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Coaching involves a regular conversation (either by telephone or face to face) between me and my clients, usually once a week or every fortnight. Before we start a formal coaching relationship I am happy to have an initial chat on the phone to answer any questions you have and for you to get a feel for whether you would like to work with me. I make no charge for this or e-mail contact before, during or after paid-for appointments.
You do most of the talking in our meetings and I'll ask questions to probe, challenge and encourage. I give feedback when it’s requested and ask you to set the agenda at the beginning of every session. Our relationship is about developing your thinking and motivating you to take appropriate action to achieve what's important to you.
The sort of questions I ask depend on why you've come to see me. It's all about helping you clarify what you want and coming up with a plan of action to achieve it. In the first instance I usually pose five or six questions to you as a new client to consider before our first session. We use your answers to set out what a successful period of coaching will be for you so we can measure our progress as we go. I don't direct clients towards one path over another although I do offer alternatives and make suggestions when I’m asked. Clients have referred to me as an objective, open-minded and trusted friend.
Our coaching sessions are loosely framed around a model called GROW. We talk about your aspirations and ideas for the future (your Goals), the current Reality (describing what's happening at the moment and what's holding you back/causing a problem etc), what your Options are and finally what you Will do to make things happen. Ultimately it's a call to action and because of this many private individuals - as well as organisations - are using coaches.
I use a number of different coaching tools such as questionnaires, visualisation activities and mind-mapping to help you uncover what it is you want to do, where you want to go an how you can go about it. I'll give you ongoing feedback and always be honest and direct.
It isn't always about goals and action-planning though. The time I have with my clients is their time to use as they like - to talk about what's important to them at that point in time. Sometimes it might be an hour letting off steam or talking through an idea or a worry. The point is, it's your time and you set the agenda.