Coaching

How much is your coaching worth?

 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 / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / performance coaching / pricing / resource / value

The TV was on in a room I was in the other day and it was showing a daytime TV programme which involved 3 interior designers and antique experts each buying a house gift for a specific family. Each expert had a different monetary amount to spend buying their gift.

The family can only choose one gift to keep, which they do before finding out who brought the gift and how much that expert had to spend. As part of the show we got to see the families discussion about which gift was worth what price tag.

It was interesting to see what they valued in line with their lifestyle, personal preferences, tastes and needs. The value that the family was finding in each gift and their guess at a price tag was not in line with the actually amount that it cost.

So how does this apply to coaching? One of the things I often see coaches doing, particularly those just starting out, is deciding upon their price purely by looking at how much they want to charge per hour.

I’ve attended trainings in the past which taught that the way to decide upon your price is to decide upon the monthly/annual income you want from coaching and then the number of coaching sessions you want to carry out in that time. Dividing the financial amount you want by the number of coaching sessions gives you a price to charge per coaching session.

While this can be a useful piece of information to give an indication about the practicalities about the number of hours you want to be coaching for etc. I have to be honest, it’s not my preferred method of pricing a package.

There is lots that can be said about pricing and I want to focus primarily today on what value your coaching is worth. However, as I have mentioned the exercise above I wanted to briefly add an extra point. Interestingly, on the trainings I’ve seen this done there was no mention of being aware of what outgoings that you have in connection with your coaching. If you are planning on running a profitable coaching practice this information is useful to know!

However, as the family on the tv demonstrated with their house gifts, the “value is in the eye of the beholder.”

I invite you to consider the value that your coaching brings to your ideal clients, both emotionally, financially and practically. As well as what it costs them emotionally, financially and practically if they don’t choose to work with you.

Coaches Scary Coaching Stories

 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 / fear / Free resource / halloween / horror movies / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / performance coaching / personal development / potential / real people / resource / scary / start coaching

So Monday was October 31st, otherwise known as Halloween. A day associated with fancy dress, trick or treating and scary stories and films. Perhaps not a day you associate much with coaching!

One thing I’ve noticed with clients and myself, over the years, is that we can be exceptionally good at scaring ourselves – we can create all sorts of horror movies and stories within our own heads.

Sometimes the plot can be aided by others contributions either personally or via the media etc but even those who may not consider themselves creative or imaginative can do a great job of scaring themselves out of taking the next step towards what they want.

One of the things as coaches we can do is to provide an external set of eyes and ears to a situation so it can be easy to spot when a client is making up their own personalised version of “nightmare on Elm Street.”

However, even as a coach, whilst we may have moments of insight and spot if we are doing it personally, it’s not always as easy when you are engrossed in a story we are making up ourselves.

At some stage we’ve probably all seen a TV show or film with a scene normally on a dark and stormy night where the lone hero goes off to investigate a strange noise! You’ve probably also had a thought at that moment along the lines of “You don’t want to do that.”

The outcome of that particular action will normally depend entirely upon what sort of TV show or film the script writers set out to create – if it’s a horror or crime show then the noise is quite possibly a mass murderer. If it’s a show about rescued animals then the noise is far more likely to be a lost cat.

When we are engrossed in the story it can be easy to be directed into the response that the scriptwriters were pointing us. Yet if something distracts us momentarily we may spot various inconsistencies that may suggest other possibilities.

You may have your own personal version of a story you tell yourself that spooks you into not taking action.

Perhaps as you gain more experience you may tell yourself that you are just not ready yet to take that next step, even when offers are right in front of you. Maybe you even compare yourself with other coaches, mentors and trainers you have encountered over time and concluded that you are not yet at their standard.

I can often see coaches getting stuck focusing upon negative thoughts such as:

  • “Am I good enough?”
  •  “Why would anyone want me as a coach?”

And

  • “No-one would pay me that much to coach them.”

At first glance these questions and thoughts may appear reasonable. Yet the question can spook so much that the coach may not actually answer the question that is so scary.

They either freeze and not take any more action or try and distract themselves by “just” doing something else rather than addressing the question and providing an honest answer.

For instance, I have found an increasing number of individuals who have undertaken and successfully completed a coaching training yet have not taken any further steps to use those skills and knowledge with “real people.” When questioned fear often plays a part for their inaction.

Personally, I feel that it is a real waste to have invested all that time and energy to develop such skills and knowledge. I also think it’s a huge waste of potential – just imagine the difference skilled and knowledgeable coaches can make to other people.

I’ve recently designed a new program called “Start coaching ‘real people’ in 90 days” to provide support for those who really want to coach yet have found it too scary to coach a “real person”.

I invite you to consider one of the questions I had in mind for participants when designing the coaching program:

What if you didn’t scare yourself out of your potential?

What would be your very next step that you’d take?

Love

Jen

P.S The link to find out more about “Start Coaching ‘Real People’ in 90 Days” is www.StartCoachingRealPeople.com

 

 

A personal coaching plea to those starting out as a coach:

 in Coaching / confidence / Resource / site news  tagged business coach / business coaching / career coaching / coach / coaches / coaching / coaching content / coaching courses / coaching qualifications / coaching session / coaching skills / coaching techniques / executive coach / Free resource / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / performance coaching / personal development / real people / resource / start coaching / support

Don’t keep your coaching to yourself!

I think it is such a waste that I keep talking to individuals who have developed their coaching skills and knowledge yet are not doing anything with them.

They have fallen in love with coaching but are afraid to take that next step by working with a “real person” outside of that safe training environment.

You have invested time and effort into training and practicing; you may even have a bit of paper that declares to the world that you are certified. Yet I keep meeting coaches where something is holding them back from coaching “real people”.

Now I understand the fear and/or procrastination that can happen – even to coaches! We can get caught up in our thoughts – full of what if’s and negative suggestions about our own capabilities and value.

This often results in either not taking any action or keeping busy “just” doing yet another course or task before actually doing any coaching.

Today may be Halloween, a day traditionally associated with scary stories, but I want to offer an alternative to any fear of using your skills and knowledge with “real people” you had.

I invite you to share your skills and knowledge with others. I understand that may seem a huge task to do on your own. So I have designed a special program to make that easier – “Start coaching ‘real people’ in 90 days”

It is a program that when you show up powerfully and take action you will be coaching real people and so much more comfortably than when you started. If you want to have your own coaching practice this is also a program that will move you forward much quicker.

This will be a program that supports you as an individual coach. Here are just some of the results that are possible for you in our time together:

  • Actually be coaching real people!
  • Overcome your fear about coaching
  • Feel happier with the prospect of someone giving you money for your coaching
  • Identify how to charge for your coaching
  • Move closer to becoming the coach you really want to be
  • Have created a Welcome Pack that you are using with your coaching clients

For full details about how you could “Start Coaching ‘Real People’ in 90 Days” click here

Who is uncoachable?

 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 / Free resource / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / performance coaching / personal development / resource / uncoachable

I’m seeing an increase in the number of people arriving at this site looking for answers on a variation on the question, who is uncoachable?

Because this is the wording that is being used in the questions and searches, for clarity I’ll stick to that language throughout this post.

I will however, highlight that the question suggests that it is not behaviour demonstrated by a person that would make them “uncoachable” but who they are as a person.

It also suggests that it is possible that if someone is “uncoachable” in this present moment that they will always be “uncoachable”.

I mention this so that, as a coach, you can consider for yourself how this fits with your beliefs about coaching.

Now, I know that in the past one of our guest posters mentioned being uncoachable, which explains why the search engines are sending people this way, but as the number has increased I wanted to address this more today. I specifically want to focus upon how you can use the information gained from the question, who is uncoachable?

Before I go any further, I invite you to spend a moment to consider, the answers that sprang to your mind when you read the title, “Who is uncoachable?”

In my experiences each coach will have their own answer when they think about whom they would consider uncoachable.

Any coaching training you have already experienced may influence part, or all, of your answer(s). Perhaps you have been told that there are certain situations or types of behaviour you should not be coaching in.

Your answer may also have been influenced by an experience of working with a specific client in the past and it’s not an experience you wish to repeat! Maybe you reason that you have learnt to look for specific signs.

Your answer may also be influenced by other beliefs and expectations about what behaviours a client should demonstrate.

If you have ever looked for a definition of coaching you will have found that different people and organisations use different wording (sometimes you’ll even find more than one definition from the same group.) So it’s not surprising that whilst there are some overlap that different coaches have their own opinions about who is uncoachable.

So, what is your answer? Once you have your answer, what are you doing with the information?

My suspicion is that there is a training school somewhere that has asked their students to answer the question “who is uncoachable?” If that’s the case I hope that those students are encouraged to do more with that information other than just write it down to pass an assignment.

I believe that knowing your thoughts about who is uncoachable is information that as a coach you can make useful.

I know that the most common explanation I was given in some coaching trainings was that it is there to ensure that you don’t accept to work with clients who would be better suited seeking other forms of support and help. (Which depending upon your country of residence may potentially have insurance/legal implications)

This is certainly an important aspect of knowing who you think is uncoachable. I personally think that you can also use your answer for other benefits. Here are just some ways you could use your answer:

  • It can uncover your own beliefs about how you expect a new client to behave. This information can be useful to know so you can determine if it’s a useful belief to keep.
  • Does your answer help highlight behaviours that a client can demonstrate that assists them to get the most from your work together? If so how can you encourage your clients to use more of the highlighted behaviour?
  • How can you use the information from your answer in how you invite people to experience your coaching? Are there ways to discourage those you feel are uncoachable to not contact you whilst encouraging those you feel are coachable?
  • When you talk to potential clients, what can you look and listen for during the conversation that would indicate to you that someone matches with your definition of uncoachable?

How can you use language to help your coaching client when introducing something new?

 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 / Free resource / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / performance coaching / personal development / resource

As a coach there will no doubt be occasions when you introduce something new to a client, either a new concept or exercise. Today’s post invites you to consider the language you are using to do that.

When I was employed as an in house trainer in the corporate world, I remember being involved in the training of a new piece of software. It was something that many of the customer facing staff would need to use fluently in order to do their jobs.

There was one particular section that when most people first saw it they thought that it looked really complicated with an overwhelming amount of information.

I’ve written before about the stretch comfort and panic model to learning (Click here to read it again.) What happened for those individuals is that when they first looked at that was that they skipped from comfort, through stretch and straight to panicking about how difficult it looked and “how would they ever be able to use that system?”

This is not the most useful state for someone to be working in and learning something new!

However, some individuals looked at the screen and didn’t panic. It didn’t really cross their mind that this could be “difficult”. They were quite happy with the idea that they could learn to use the screen and the system.

Then there were others who would react somewhere between those two extremes.

These were groups where we did not know every delegate so it was impossible to know in advance who was likely react to that screen in which manner.

As a coach we often use our questioning and language skills. It’s also not outside the realms of possibility that you introduce a new concept or exercise to a client. So what would you say to introduce that section to an individual?

Before I share how I approached this, let me share the outcome I wished from the words I selected.

I personally wanted something that would fit with all possible reactions.

  • For those who would take one look and potentially panic I wanted something that would reassure that it was easy to learn.
  • I also didn’t want to suggest that this could be difficult for those who would look at the screen and not see any potential problem with it. I didn’t want to risk creating an added complication for them.

Now, when I coach, I have the same wish for my clients when I introduce something new – whether that be during the actual session or as an “action assignment”. I’m looking to act as a catalyst to making the experience as easy as I possibly can.

So what phrase did I often use in the case of the training situation?

“The next section is much easier to use in reality than it may first appear.”

  • For those who used to take one look and panic, instead they took one look and were relieved that it was easier then it looked!
  • For those who used to look and didn’t even consider it would be difficult, looked and not only continued with that belief but loved the fact it was even easier.

Using just one sentence of carefully chosen words meant that what had been a stage of the training where many of the delegates worried and panicked actually relaxed and often laughed. Which apart from being a much more pleasant experience for them meant it was noticeable how much more easily and quickly groups would start using that part of the program.

Today I invite you to consider the language that you are using to introduce either new concepts or homework to your clients. How can you use your language to make it even easier for your clients to quickly and effortlessly focus on taking action?

Still feel like there is so much more to learn about coaching?

 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 / Free resource / knowledge / leadership coaching / learn / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / Marianne Williamson / performance coaching / personal development / resource / skills / Socrate

Prior to university I remember taking part in a local charity fundraising team quiz. A question on history came up and I recall saying to one of the other older team members – “you’ve got a degree in history, what’s the answer?”

Looking back I’m pretty certain that my belief system was that to get a degree in history you would need to know every single historical fact. It didn’t seem to have crossed my mind the number of facts that are associated with the entire billions of years that the Earth has been in existence!

At some stage of studying more history myself I changed my belief and expectations about having that specific qualification meant I would know the answer to any history question. In fact the more I studied and learnt the more I became aware of what there was still to explore.

As Socrates said, “The more I learn, the more I learn how little I know.”

So why am I talking about history in a post about coaching? It’s prompted by the number of conversations I have with people who are putting off coaching and assisting “real people” because they don’t know enough.

A proportion of these individuals will “keep moving the goal posts” as they learn more and identify other areas they would like to know more about and develop more skills etc. As that happens they put off using the skills and knowledge they already have.

It means that there can be very knowledgeable individuals, who often have been able to demonstrate skills in a training environment, and yet won’t share this with people and groups they could be assisting now.

Before I go any further I want to make it perfectly clear I am not in any way shape or form suggesting that you immediately stop looking to increase your skills and knowledge. I’m also not suggesting that you don’t bother learning them in the first place.

What I do encourage you to explore is any underlying beliefs around knowledge and not knowing something. Let me ask you a question, would you be OK with not knowing everything and still using the skills and knowledge you already have?

Notice what your response was to that question.

Being comfortable with not knowing something does not mean that you cannot choose to gain that information. It just means you don’t have to feel bad about not currently knowing it!

You may also notice what you imagine “using the skills and knowledge you already have” would mean you would be doing.

Did you interpret it as asking if you have set up your own coaching business coaching lots of paying clients? If that’s what you want to be doing, then personally I think that’s fantastic.

However, that’s not the only way that you can use your existing coaching knowledge and skills. How can you use what you already have in your every day life?

  • If you are a manager how can you use your coaching knowledge and skills to benefit your team?
  • If you are a sales person, how can you use your coaching knowledge and skills to benefit your sales figures?
  •  Perhaps you may even be able to use your knowledge and skills in your personal life, to assist you as a parent or as a partner.

Personally, I think it is such a shame and complete waste when individuals have knowledge and skills that won’t start using because there is still more to know. I invite you to consider how you can be using your knowledge and skills to be making a difference now.

I also am going to end today’s post with one of my favourite quotes:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate,

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It’s our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves: who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?

 You are a child of the universe.

Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.

There is nothing enlightening about shrinking,

So that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are born to make manifest the glory of the universe

that is within us. It’s not just in some of us: it is in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,

We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

And as we are liberated from our own fear,

Our presence automatically liberates others.”

(Marianne Williamson)

 

How is your coaching practice?

 in Coaching  tagged business coach / business coaching / career coaching / coach / coaches / coaching / coaching business / coaching content / coaching courses / coaching practice / coaching qualifications / coaching session / coaching skills / coaching techniques / executive coach / Free resource / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / performance coaching / personal development / practice / resource

Have you ever wondered about the choice of language that many coaches use? One of the ones I particularly like is the choice that many coaches (along with other practitioners) choose to use – having a coaching practice.

This is not going to be a post about how not thinking of a coaching practice as a business can impact upon your business success. For now, I’ll let you consider those implications for yourself. (or you can read some previous posts such as this guest post by Nicky Kriel)

This is going to be a piece about that word practice. A dictionary definition gives more than one meaning for the word including “the professional work, business or place of business of a doctor, lawyer etc.”

I personally think that the one of the aspects that contributes to a professional work or business is being successful in using specific skills.

Looking at the origins and historical use of the word, in the early 15th century the word practice was used as meaning “to perform repeatedly to acquire skill.” It’s this part of a definition that I want to focus upon today.

I speak to many coaches who are at the start of their journey as a coach, some have had more training than others and all are passionate about coaching. Yet some have had more practice than others.

Some may place the “blame” for lack of practice on the structure of training courses or perhaps because of some sort of character flaw such as procrastination. Personally, I don’t think placing the blame is overly useful for the individual in that situation. I’m far more interested in finding a solution that will get that individual coaching more.

The same applies if you have “taken a break” for a while – perhaps you did lots of coaching whilst doing a course but then haven’t done any for a while. Maybe you have got further with your coaching and then you prioritised something else either by choice or necessity.

If you do find yourself in that situation rather than asking why, how about considering the following questions?

What would have to happen so I can practice my coaching more?

What is the very first thing that I could do?

The answers to those questions will very easily vary from person to person:

  • Perhaps it is as simple as identifying just one person who you think your services could assist – and then invite them to come and play.
  • Maybe for you it’s about putting a support system in place.
  • Or just spending some time to “script” out how you could actually invite someone to experience your coaching.
  • Possibly, it’s practicing inviting someone to experience your coaching that will allow you to practice your coaching more!

Sometimes what is actually stopping a coach from practicing more is the question of “When to start charging?” I’ve shared in a previous post various different approaches to this question and invited you to see which appealed to you.

Whatever you find your answers to those questions are, I invite you to consider taking action to make a difference for your coaching practice and for your clients, both present ones and your clients in the future.

How do you choose what coaching homework to set a client? 2

 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 / Free resource / homework / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / performance coaching / personal development / resource

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

For the ease of consistency I am going to use the label homework through this piece but will also add that for some clients and niches such a label will potentially provoke resistance and negative connotations. In such an instance you could work on that negative reaction – or just use a different label and avoid the issue all together!

As far as I can establish there are three different ways of working with clients and setting homework.

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 homework B.

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.

A third way is a mix of the above, having certain pieces of homework that each and every client will be set and others that you will create that is bespoke for them.

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 homework? Here are just some of the questions you may want to consider:

  • What is currently getting in the way of this client getting what they want?
  • What outcome do you want by setting this 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 suggested homework?

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