Sometimes my client and I work through one of these tools during a session. Other times I ask that the client completes the work before our next session so that we can discuss the outcomes.
What makes my coaching different?
As a confidence coach I focus particularly on helping my clients to build confidence, clarity and courage so that they can live the lives that light them up. I support my clients as they learn to trust themselves and their decisions, discerning the right path for them to create a life that is rich and fulfilling and makes them want to get out of bed excited to start the day.
If you would like to know more about how coaching could help you click here to read about working with me or here to book a complimentary pathway to possibility call.
