Coaching

How to set clients coaching “homework”

14 June 2018 in Coaching tagged action / clients / coaching / coaching assignments / coaching homework / coaching structure

How do you set your clients coaching homework?

How to set clients coaching homework

by Jen Waller

Clients taking some form of action after a coaching session is an expectation that most coaches and clients have about the process of coaching. Often this action, the coaching homework, has been agreed during the coaching session itself between the coach and the client.

Sometimes this action is suggested directly by the client and on other occasions it is the coach that sets the “homework”.

A question I see and hear from time to time is a variation of the question – how do you know what coaching homework to set your clients?

In today’s post I’m going to share some thoughts around this topic. Firstly, I’m going to draw attention to language and specifically the word “homework”. Some clients will be absolutely fine with using this terminology without it having any impact. For others, for whatever reason, you may find that referring to something as “homework” has negative connections and provokes resistance and reluctance towards the task.

You will know your niche and client best so you can decide if you wish to label these tasks with a different label or not use any at all. Purely for the ease of consistency I am going to use the label “homework” for this article. In “real life” coaching I personally usually tend towards using the labels assignment or actions.

As a coach there are usually 3 different ways of working with clients and setting coaching homework.

1) Following a set format for every single client
There are some coaches who follow the same process for each and every single one of their clients. They work on a principle that if it is session 2 then their client gets set coaching homework B. This can be particularly common if the context that the coaching is occurring within is not bespoke – for example following an online coaching program or in some group coaching situations.

2) Another way of working is to look at where each individual client is, what they are working on, and set a bespoke piece of homework just for that individual.

3) A third way is a mix of 1) and 2) above. You may have certain pieces of coaching homework that each and every client will be set and others that you will create which is bespoke just for them.

Perhaps you always set a specific piece of coaching homework between the initial conversation and the first official coaching session. After which all other homework is crafted just for that client.

Or maybe you have collected a series of possible coaching homework exercises that you have at your fingertips depending upon what you feel is appropriate for that client in that stage.

I’m sure that if you were to think about each approach you could see positive and negative points for each. You may already be aware of points from a marketing perspective, others from a customer service viewpoint etc. As always, my own personal opinion is that if whichever approach that you are using works for you and your clients than that is great!

But regardless of which approach you are using how do you create a piece of coaching homework?

I’ve already mentioned one approach I often use – I ask the client if there’s anything that’s already occurred to them. I do this for several reasons:

1) My approach to coaching allows clients to access their own inner knowledge and intelligence. So it’s entirely possible that they will already have a perfectly crafted action that will be ideally suited for this situation.

2) The chances are that if it’s occurred to them that they will go and take the action anyway. I want to check in and make sure that it’s an action that is in-line with what they are looking to achieve.

This can be particularly relevant if during the coaching conversation it’s become obvious that previously action has been taken based on a limiting belief, faulty piece of logic etc. I want to test and make sure that they are not then making the same “mistake” in a slightly different context

3) I am conscious of avoiding overwhelming clients with actions. The amount will usually vary depending upon the client but as a general rule my clients achieve more when they are not overwhelmed with tasks.

So how do I decide upon the coaching homework to set. If I’m honest my thought process is usually no more complicated than it’s what occurs to me given the session we’ve just completed. I’m also aware that such an answer would have been of little use when I was just starting out so let me offer some more.

Much of what I set as coaching homework is based around what the answers are to certain questions. The answers to those questions aid me to decide what exercise, task etc will be a great fit or to devise something on the spot that is a match.

Whilst this is not an exhaustive list, here are some of the aspects and questions to consider:

What is currently getting in the way of this client getting what they want?

What outcome do you want by setting this coaching homework? How will you know that outcome has been achieved?

What would move your client a step closer to what they want?

What’s going to make the biggest difference for your client?

What’s the easiest way for that outcome to be achieved?

What’s the most fun way to work towards that outcome?

What is going to appeal most to your client?

How willing is your client to do the suggested coaching homework?

Some of these questions I will already know the answer to based upon earlier work. Other questions I may ask the client whilst “setting the homework”.

It’s also worth noting at this stage that sometimes the coaching homework is actually not to do something – For example, taking a break from trying to figure something out can be a perfect “homework” in certain scenarios.

I invite you to pay attention to the questions you consider next time you set a client coaching homework. Feel free to share more questions and comment below…

About Jen Waller

Jen Waller is on a mission to support, nurture and encourage coaching skills and talents from non-coach to coach and beyond.

As an experienced coach and trainer Jen is happy to utilise all skills at her disposal to assist clients from getting out of their own way and making a difference in the world with their coaching. One of the aspects of her role Jen loves the most is seeing individuals find their voice, grow their confidence and take the next steps. This allows them to make a massive positive impact and difference with their coaching. (For more info about Jen’s coaching click here, including the From non-coach to coach discovery session) Jen has owned and run Coaching Confidence, the coaching blog since 2010.

In her spare time Jen is a volunteer for the UK based charity The Cinnamon Trust. This charity supports elderly and terminally ill pet owners to provide care for their pets. As a volunteer, Jen regularly walks dogs for owners who physically often find that more challenging then they once did. As a pet owner herself, Jen finds it really rewarding to be able to assist an owner stay with an animal that has become part of the family. (Plus it’s a great additional motivator when working from home to get out and get some fresh air and exercise)

Jen also loves theatre and has been known to watch certain popular science fiction films and TV shows!

Powerful Coaching Questions

1 June 2018 in Coaching tagged coaching / impact / powerful questions / questions

The image for the post powerful coaching questions is a red question mark. The square "dot" part on the bottom of the question mark has a smiling facing. It also has two legs and two arms held in a flexing biceps pose.

Powerful coaching questions

by Jen Waller

When readers sign up to get the weekly blog recap email there’s the option to share what they would like to read more about. The topic of questions is something that gets a mention – which is why if you browse through previous posts you’ll find posts such as: Questions, Questions, Questions, How to ask hard questions, and guest posts such as Frederique Murphy’s 5 Questions To Ask When Silence Sets In

As coaches we use questions a lot. It’s one of our basic tools, a fundamental aspect of what most coaches understand coaching to involve. I know it can get a bit more complicated when it comes to certain types of coaching, for example with some sports coaching. But for the purposes of this post I’m going to talk about coaching that use questions as part of the core of their approach.

Given this post is called powerful coaching questions, let’s start with a couple of questions about powerful coaching questions. What makes a powerful coaching question and how do you know if a question is powerful?

What makes a powerful coaching question and how do you know if a question is powerful?

At a very simple level my initial answer to what makes a powerful coaching question is that it works for the client you’re working with at that moment. It is a question that opens up a new perspective and insight they hadn’t previously seen. It’s a question where the client suddenly finds an answer to something they’ve spent hours, days, months and even years pondering without success.

So how will you know if you’ve asked a powerful question? Your client will tell you – either directly or with their behaviour. If you get the chance to reflect on your own coaching what do you notice that tells you that a particular question has made an impact? Likewise if you get the chance to observe and listen to someone else coach, what did you notice then that told you that a question had made an impact?

I’ve seen and heard a variety of different responses that give an indication that a question has landed powerfully – from light hearted swearing at the coach as they realised something that now seemed so obvious through to complete quiet, focusing off into the distance as they get a new insight upon a situation.

And what’s it like to be on the end of such a question? My suggestion here is that if you’ve not experienced powerful coaching questions from the clients perspective and you’re looking to set up a coaching practice then go experience some powerful coaching. It can give you great insight not only into what you’re being coached around but it can also give you an understanding that will help you when you set up your own practice.

Personally, I’ve been on the receiving end of powerful questions and had a variety of responses on different occasions I’ve had a giggling fit at something that seemed such an obstacle moments before suddenly just seemed funny to look at as something that needed to be solved, I’ve also felt a complete fool at times for not seeing a now obvious answer sooner. Then there’s been the times where after a thought a light bulb moment happens. Not forgetting total disorientation and speechlessness as whole perceptions are shattered.

Those are just some examples of responses and I’m sure you’ll be able to think of others and very specific things that you notice. I’ll also take a moment to bring your attention to the different responses, next question, action etc that you think would be appropriate depending upon your clients reaction following a powerful question landing.

Crafting powerful coaching questions that are just for your client

So how do you craft a powerful coaching question that’s unique to your client? That answer will partly depend upon your own approach to coaching – I’ve seen powerful questions that have been asked because the coach has based it upon a specific coaching model or technique. For example, it may be a question that fits into one of the sections in the well known coaching models GROW or crafted based on the structure of a specific style of questioning.

It’s one that resonates with that person and how they saw and connected to the subject. This means that some really powerful questions can come from building upon previous question and answers. The previous answers allowing the question that “hits home” to be worded specifically and deliberately taking that clients language, beliefs, motivation, what they’ve not seen etc into consideration.

Then there’s questions which are based upon common traits, misunderstandings, limiting beliefs or stumbling blocks, etc. These may be worded specifically that just being human could be enough for it to resonate with you. Other times it may be something very specific you’ve noticed about your niche perhaps specific to the clients that are attracted to the way you work.

So for example,

If you won the lottery tomorrow, so money is no problem, what would you do?

Is a question that many can respond to as beliefs around money are fairly common, at least in the western world.

If you were really OK with not asking a powerful coaching question, what coaching questions would occur to you?

Is a question that whilst having a similar structure is tailored to a specific common underlying belief about what a coaching session with a “real” coach should be like (ie they potentially think that powerful coaching means every question hits home and every second of every session must be “perfect” for a client to get any value at all.)

Then there are the questions that seem to come out of no-where. The ones where you’re in the flow and the question seem to turn up fully formed. Now some will say this is down to experience and having mastered a skill so you no longer have to deeply consider forming a question and you’ve picked up on something without giving it much thought. Others will say that this is when “you” just gets out the way and something bigger is at work.

If you’ve experienced that for yourself I’m sure you’ll have your own theories about what is happening, your whole coaching approach may even be based upon your answer to this. I’m not going to say either way is right or wrong. What I will say is that I’ve personally learned to trust those questions that turn up so fully formed and it occurs to me to ask the question.

This is a topic which I’m sure will be revisited on the blog again but for now let me leave you with some questions:

What does powerful coaching mean to you?
How would you know if you were asking powerful questions? Would your answer be different if you coached via a different medium? ie face to face/ phone/ video call/ purely by email.
What questions do you think are powerful?
What question do you hope I don’t ask you now?
What action can you take now having spent some time considering questions?

Feel free to share your answers in the comment section below or if you’d prefer to share them privately just with myself email me

About Jen Waller

Jen Waller is on a mission to support, nurture and encourage coaching skills and talents from non-coach to coach and beyond.

As an experienced coach and trainer Jen is happy to utilise all skills at her disposal to assist clients from getting out of their own way and making a difference in the world with their coaching. One of the aspects of her role Jen loves the most is seeing individuals find their voice, grow their confidence and take the next steps. This allows them to make a massive positive impact and difference with their coaching. (For more info about Jen’s coaching click here) Jen has owned and run Coaching Confidence, the coaching blog since 2010.

Jen also loves theatre and has been known to watch certain popular science fiction films and TV shows!

As a coach – how do you prepare for a coaching session?

24 May 2018 in Coaching tagged coaches / coaching / coaching session / phone coaching / pre-session / preparation

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Back in 2010 I wrote a post all about preparing for a coaching session as a coach. It’s a post that I’ve noticed has continually got a steady stream of traffic so I thought it was time to revisit the question.

Looking back I can see that how I prepare for a coaching session has altered over time. I mention this not because I think any one method is “the way” but purely to introduce the idea that you are allowed to evolve your own style and routine over time. I’m a big believer in finding the way that best works for you and your clients.

When I originally wrote the post I had been reminded of a question the group was asked on a coaching course I had attended many years previously. The question was a version of “As a coach, how do you prepare for a coaching session?”

There were a number of individuals in the room with varying amounts of coaching experience in different contexts both face-to-face and via the phone. This resulted in a number of different answers as several coaches shared routines that they always performed.

I’ve grouped the answers under a number of different headings below and included some thoughts and examples about how these have altered for me personally over time.

• Activities to ensure the coach is physical comfortable throughout the session.

Sometimes this involved the physical set up of the room/phone area e.g. making sure that tissues and a drink are within easy reach. Although I’ve a cough/mute button on my phone set up so I don’t deafen my client if I feel a sneeze or cough coming unexpectedly during a phone call the tissues and water are a must for me.

Other things meant ensuring that basic needs such as needing to go to the toilet or hunger would not cause a distraction during the session.

For me this has been pretty consistent over my years coaching. It just seems easier and I build time in between sessions to ensure a comfort break can be taken if needed. Plus it’s time that can be really useful to have time if there’s something I need to follow up on immediately.

• Checks to ensure that the client is physically comfortable throughout the session

This normally applied to face-to-face coaching sessions. While tissues and refreshments were mentioned by some, the physical layout of the room was the thing most often checked. Thought and consideration appeared to be made to how seats were being arranged and the possibility for the need of a table etc.

Most of my coaching takes place via phone or Skype calls. This means I have little control over the room set up my client is using. I do include suggestions in my welcome pack about being comfortable, making it as easy as possible to focus and avoiding distractions.

I usually also ask at the start of each call “Is now still a good time to talk?” This is deliberate, firstly because if someone has been delayed and is stuck on a train etc it’s much easier to deal with that situation before the signal drops as they go through a tunnel etc. (It doesn’t happen often but sometimes the unexpected and unplanned for happens) Mainly however, it’s a question I find helps clients to transition from an already potentially hectic day to a time that’s just for them to focus and slow down.

• Checks that the coach had everything they expected to use.

Commonly this included being able to see a clock to monitor the time, paper & pen and a diary to schedule the next session. Specific “worksheets” or other books or equipment were also mentioned if a coach planned a specific activity or share a specific quote.

Over time I find I’ve personally needed less and less. Partly this is due to technology calendars, clocks, timers etc are now all available easily with a swipe of a finger on a phone etc. (I’ll return to mention phones later)

I still have a pen and paper to make notes but where when I was first starting I’d often have worksheets handy that’s changed. I may design a bespoke exercise in that moment to work with a specific client based upon the conversation so far but I can’t remember the last time I used a worksheet with a client. (Again this is just my style and I mention purely to emphasis that you are allowed to change how you work – so if you’re thinking you need to get it perfect immediately don’t put yourself under that pressure, allow yourself to experiment and evolve your own way)

• Time specifically set aside to review any previous sessions and any coaching preparation the client had already provided the coach with prior to the start of the session

Different coaches gave different reasons for what they reviewed. Some liked to have a reminder of what the client had committed to during the last session. Some coaches wanted a general reminder of the session to ensure continuity from where the last session finished.

Others were more focused on any preparation they had been sent because the way they worked concentrated upon where a client is in that moment – rather than where they were at the last session.

When I first started out I used to only feel prepared if I had lists of questions to ask connected to either the last session or any pre-session material I’d been sent. In reality I seldom actually asked any of those questions during the session. Often the client had already moved on and those were no longer relevant. Alternatively, I found that the questions I imagined asking were actually not relevant as soon as we started exploring a topic. I may have been making up what a client would answer to predict the next question but in reality the client had their own answers!

Now I will read the pre-session material I’m sent but where as in the past I saw it partly as a chance to help me prepare. Now I usually only see it as a way for a client to prepare. Just as I used to have imaginary coaching conversations with clients before a session I find clients pre-session material can trigger similar imaginary coaching conversations for themselves. So that by the time it comes to our actual session they’ve already potentially had a new insight and we can focus on something else instead. I’ll also quickly check on agreed upon actions in case that’s something that I need to highlight (accountability is something that some clients love to use)

• Something based around energy or ensuring that the coach was in the “right” state to coach.

The answers in that group training was often something personal. For some it involved doing something energetically, others chose to meditate or listen to a particular piece of music. Others had other rituals that they choose to perform.

Over the years I’ve had lots of different rituals. I’ve deliberately triggered energised states or deeply focused states. I’ve meditated or used various self-hypnosis techniques.

At the time of writing the original post I loved asking myself the question

“what can I do to ensure that I show up brilliantly?”

As one lovely coach commented in the first post, it’s a great question to encourage you to define what showing up brilliantly actually means for you. My current style is much more relaxed and trusting that there’s not as much I need to do.

Whilst I didn’t include this heading in the original post I’m going to add a new one:

• Anticipating and avoiding interruptions and distractions

I’ve already mentioned that I encourage clients to avoid distractions. There’s certain things I do to ensure the same applies at my end of the conversation. Switching phones to silent/aeroplane mode is one thing.

If you are working from home and share the house with other family members you’ll find your own way to make sure you are not disturbed. Personally I shut my office door and because that’s not always obvious from the stairs (it’s at the end of a corridor) I also have a lamp that I switch on that’s reflected in a mirror make it much more obvious that I’m not going to answer any bellowed questions no matter how loud they shout.

I also generally have to move a cat from my office before a call. This is a step I included very early after my cat at the time got annoyed I wasn’t paying her attention, walked across the phone keyboard and hung up on one of my very first practice clients! (Luckily the client was a cat owner themselves and found it very funny – I was mortified at the time!)

There is always going to be the potential for certain unexpected disruptions. If a fire alarm starts going off, for example, then you need to ensure your own safety. However, I suggest if you can plan to avoid them it’s easier. It’s also worth mentioning that for some clients avoidable disruptions are not acceptable.

The message I left that particular part of the training with was that it was important to create a pre-coaching routine. I’ve no idea if that was the intention of the trainer on that particular day or not but it was what I personally took away.

Although my routine has altered in length and content over time I still deliberately build certain aspects into my schedule to allow for a routine prior to a coaching session.

Do you have anything specific you do before a coaching session?
Perhaps there’s something that has occurred to you whilst reading this post.

Feel free to share your answers and comments below.

About Jen Waller

Jen Waller is on a mission to support, nurture and encourage coaching skills and talents from non-coach to coach and beyond.

As an experienced coach and trainer Jen is happy to utilise all skills at her disposal to assist clients from getting out of their own way and making a difference in the world with their coaching. One of the aspects of her role Jen loves the most is seeing individuals find their voice, grow their confidence and take the next steps. This allows them to make a massive positive impact and difference with their coaching. (For more info about Jen’s coaching click here) Jen has owned and run Coaching Confidence, the coaching blog since 2010.

Jen also loves theatre and has been known to watch certain popular science fiction films and TV shows!

When to start charging for your coaching?

17 May 2018 in Coaching tagged business / charging / coaching / coaching practice / money

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When to start charging for your coaching?

by Jen Waller

“How do I know when to start charging for my coaching?” is a question I’ve seen many new coaches ask. I certainly remember asking myself questions about when to start charging and several people had an opinion and very different approaches.

You may be wanting this post to give a definitive answer that on week x or after y clients and if so I’m sorry this isn’t one of those posts. While I’m not going to tell you what you should do I am going to share some different approaches and you can decide which appeals to you.

You may even notice that you have been trying one approach and it hasn’t been working for you.

I use the word exchange a lot in this article. That is deliberate because you are exchanging your service for an agreed payment of some kind.

All sorts of beliefs, values and fears can get in the way of a coach charging. I will also offer the perspective that what you ask for in exchange for your service can be changed.

So in no particular order here are some approaches you can use when approaching deciding when to start charging for your coaching:

Coaching provides value. It is your duty as a coach to communicate that value by ALWAYS asking for an exchange of money.

I have no doubt that this school of thought is said with all the best intentions in the world. They already see the value that you can bring to your clients. However, I’ve also seen it be a belief that has stopped coaches from practicing because they didn’t feel ready to charge. The end result being is that they don’t do any coaching so are not bringing any value to anyone.

If you are happy this approach you may choose to start charging right from the word go. Your clients will soon let you know if they are not happy with what you are asking for in exchange. 🙂

Coach as many people as you can, regardless of if there is an exchange of money or not. Anybody who will agree – from the person who delivers your post to old school friends. Take the opportunity to get lots of experience.

This approach works particularly well if you are willing to notice the difference your service makes for your clients. While, it may take some longer than others, you will start to see the value that you bring – something that makes agreeing an exchange of money for your service a lot easier. The thinking behind this approach is that at some stage, providing you’ve been noticing the value your coaching provides, it becomes obvious that it’s time to start charging.

Invite your client to pay you what they feel the value that your work has provided.

Some people feel that this avoids making a “difficult” request for money and provides them with an incentive to do superior work. You may also choose to use that method of exchange if you feel that your client is cash poor.

This will depend upon your style but some clients may feel awkward with this request whilst some will love that approach. Often the coach is surprised by the amount a client chooses.

Invite your client to exchange your coaching for some other form of payment other than money.

In effect this is like a bartering system. For example, perhaps you will agree to work with a website designer to create a site for you in exchange for coaching.

If you choose to use this system then you will make it easier if both of you agree in advance what will be provided by both of you.

Exchanging your coaching for an agreed donation to a charity of your choice.

Many who start with this approach use it as a stepping-stone to being comfortable accepting a payment themselves. They find that they can practice asking for a payment in the comfort that a charity who’s work they believe in will benefit.

Exchange your coaching for honest feedback

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard coaches share how they were surprised about how a client has found the experience of working with the coach and the value gained. With the permission of the client you can also use these as testimonials.

This can also give you an idea of how a non-coach would describe working with you. This can be important if you decide to work with individuals/groups who are not coaches/ familiar with the jargon and terminology coaches use.

Make an agreement that your client will “pay it forward” by donating their time and/skills etc to someone else.

Again this is often a gentle approach that some like to take to get comfortable asking for an exchange for the service they provide, before moving onto asking that exchange involve money.

Wait until a set time/event has happened

This normally takes the form of not charging until qualified or attended a particular course.

Sometimes this particular approach has a moving goal post, for example, I’ll charge once I have done the first training weekend becomes, I’ll charge once I am qualified which then becomes I’ll charge when I’ve worked with x number of clients or when I’ve done another course etc.

If this is the approach you are using I strongly encourage you to be aware of if you have moved the goal post.

Wait until your coaching provides x value to clients

Now this is an approach which I hear from a lot of coaches who’ve got stuck. Generally the aspect that trips people up with this approach is one of two things. Either they do not actually define what the “x value” actually means and it becomes this constantly moving goal post in their own minds that they’re never going to achieve. Alternatively they aren’t checking with their clients what value they are getting from the coaching.

I’ve seen all these approaches work for different coaches and I’ve seen some of the approaches trip other coaches up until they changed to a different approach. I believe that this does not have to be a one size fits all approach – I believe a more pragmatic answer is it’s the approach that works for you, and your clients, that’s the right one for you. There’s certainty nothing stopping you from incorporating more than one of these approaches and modifying it so it fits more with your style.

How much to charge is a question to be answered on another occasion but I invite you to begin to see the value that you provide your clients because when you see that when to charge and how much to charge becomes much easier to answer.

Have I missed an approach? Want to share which way you used, or the option that appeals most to you? Fill in the reply box below and click submit comment.

About Jen Waller

Jen Waller is on a mission to support, nurture and encourage coaching skills and talents from non-coach to coach and beyond.

As an experienced coach and trainer Jen is happy to utilise all skills at her disposal to assist clients from getting out of their own way and making a difference in the world with their coaching. One of the aspects of her role Jen loves the most is seeing individuals find their voice, grow their confidence and take the next steps so that they make a massive positive impact and difference with their coaching. Jen has owned and run Coaching Confidence, the coaching blog since 2010.

In her spare time Jen is a volunteer for the UK based charity The Cinnamon Trust who support elderly and terminally ill pet owners provide care for their pets. As a volunteer, Jen regularly walks dogs for owners who physically often find that more challenging then they once did. As a pet owner herself, Jen finds it really rewarding to be able to assist an owner stay with an animal that has become part of the family. (Plus it’s a great aditional motivator when working from home to get out and get some fresh air and exercise)

Jen also loves theatre and has been known to watch certain popular science fiction films and TV shows!

An interview about Coaching Confidence

14 December 2014 in blog posts / Coaching

An interview about Coaching Confidence

Last Thursday I was an invited guest over on coach Ruby McGuire’s site “Be the coach you dream to be.” She interviewed me on the subject of coaching and confidence.

In the interview I shared some thoughts including:

How putting off starting your coaching can affect your confidence,
3 tips when working on your confidence,
and Common mistakes made when working on developing your coaching confidence.

You can read all the interview by clicking here .

About the Author

Jen Waller is on a mission to support, nurture and encourage coaching skills and talents from non-coach to coach and beyond.

She has created a free 7 day e-course about how to create your own unique coaching welcome pack that works for you and your clients. Get your copy here.

What has Shakespeare got to do with coaching?

2 May 2012 in Coaching tagged business coach / business coaching / career coaching / coach / coaches / coaching / coaching content / coaching courses / coaching qualifications / coaching session / coaching skills / coaching techniques / executive coach / expectations and needs / Greg Doran / John Barton / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / performance coaching / personal development / resource / RSC / shakespeare

This was originally published as a bonus article in the Coaching Confidence weekly email during June 2011. To start getting your very own copy each week enter your details under “Don’t miss a thing!” to the right of this page.

What has Shakespeare got to do with coaching?

The catalyst for last weeks post was observing a workshop that the Royal Shakespeare Company “Head of Voice” Cicely Berry ran. It was a piece based around what we can learn about best practice in other fields and including a few coaching questions. If you missed it you can read it here.

This weeks message will continue with that theme as I also observed a second workshop ran by two top directors working with a group of actors on a particular speech.

You’ll notice that there are coaching questions to consider throughout the piece. Feel free to play with those questions and I invite you to notice which one makes the most difference for you.

Greg Doran is currently Chief Associate Director with the RSC and has been described as “one of the great Shakespearians of his generation.”

John Barton co-founded the RSC 50 years ago and possesses an encyclopaedic knowledge of Shakespeare and is known to be able to identify one of his plays from a single line of text. With such a background of experience and knowledge he shared his perspective about how things have changed.

One of the things he mentioned is that “Now what I do is different to what I did then …Then the basic needs were different.”

The experience of actors and the expectations of the audience not being the same is probably not a surprise when you consider that half a century has passed since the RSC began. If you have a coaching business you may be aware that your dream clients expectations and what they see their needs as being have changed over time.

That may be that you find that potential clients over time approach you with different requirements. It may also be that an individual client, if asked, will say something different at the start as compared with at the end of you working together about what was important to them about your work.

A coaching question to consider: When was the last time you checked what your dream clients expectations and needs are?

In the workshop the actors all had the speech that they were working on, in their hand, printed on paper. One of the pieces of advice that the actors were given was not to read straight from the text and worry about getting the words exact immediately. They were invited to share with audience until that happens. The focus was ”not how to speak the verse but how to make the audience listen”.

A coaching question to consider: What else can you do to make a potential client listen?

If you were to draw connections between the last two points you may say that being aware of when things change allows flexibility in approaches and communication to reflect where someone is now.

As a coach you may be aware of a benefit that your clients value above all else at the need of your work together, however, if that’s not something that they rate as important as a potential client you are likely to struggle to attract their attention initially.

One of the changes that John Barton talked about was that 50 years ago actors had far more experience of working with Shakespeare’s texts in rep theatre etc prior to working with the RSC. This has also brought a change in attitude in those who he works with – “Now actors are perfectly prepared to turn up, knowing nothing, plunge in and find out.”

One of the things that many talk about that you can get from coaching is new insights – which can be thought about as a new thought or perspective not previously seen. As a coach I love when clients are happy to plunge into a conversation and find out what happens.

A coaching question to consider: If you were to let yourself” plunge into a topic and find out,” what would you do differently?

I loved watching two different directors at work with the same group to see each reaction and hear the comments that they made at specific points.

Both directors explained that they had similar approaches about how they work. John Barton said “You do a bit, then I react and pick out what I think will be the most useful for you at this moment.” Whilst Greg Doran said that he was only going to give a “Small nudge [as I] don’t want to say more then I have to, to get you going.” Asking himself “What can I say that’s minimal that will allow them to take off?”

This means that the responses and comments are different for different actors.

Why do I mention this in this piece? I don’t know about you but when I coach one of the questions I’m considering is a variation of “what is going to make the biggest difference at this moment?” And “what is the nudge that is going to get this person going?”

A coaching question to consider: What is the one thing that is going to make the biggest difference for you?

As part of a discussion about the words in the text that the actors were working on they were told, “Words themselves have a life of their own” providing a “series of clues and opportunities, that as long as you know how to read, you can then make it your own.”

As a coach you may be aware that in a coaching conversation sometimes it is certain words that prompts you to ask a particular question. Sometimes it may be a specific statement but other times it may be a clue that suggests a belief or perception that is hindering a client.

One of the things that I can see new coaches hunt for is the “right question” to ask in a specific circumstance. I’ve come to see, over time, that there is often more than one question that can be asked. It’s picking up on the clues and opportunities that allow you to develop your own coaching style that makes a difference for your clients.

There were many, many other areas I could discuss prompted by the examples and comments I saw and heard in that session and the one I wrote about last week. However, if I did this would turn into a piece as long as a Shakespearean play!

So before I go I wanted to share one last thing. That workshop had individuals with a wide range of RSC experience involved – ranging from 50 years to those who had only just joined. They all agreed that the great thing about RSC is “the other stuff that goes on” – it’s a learning environment.

To put this into context; the RSC has some of the best in their fields working for them – to my knowledge, an actor can only audition if they are specifically invited. Yet they are continually asking questions and it’s “impressed on that [we] don’t know it all.” They “encourage you to ask questions and to explore” which was credited with inspiring “investment from the company.”

I invite you to ask questions and explore more this week and see the difference that focus has for you.

Love

Jen

About the Author

Jen Waller is on a mission to support, nurture and encourage coaching skills and talents from non-coach to coach and beyond.

She has created a free 7 day e-course about how to create your own unique coaching welcome pack that works for you and your clients. Get your copy here.

Second World Business & Executive Coaching Summit Pre-series

25 April 2012 in Coaching / live event / Resource / site news / websites

Before you missed the complimentary Pre-Summit series I wanted to draw your attention to a global conference that aspires to raise the bar for coaching professionals.

The Pre-Summit series, May 1-31, 2012, offers a complimentary opportunity to sample the sessions of the full Summit before registering. (The full Summit runs June 14-29, 2012.) For more details visit here.

A selection of the 25 luminaries presenting include:

Dr. Marshall Goldsmith – voted the world’s #1 leadership thinker by Harvard Business Review;
Sir John Whitmore – the pre-eminent thinker in leadership and organisational change;
Prof. Vijay Govindarajan – voted the world’s #1 strategic thinker by Harvard Business Review;
Verne Harnish – named one of the “Top 10 Minds in Small Business” by Fortune magazine;

The skills, topics and strategies attendees can expect to learn about include:

highly effective coaching,
sales,
niche leadership,
creation of complimentary products and multiple income streams,
client retention,
intellectual property,
social media,
networking and much more.

This will be the second year that the conference takes place, with 7000 coaches from 129 countries participating via easy-to-use webinar technology. The aim is to deliver “sales-pitch-free, rich content to live audiences” allowing questions to be asked of presenters real-time and interaction with other attendees.

It’s a great opportunity to get exposure and experience different coaches and trainers styles, knowledge and expertise. Click here to register for the Pre-Summit series.

What can we learn from best practice in other fields? 1

23 April 2012 in Coaching / General life improvement tagged business coach / business coaching / career coaching / Cicely Berry / coach / coaches / coaching / coaching content / coaching courses / coaching qualifications / coaching session / coaching skills / coaching techniques / executive coach / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / performance coaching / personal development / resource / RSC / The Royal Shakespeare Company / William Shakespeare

Although it’s a best guess, today is the day which is credited as being Shakespeare’s 448 birthday! So it seemed appropriate to publish this post today.

What can we learn from best practice in other fields?

Both this week’s Monday post and next week’s will focus on two workshops I have recently observed. Some of the following will specifically talk about a different industry with different job titles, yet I invite you to consider the points that you, as a coach, can take from this experience.

To help, I’ve added a few coaching questions to consider throughout this piece, however, feel free to ask your own coaching questions as they occur to you.

Last week I spent a delightful, if somewhat rainy, day in Stratford – Upon – Avon. The Royal Shakespeare Company (the RSC) was having an open day with various events scheduled throughout the day.

For those who are not aware of The RSC they are a theatre company who see their “job to connect people with Shakespeare and produce bold, ambitious work with living writers, actors and artists.”

The first workshop I watched was led by the RSC’s “Head of Voice” Cicely Berry. We were first treated to a bit of history about how in 1969 the RSC was the first theatre company in the UK to employ someone specifically to work with actors just for voice. It was felt that the training that the young actors were getting did not prepare them to “fill spaces.”

Being a new approach, Cicely Berry described how she was working on her feet, figuring out strategies and techniques as she went along.

She described how one of the issues she saw was that often actors lost connection with characters by conforming to what the director wanted.

Coaching is often discussed as being a “new field” and I do see some coaches figuring out new strategies and techniques as they go along – ones that work for themselves and their clients.

However, I also see some coaches who have lost connection with themselves – either because they are conforming to what a respected “expert” has wanted or by their own interpretation about who they “should” be as a coach.

A coaching question to consider: if you were working on your feet figuring out strategies and techniques as you went along, what would you be doing different?

As head of voice, Cicely Berry says “My job is to get them [the actors] free from their left hand side of the brain, understanding and really hearing it for themselves.”

A coaching question to consider: Are you aware as a coach what your role is working with your clients?

I know, personally I can have many different roles depending upon the client I am working with and where they are at any given moment. Certainly, as a coach one of the roles that I am aware that I do is to assist my client to hear their own inner wisdom – instead of listening to the stories and logical reasons they had been telling themselves.

As it was a workshop you probably won’t be surprised to hear that we also saw the actors participating in various exercises designed to emphasis various technical aspects.

One of these exercises was about recognising the beat and rhythm of a particular piece as the underlying rhythm gives incredible energy and makes it active.

A different exercise focused upon demonstrating that it Isn’t necessarily the volume you speak but reaching out with constinents etc that means you can be heard even in the back row of the auditorium.

A coaching question to consider: what else could you do to add incredible energy to something you are currently working upon?

Even though more mature in her years and walking with the use of a stick, she still got up during exercises to stand in the middle of the action. She made sure that she was monitoring what was happening and what each participant was doing. Often the exercises involved lots of movement and quick changes in direction. In the middle of this if any actor turned unexpectedly in her direction she just put a hand in front of her and stood her ground so they didn’t unintentionally bump into her.

A coaching question to consider: What more can you do to be more in the middle of the action?

As I watched I was aware that if we were to use labels that coaches would be familiar with there were numerous examples that we could use.

For example, after explaining an exercise she asked a variation of the question “Do you mind doing that?”

You may be familiar as a coach with checking someones willingness to an action. This phrasing not only does that but also being a closed question she was inviting a straight forward yes or no answer without any “story” associated with that.

At the end of each exercise the participants were asked, “What did you get from that?” giving them the opportunity to reflect and reinforce the learning from the exercise.

So my final coaching question to consider this week is: “What can you learn/take from this post?”