life coach

Seven Pieces of Advice From Top Coaching Clients 1

19 April 2013 in Guest Post tagged advice / business coach / business coaching / charging / client / clients / coach / coaches / coaching / coaching courses / coaching qualifications / coaching skills / coaching techniques / coaching training / executive coach / focus / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / nlp coach / outcomes / performance coaching / personal coach / personal development / questions / respectful / Richard Nugent / trust / TwentyOne Leadership

What advice would your clients give coaches? In today’s guest post Richard Nugent shares:

"Seven Pieces of Advice From Top Coaching Clients" A guest post by Richard Nugent

Seven Pieces of Advice From Top Coaching Clients

by Richard Nugent

In preparation for this article, I thought I’d ask some of my coaching clients what they wanted and needed from a coach most of all. Some answers surprised me, some I completely expected and, while I hope all are factors that you already take into account when coaching, they are all great reminders of good coaching practice.

To give you a flavour, the clients I asked included several Executives of large organisations, various entrepreneurs, a professional footballer, a senior training manager, some business coaches and teacher. I have coached all of them for some time and all are pretty demanding of themselves and their coach!

I asked them all the same question ‘what is the single most important thing that a coach must do’? Here are the seven most common answers.

1. Keep in touch. Whether between sessions or during breaks in the coaching relationship. The coaching relationship must be on going and consistent even when the actual coaching isn’t.

2. Focus on helping me to understand how I can achieve my outcomes. Everyone is different; don’t assume that there is a right way for everyone.

3. Be you. A coaching relationship works best with you feel the coach is being themselves. Don’t be one way when we meet then turn into a different person when you coach.

4. Be respectful of the trust and investment that I am making in you. I am likely to be telling you things that I haven’t told my closest family. I may have also spent my whole development budget for the year with you. Occasionally let me know that you appreciate that.

5. Know when to be really tough with me and kick my butt and when to support me. (I’d call this emotional intelligence – what is clear from clients’ responses that we have to have it on full in every session. One client even used the phrase “don’t be too nice, I’m not looking for a friend, I’ve got plenty of those.”)

6. Keep asking great questions. Make me think differently to how I am now. Also keep asking me great, different questions – I never know what is coming next and that keeps me on my toes.

7. Keep developing. Clients love the fact that I am always learning and they feel that they are getting the benefit of that. This answer was especially prevalent in clients whose development budgets were tight.

These were the top seven, most consistent answers. Some clients felt really strongly about other things, including technical knowledge, business acumen (if you’re helping me build my business, yours should already be more successful) and even the size of network I have.

What occurs to be is that if this is a representation of the important thoughts my clients have, focussing on them is going to help me be a great coach for them and many others.

About the author

Richard is the M.D. of Twenty One Leadership and has coached talented people from the fields of sport and business for the last decade. Clients have credited him with everything from million pound transfers to the creation of new market leading organisations. The return on investment from his programmes stretches into the millions of Pounds, Euros and Dollars.

My Weapon of Choice: Self-Confidence 1

12 April 2013 in Guest Post tagged business coach / business coaching / charging / client / clients / coach / coaches / coaching / coaching courses / coaching qualifications / coaching skills / coaching techniques / coaching training / confidence / executive coach / exercise / Fit Forensics / health / health coach / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / nlp coach / performance coaching / personal coach / personal development / Susan Digiaimo / youth

In today’s guest post coach health coach Susan DiGiaimo shares some thoughts around confidence and how that is influencing her work.

My Weapon of Choice: Self-Confidence

by Susan DiGiaimo

Everyday you have a choice to make things better, make better choices and do something for yourself. Some days are better than others. On those particular days when things do not go as well we usually end up beating up ourselves. I have learned from my own experiences that you just have to keep on going, thinking positively and moving forward.

Where did I gain this self-confidence? My mother was an extremely powerful role model for me. She had and still has a very strong work ethic. ”You can accomplish anything if you put your mind to it.” She also helped shape me into the woman I am today and I am thankful for that. Strong, transparent, empathetic, these are just some of the words that describe me.

I know now as a mother of three that, if you do not take the time to take care of yourself, you are not going to do a good job taking care of anyone else. Self-confidence is not something we inherit, we don’t learn it in school like Algebra, and it is definitely a challenge for some of us to gain. Ask me if I ever used Algebra again in my professional career, no. I would probably have benefited from a class about how to gain self-confidence.

Health self-esteem is like our armor against the challenges of the world. Individuals who know their strengths and weaknesses and feel good about themselves seem to have an easier time handling conflicts and resisting negative pressure. As we try, fail, try again, fail again, and then finally succeed, we develop ideas about our own capabilities. Now for kids self-esteem fluctuates as they grow. It is every evolving based on their experiences and perceptions.

I have a daughter who is nine years old. Her personality traits are being fun, loving, smart, determined, confident, and huggable. She didn’t always know why she was unique and what she was passionate about. She is constantly changing and growing like all of us.

We need to appreciate our children as they are for what they are. As kids grow and develop, their overall sense of self-confidence and personal worth grows and changes too. Self-confidence is about how confident we feel about our talents and abilities, not just how others perceive us. Children with self-confidence feel secure about themselves, regardless of how smart or successful others say they are.

I initiated a Kids Fitness Program first focusing on girls. We know that a girl’s self-confidence is based a great deal on how she looks and how others perceive her. Unfortunately society, media, our child’s access to computers and different technologies makes them even more vulnerable to not having good self-esteem.

I wanted to give girls the opportunity to be able to express and develop their key personality traits and recognize what makes them special or unique. I also wanted the girls to learn proper exercise technique and to understand what it means to live a healthy lifestyle. I believe this needs to start at a much earlier age and my classes start with kids in Kindergarten.

There are different exercises and activities for each age group and we know that because we are motivated by others. Competition is healthy and it let these girls come out of their shells, speak amongst their peers and also get stronger physically. The entire purpose is so when they continue on into Middle School or High School they are very aware of who they are and how they can put their best foot forward.

I know these kids absorb information like little sponges. Armed with Monkey tape, journals, and mats I set off to teach these girls how to do lunges, squats, mountain climbers, and push ups. No question the Monkey tape was a huge success. I place this so-called Monkey tape on the floor for proper placement of their feet for squats and lunges. By the last week they didn’t even need it.

Class was not easy. Even a seasoned athlete would have found it to be somewhat challenging. ”You are almost there, (now all the girls are counting down with me), 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 high fives everyone!” ”Give me five more and then we can get some water.” Most of the time everyone would give me five more. You are much stronger than you think. I tell this to my adult Boot Camp class as well. Mind over matter. They have to understand that they are not going to get it right the first time, but if they continue to try, they will succeed. Things happen by choice not by chance.

I am very proud of my girls in my first class and I look forward to seeing some of them again and watching them continue to gain more and more self-confidence. More importantly let your child’s personality shine, love them for who they are, not what you want them to be. I want them all to keep that sparkle in their eye and never let it fade.

Self-confidently Yours,

Susan

About the Susan DiGiaimo

First and foremost I am a mother of 3 wonderful kids. I learned and not until much later in life that your family is the most important thing above and beyond everything else. Another thing is if you are passionate about something then go after it, take the CAN out of CAN’T and make it happen. You have to love what you do first then nothing else matters. I have also been teaching Boot Camp at 5AM now for almost 10 years. I teach that class 4 days per week and other 2 I teach an Xtreme treadmill class and Xtreme Spin. I love the reward of seeing someone’s life change for the better. This is my passion, incorporating health and wellness into everyone.

Read Susan’s blog at FitForensics

Connect with Susan on Twitter at twitter.com/susandigiaimo

15 Suggestions To Help You Create A Post-Session Ritual

5 April 2013 in Guest Post tagged business coach / business coaching / charging / client / clients / coach / coaches / coaching / coaching courses / coaching qualifications / coaching skills / coaching techniques / coaching training / energy / executive coach / Frederique Murphy / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / Mountain Moving Mindset / nlp coach / performance coaching / personal coach / personal development / post session / ritual

Frederique Murphy shares her knowledge and experience in today’s guest post.

"15 Suggestions To Help You Create A Post-Session Ritual" A guest post by Frederique Murphy

15 Suggestions To Help You Create A Post-Session Ritual

By Frederique Murphy

You know, how you prepare yourself for your first coaching session of the day, right? Because, you know, how important it is to be at your top to best help your client. So, has it ever happened to you that your energy winds down from one client to another, leaving you with the feeling that you were not quite at your top, for that second, third or fourth client? If you are booking several clients on the same day, and do not do anything between your sessions, then this is probably a familiar feeling.

Creating rituals as part of your coaching business is a great best practice as rituals help you perform better. We often hear about pre-session rituals, and the post-session rituals are as important. Having a post-session ritual is absolutely critical, particularly when coaching several clients on the same day to ensure you are at your top for your first client, and then your second one, and your third one, etc.

I don’t believe there is a ‘one size fits all’ post-session ritual; I strongly believe that you need to create the ritual that will work for you. Before you start creating your ritual, I suggest you list the various outcomes, so that you are very clear on what is it that you want to achieve: clear your energy, relax, focus, energise, be present, let go…, and then, include the necessary steps. Remember, it is your ritual, and will include as many steps as you need it to meet your defined outcomes.

Here are 15 suggestions to create your very own post-session ritual that will help you be at your top, from one client to another throughout the day:

(the must one!) your ritual will work best when you intentionally take the time to do it, so avoid booking your sessions back-to-back, and ensure you have the time to apply your ritual,
consciously breathe,
meditate,
visualise,
practice a yoga sequence,
drink a large glass of water,
prepare a cup of tea,
light a candle or incense,
open the room windows and/or doors,
say a specific affirmation,
play a specific song,
do a specific move,
look at a specific imagery,
change outfit or accessories,
take a shower (you might not include this suggestion as part of your standard ritual, but do keep it in mind for those “intense” sessions).

Once you have created your ritual, apply it every single time, after every coaching session, and even after your last session of the day. A ritual is driven by intention, so focus on that intention, and apply your ritual to be at your top, client after client.

Do you already have your own post-session ritual? What steps do you find work best for you? I’d love for you to share; this will be helpful for the other coaches. Comment below!

About the Author/Further Resources

Frederique Murphy is a mindset strategist, who specialises in the areas of Inspirational Strategy, Leadership, Communication, Change, Impact, and Achievement. Thanks to her Mountain Moving Mindset platform, Frederique provides individuals, corporate executives, and entrepreneurs with a wealth of mindset resources to help them strategise with vision, design with clarity, plan with focus, and lead with momentum. She shares her M3 Power through her transformational range of innovative products, coaching services, #1 Amazon Best Seller book, award-winning blog, articles and newsletters, unforgettable talks and life-changing events. She believes in guiding her clients through unforgettable journeys towards their own true wealth as they become the true leaders of their life, career and business. For more information on Frederique’s transformational range, visit FrederiqueMurphy.com, join the free M3 Power Community, and start climbing now!

Coaching Tips from Jesus’ I AM Statements

29 March 2013 in Guest Post tagged business coach / business coaching / charging / Christian life coach / client / clients / coach / coaches / coaching / coaching courses / coaching qualifications / coaching skills / coaching techniques / coaching training / Easter / executive coach / Jesus / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / nlp coach / performance coaching / personal coach / personal development / spiritual formation coach / Toni Knights

As this week’s guest post falls on Good Friday, spiritual formation coach Toni Knights shares a little about how her beliefs as a Christian fit with her coaching.

"Coaching Tips from Jesus’ I AM Statements" A guest post by spiritual formation coach Toni Knights

Coaching Tips from Jesus’ I AM Statements

by Toni Knights

Spiritual formation coaching sets Christian coaches apart from other professional coaches because it is Christ centered. As a spiritual formation coach, I see life from another perspective – God’s.

In this season of Easter, as we commemorate the resurrection of the world’s premier life coach, I thought it fitting to look at some of His famous [albeit controversial] statements and how Spiritual Formation Coaches carry out these declarations in our practices. These analogies were originally spoken to an agrarian society; however, they can still resonate with coaches today. I believe that one of the basic tenets of coaching is closing the gap between what my clients think and what they do and in order to do this, I must wear different hats and play varying roles which include but are not limited to the following:

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.” Just as bread sustains physical life, so He offers and sustains spiritual life. My role as coach is to provide the required sustenance in the form of motivation as the client expands his/her vision and takes practical steps towards it.
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” To a world stumbling around in darkness, He is a constant guide. At times, when I coach I literally shed light on situations for clients by reframing a situation so it can be perceived differently, because people believe the supernatural is all around them. With a different perception my clients are more likely to act upon their goals.
Jesus said, “I am the door of the sheep.” By using this analogy to describe a scenario where there were no physical doors, Jesus likened His care and devotion to ushering his listeners to a safe environment. A passionate coach literally serves as the door to clients as they transition from one stage of their lives to another, while making them comfortable to embrace the new stage. I remind clients that knowing God is an eternal process, not an overnight event.
Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd.” This statement shows Jesus’ commitment to the well-being of His followers through constant direction. The client benefits from the coach’s direction when the vision appears to be unattainable. With the proper guidance, clients can overcome self-sabotaging issues which become obstacles along the way. My clients are encouraged to keep the end in view.
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Plain and simple – Jesus came to give new life. As a coach, I have the humbling yet awesome job of reviving any dream the client may have given up on. A client can be effectively helped to creatively manage current obstacles and achieve a once-dormant goal.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” To my mind, this declaration shows us that Jesus pointed the way to a better life with truth. Assistance with Accountability! In order for change to be effective there must be honesty. It is such a privilege to watch clients move from what actually is to what ought to be with honesty – with themselves first and then with their environment.
Jesus said, “I am the true vine.”By attaching themselves to Jesus, his followers draw nourishment and bear fruit. As I partner (attach) with clients to achieve their goals, I conform to the selfless attributes of Christ for their sake, thus making the partnership a fruitful one.

As we continue to be creative with our clients, we can consider our various roles in light of these statements.

Have a blessed Easter Season!

About the author

Toni Knights is a Christian Life Coach who runs the coaching practice “Life In Process.” She also facilitates workshops that focus upon self improvement.

You can read her weekly blog at http://justthinking-knightstoni.blogspot.com.

You can also find Toni on Facebook at www.facebook.com/knightstoni

Why Writing A Book Is Good For Your Business 1

22 March 2013 in Guest Post tagged author / book / business coach / business coaching / charging / client / clients / coach / coaches / coaching / coaching courses / coaching qualifications / coaching skills / coaching techniques / coaching training / executive coach / Karen Williams / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / nlp coach / performance coaching / personal coach / personal development / Self Discovery Coaching

In today’s guest post coach and author Karen Williams shares her knowledge and experience in:

Why Writing A Book Is Good For Your Business

by Karen Williams

I believe that to stand out in your business and be different from everyone else, a great place to start is by writing a book. They say we all have a book or two within us, but why is it so hard to get started or know how to finish?

Here are 3 reasons why you need to write a book:

You can differentiate yourself from others in your field
You can get noticed in your industry and be recognised as an expert in your subject
You can change the lives of more people by having a wider reach

Sounds easy?

Writing a (good) book will be great for business. But you may see it as an expensive business card, or you’re not sure where to start and what to do first. You may wonder whether you are ready to share your message with the world and what people may think.

So let me help. In chapter 11 in my second book, How to Stand Out in your Business, I shared my strategies for writing a book.

Like many people I learnt the hard way when I wrote my first book. In 2009, I didn’t have a clue where to start, how to structure the book, let alone get published. So it’s not surprising that it took me eighteen months to get The Secrets of Successful Coaches out into the world. At that stage, I vowed that if I ever wrote another book it would be so much easier. I had the chance to model what I’d done, take the things that worked and ditch the stuff that didn’t get results.

This is what I learnt from writing my first book:

Focus on the reason why you want to write the book, as this passion will keep you on track.
Get clear on your target reader, and ensure your business is aligned to this person. Having the foundations in place first is essential to your success. Plus you can check what else has been written in this subject or genre.
When you plan the book, it makes it so much easier. You can pick it up and start writing each day with ease as you know what’s next and what you’ve written.
Don’t edit as you go along as you’ll get so caught up with getting it right at an early stage, and you’ll neglect putting new words on the page.
There are lots of different publishing options out there and do what’s right for you. The proof is in your reader’s opinions and fourteen 5 star reviews on Amazon must be a good start!
You’re unlikely to make millions from writing a book, but positioning yourself as an expert is good for your business and will help you to get more clients.
Go out with a bang! Having a book launch is a great way to get noticed and an excuse for a party, and brings your current and prospective clients together.

Now there’s more to it than this I assure you, but having a blueprint that worked made the second book easier to write. From conception to publication, my second book took just 6 months and it reached #1 in the book’s categories on Amazon earlier this year.

To be successful, you do need to get the building blocks in place in your business first, and then you will be crystal clear that you are sharing the right message with your reader, and get noticed by your prospective clients!

This year, Karen Williams is collaborating with Book Publicist, Helen McCusker from Booked PR, and they are running Author Workshops to get your book off the starting blocks. If you are ready to write your book, join them for their pilot event on Sunday 21 April 2013 in Hampshire. Find out more and book your place here.

About the Karen

A business coach, author, speaker, and fire walk instructor, Karen Williams, from Self Discovery Coaching, works with coaches and solopreneurs. She helps them to develop the foundations for a successful business, stand out from the crowd and enjoy every step of the way (including writing a book).

Karen is the author of The Secrets of Successful Coaches, which reached #1 in the Business charts on Amazon and released her second book, How to Stand Out in your Business, in January 2013. She has just started her third!

You can sign up for her free EBook’30 Ways to Stand Out in your Business in 30 Minutes or Less’ here.

Is there any value to developing a coaching presence online?

15 March 2013 in Guest Post tagged Beverley Ireland-Symonds / business coaching / charging / client / clients / coach / coaches / coaching / coaching courses / coaching qualifications / coaching skills / coaching techniques / coaching training / confidence / executive coach / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / nlp coach / online / performance coaching / personal coach / personal development / profile / revenue / sales / selling / Tags: business coach / website

Beverley Ireland-Symond shares her experience and knowledge in today’s guest post as she asks:

"Is there any value to developing a coaching presence online?" A guest post by Beverley Ireland-Symonds

Is there any value to developing a coaching presence online?

By Beverley Ireland-Symonds

One of the dilemmas for all coaches new or experienced is how they should market themselves and their coaching business.

Most coaches have business cards, some have leaflets or posters and some have a mixture of a website, a facebook page, a twitter account and/or a google plus account. It can be a challenge to know what is right for you and your coaching business.

I was recently asked whether it was essential as a coach to have a presence online, but it’s not one of those questions which I could give a simple yes or no to. There are a number of different issues that if you’re thinking about setting up some sort of presence or want to expand or improve on what you’re currently doing online that you should be thinking about.

What are some of the online options?

Having an online presence doesn’t mean you have to have a website. I’ve already mentioned facebook, twitter, a google plus account and I would add to that list Pinterest or LinkedIn. These are all places where you can promote yourself as an expert coach.

You can also write articles and post to article directories , write guest blogs and you can join relevant forums in your niche, post comments and ask and answer questions. None of these require you to have a website.

But if you do choose to go the website route there are different options for what you have. You can choose a very simple site that really acts as an information page about you and your coaching services encouraging visitors to the site to get in touch with you, or you can choose to do something a lot more comprehensive and build what’s known as an authority site – showcasing yours and others expertise.

So what are some of the advantages of having an online presence?

Increased reach

Having your own website is a great opportunity not only to showcase your own knowledge, experience and expertise but also those of your fellow coaches as Jen does on this site. This means you’re increasing your profile not only with potential customers but also with other professionals.

It’s easy to underestimate the power of potential online relationships. I’ve never met Jen, but I value the opportunity that she’s given me over the last three years to be a guest blogger and I guest blog for other people. I have a fellow hypnotherapist who regularly refers clients to me for confidence coaching that I met online, firstly through my website and then through Twitter.

In my case developing an online presence has also allowed me to extend my customer base and I’ve coached a number of clients in the United States who I would never have come across otherwise.

I have built my online presence by writing a lot of articles and posting to article directories, developing my own coaching site which is regularly updated and in the past I have been vocal on twitter.

Opportunities to share, educate and sell

Developing your own website or guest blogging allows you to share your experiences and what you’ve learnt. You can also take the opportunity to educate others through holding webinars, creating podcasts and creating resources. You can also build your own email list and send out regular newsletters.

And let’s not forget, it’s also an opportunity to sell. It may be that you only want to promote your services as a coach. I advertise an introductory coaching session and visitors can book a slot directly online. But you can also diversify and look at other opportunities to create income streams . Examples include writing your own coaching blog and earning money through advertising, writing your own coaching book related to your niche or developing an online coaching programme.

Of course it’s not for everyone. Some coaches want only to focus on their core business of coaching face to face or over the telephone and rely on word of mouth advertising. If that’s what works for you – great but if you want to try your hand at something different or you just want to extend the profile of your coaching services, why not explore further.

Pitfalls to look out for

Well of course there are pitfalls and I’ve experience many of them over the last three years. I didn’t really have a clue what I was doing when I started out building a website, having a twitter account etc so I had to learn everything as I went along. This means I didn’t plan and my website took on a life of its own and I found myself spending far too much time on it.

I built my own site but I didn’t have the skills initially and I often did silly things such as turning off the comments on my website so no one could discuss my articles. This means although I do actually have a lot of traffic (about 5000 visitors a month) – I don’t appear to have anyone engaging with my content.

I also don’t have testimonials on my site like many other coaches do and this is down to my niche. A lot of people want to keep quiet that they have used the services of a ‘Confidence Coach’. I just have to accept that this is the case and compare myself to others. It’s not a reflection on my ability as a coach.

Should you have a presence online?

I think this entirely depends on you, your particular niche, your marketing and business plan. No one should be compelled to have their own online presence – but if you decide it’s something that you want to do and it would be advantageous to you and your business then make sure you research how you might do it and avoid the mistakes I made and do some initial planning before you plunge in.

Summarised below are some of the key points of having an online presence

Pros

Opportunity to promote your services as a coach
Opportunity to generate discussions
Can help you to reach a wider audience
Can raise your personal profile an expert in a particular niche
Opportunity to create different revenue streams

Cons

Can be a challenge to identify and take advantage of the benefits
Can be time consuming
Can get out of hand if you’re not organised
Can act as a distraction if it’s not part of a proper marketing plan
Can be expensive if you don’t have the skills to run your own website

About the Author/Further Resources

Beverley Ireland-Symonds is an NLP Practitioner and NLP Coach, specialising in Confidence Coaching, working with clients both in the UK and America. She writes extensively on a range of issues including self esteem, confidence and personal development and having developed he own online coaching programme is currently editing her first book.

Could Asking Better Questions Make You Better At Everything?

8 March 2013 in Guest Post tagged business coach / business coaching / charging / client / clients / coach / coaches / coaching / coaching courses / coaching qualifications / coaching skills / coaching techniques / coaching training / executive coach / interview / Judy Rees / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / nlp coach / performance coaching / personal coach / personal development / questions / x-ray listening

Judy Rees shares her experience and knowledge in today’s guest post as she asks:

"Could Asking Better Questions Make You Better At Everything" A guest post by Judy Rees

Could Asking Better Questions Make You Better At Everything?

By Judy Rees

What would you like to get better at? Public speaking? Running meetings? Time management? Persuasion? Choosing the perfect gift?

Whatever’s on the top of your learning list, chances are there’s someone out there who’s good at it. Just track them down and… you could hit a communication gap.

Because finding stuff out from people actually takes considerable skill.

The best interviewers in the business make it all look so easy. But when you try it yourself, you’ll find there’s a whole lot more to it than first appears. Unless you know the ground rules, you’ll soon be stumbling over your words and struggling to decide what to ask next. Embarrassing!

Those same interviewing skills are absolutely vital when it comes to coaching. The best coaches spend most of each session asking great questions, stretching their coaches’ thinking in new directions, rather than giving their opinions or advice.

Don’t Make These Six Mistakes When Asking Questions

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. People usually love being asked about themselves and their passions! As long as you’re polite and explain why you’re asking, even well-known experts will gladly spare the time.

Don’t expect your interviewee to do all the work. An interview is an exchange – you show interest, they open a window into their inner world. So make sure you do show interest! Smile and nod for encouragement, repeat back key words and phrases, and ask relevant follow-up questions.

Don’t ask complex, multiple-choice questions. They can easily leave your interviewee floundering. Instead, simple, open questions are usually best. “What kind of job?” is a better question than, “What kind of job, was it in the postroom or the car park or the office…?”

Don’t over-prepare, and be ready to go with the flow. Any worthwhile interview will be full of surprises! If you already knew everything your interviewee was going to say, why would you bother?

Don’t let them escape! If they avoid answering a question which seems important to you, make a note of it. Then bring them back to it, gently but firmly, perhaps asking the question in a slightly different way.

Don’t forget to listen! The best interviews sound natural and conversational, because the interviewer is genuinely interested in the subject and what they have to say. If taking notes and listening is too much for your brain, choose listening – and use an app on your phone to record the conversation.

About the Author/Further Resources

X-Ray Listener Judy Rees was a news journalist for 20 years and is now an internationally-renowned Clean Language coach. She also teaches questioning and listening skills to coaches. On 20 April, she’ll be running a workshop on interviewing skills in central London: details at http://secretskill.eventbrite.co.uk/

Find out more at www.xraylistening.com and www.judyrees.co.uk or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/xraylistening

Maximizing Team Ouput

1 March 2013 in Guest Post tagged BasketballHQ / business coach / business coaching / buy in / charging / clarity / client / clients / coach / coaches / coaching / coaching courses / coaching qualifications / coaching skills / coaching techniques / coaching training / direction / executive coach / indiviudal / Kyle Ohman / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / nlp coach / output / performance coaching / personal coach / personal development / Ritchie McKay / team

In today’s guest post Kyle Ohman shares his thoughts and experience in both business and in basketball coaching about:

Maximizing Team Ouput

by Kyle Ohman

As a leader or coach of a team one of your main responsibilities is to get the most out of each member of the group. If you can get every single person performing at their best and moving in the same direction there is no limit to what you can accomplish. This is easier said than done but if you can accomplish this then there is no telling what you are going to be able to accomplish.

My background is in sports but I have recently been fortunate enough to move into co-owning my own company BasketballHQ.com. The one thing that I quickly realized though is that there are so many parallels between a business and sports. A lot of the stuff that I have learned playing and coaching basketball I have been able to translate over into running a business. Here are 3 keys that every coach or boss can use to help maximize the output of their team.

Have a Clear Direction

You can’t expect everyone to be on the same page and moving to accomplish the team or companies goals if they don’t clearly know what they are. It is your job to make sure that each person knows what is trying to be accomplished and what is expected the group and of them individually. Only after this happens are you able to have accountability within your team.

To get your message across you need to have two levels of communication. You need to have group communication followed up with personal communication. If you have a large company then this means communicating with each department head to make sure that they clearly understand what is needed from them and the people under them. Only after you have done this can you hold people accountable.

Buying in is Key

It doesn’t matter how great the game plan is if you are not able to get everyone on the same page and moving in the same direction. If part of the group is trying to do it one way and the other part of the team is doing something different, you are just going to have conflict and never get anywhere.

In college my basketball coach Ritchie Mckay used the analogy of everyone being in a circle. He and stepped into the center circle at half court and then told each coach and player to give an honest evaluation of themselves on whether they were bought into what the team was trying to do. If you were all the way bought in you put both feet in, one foot in and one foot out represented partially bought in, and two feet out meant not at all. I am not saying that you should do this but it is an eye opener to see what people think of themselves.

Once you have figured out where everyone stands you can better assess what you need to do as far as individually getting people to buy in. Not everyone is going to agree with the way that you do things but it is important that you make it clear that they need to be bought in and doing their best to accomplish your plan. If they are unable to do this then you may need to let them go and bring someone else in.

Every Person is Important

We have all heard the analogy of a team only being as strong as its weakest link and it is so true. In your mind picture are really strong and sturdy chain. One end of the chain is securely wrapped around an old stump that needs to be pulled out of the ground. The other end is hooked up to a big powerful F-350 truck that will have no problem pulling the stump out of the ground.

Right before the truck begins to pull the stump out of the ground you look closely at the chain and one of the links in the chain has been replaced with a paper clip. The truck begins to move forward and as soon as the chain begins to get taught the paper clip snaps and the job is failed.

That one weak link compromised the whole thing. The rest of the chain couldn’t compensate for that one weak link and it is the same way with a team. If one person in your group doesn’t do their job on the presentation you aren’t going to get the client or if one player misses their defensive assignment at the end of the game the other team will score and you will lose the game. All that to say that you need to make sure that you maximizing each persons output. It is that important to make sure that every single person is firing on all cylinders.

“There is no measure or limit to what you can do when you get everyone on the same page and moving in the same direction.” – Ritchie McKay

About the author

Kyle Ohman has played basketball at both the collegiate and professional level and is now the co-owner of BasketballHQ.com. He has also coached high school basketball at the national level.

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