You Can’t Coach a Dream!

In order to facilitate your client’s Desired Outcome, you should always coach with an “end in mind”.  For most clients, the “end in mind” will be the successful achievement of their Desired Outcome.

But therein lies the rub!

Many clients will be able to eloquently express their desires! They want to be fit, happy, rich, in a relationship, 30 lbs lighter, fulfilled, successful . . . . the list goes on and on!  But they may be vague on the outcome. Where do the need to go, and what will they need to do in order to turn their desire into an actual outcome?

There are three “stages” of coaching that will be present in virtually any coaching situation.  They are:

1 - Desire 
2 - Vision
3 - Outcome

As a coach, it is imperative that you not only understand the subtle differences between these three stages, but that you learn to skilfully maneuver your clients from one stage to the next. This is a coaching “process” that, when properly applied, will take your clients to their Desired Outcome in a practical and purposeful manner!

STAGE 1 – DESIRE

Any desire that is not properly nurtured and left unattended will soon wither away. And while most people will start by creating a dream about what it is they wish to achieve, that dream must be converted into a vision before it dies.

By itself, a desire has no accountability! It carries no responsibility. And it offers no stability! It will be nothing more than an elusive dream and you can’t coach a dream!  The first thing you need to do as a coach is to convert a dream or desire into a genuine vision!

STAGE 2 – VISION

A Vision is a dream in 3-D. You can actually step inside your vision and start to follow it! But unlike a dream or desire, your vision requires accountability! And since accountability is tangible and can be measured, it can also be coached. As a coach, you must help your client convert a dream or desire into a vision.

A vision is a realization of what is possible. It is in fact the Desired Outcome you’re client wants to achieve! But coaching your clients to their vision can be just as challenging as taking them from the realm of a dream and converting that desire to a vision.  Especially if that vision takes them into a distant future. Any vision that will require more than 6 months to achieve, is not a coachable goal. In order to for you to be a results-driven and goal-oriented coach, you must approach your client’s vision incrementally in segments that are between 3 to 6 months in duration. Each segment will have its own objective, require its own coaching program and will create a tangible “milestone” on the path to the client’s ultimate Desired Outcome – their vision!. Each segment will therefore have its own unique outcome!

STAGE 3 – OUTCOME

So you’ve converted your client’s dream into a vision of what is possible and now you are ready to coach your client toward that Desired Outcome by always keeping the “end in mind”! And you’ve outlined this process in your Coaching Proposal, together with an estimate of the timeline to achieve the final objective. But if the Desired Outcome is more than 6 months away (according to your timeline), your Coaching Proposal must also contain a detailed description of the Coaching Program that will take your client to the next outcome, milestone or segment.  This is the segment your client must complete and the outcome that must be achieved, before moving on to the next part of the journey.

Depending on the grandeur of your client’s vision and the scope of the Desired Outcome, this will be your opportunity to create a long-term relationship with your client that will remain purposeful, results-driven, goal-oriented and lucrative for the duration of the journey!

© 2014 Allan N. Mulholland, CPC

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Turn Your Coaching Session Into a Coaching Experience

There is much more to coaching than simply picking up the phone at a pre-arranged time and connecting with your client for a 30 minute chat! The old axiom “You only get out of it, what you put into it” was never more true than for your coaching session. The client must receive maximum value from the session, while the coach receives maximum fees.

If you want to facilitate the successful achievement of your client’s Desired Outcome, every one of your coaching sessions must be purposeful, results-driven and goal-oriented!  If you want to charge top coaching fees, you better be prepared to go the extra mile and turn your coaching session into a coaching experience.

There are many elements that make up a properly executed coaching session. Here are the 10 session criteria that I consider essential for creating a coaching experience!

1.    Preparation

Before I connect with a client, I always allow myself 15 minutes to properly prepare for the session. This is the time when I do all of the following:

a)    I review all my notes.

Every time I conduct a coaching session, I take detailed notes on everything that happens during the session. I am always amazed at how many coaches rely on memory from one session to the next. If you don’t take notes, you are not a credible and professional coach! Winging it is for the birds!

b)    I check my Coaching Timeline.

Every Coaching Program that I prepare for a client is based on a 3 – 6 month timeline. I use this timeline to hold both the client and myself accountable for achieving measurable progress toward a Desired Outcome.

c)    I read the “Prep Sheet”.

Prior to every session, my clients submit a Coaching Prep Sheet where they write a brief summary of the progress they made since the last session and where they want to spend some extra time during the next session.

d)    I prepare a Session Agenda.

Based on the notes, timeline and prep sheet, I create a simple agenda that I will use to keep the coaching session on track and on time. Now I’m ready to make the call!

2.    Maintaining Control

When you engage in a coaching session with your client, it is imperative that you are in control of the conversation at all times!  You are the conductor of your “coaching bus” and your client is the passenger!  While your client may have an itinerary of places he or she wants to go, you’re the one who is driving the bus that will take them there!

This is especially true if you’re giving away a free initial coaching session! You’re passenger hasn’t even paid for the bus ticket yet, so don’t let them grab the steering wheel!  If they can drive the bus themselves, why do they need you?  Yet so many coaches allow their clients to “hijack” the coaching bus and take control of the session.

If you want to deliver a quality coaching session, you’ve got to be in control!  How do you maintain control?  By asking questions!

3.    Asking Questions

Lead the conversation by asking questions!  These questions must be targeted and focused on the Desired Outcome.  Listen intently to your client’s answers!

Ask more questions!  Maintain control!   And then wait for the “Coaching Climax”!

4.    Creating Coaching Climaxes

A Coaching Climax is the ‘mental trigger’ that validates and authenticates a pivotal point in a coaching session.  I deliberately chose the word ‘climax’ as a metaphor for the powerful impact it has on a coaching client.  A skillful Coach can achieve multiple Coaching Climaxes for a client during a coaching session.

If your client does not experience at least one coaching climax for every 15 minutes of coaching, your coaching session did not measure up to the rigorous standards of a Coaching EXPERT!

5.      Achieving Milestones

A sure-fire way to keep your clients motivated and on track is to provide measurable accomplishments during and following each coaching session.  Recognize the progress the client has made since the last session and point out any recent ‘milestones’ that he/she has reached.  A ‘Success Formula’ is created when a string of ‘milestones’ are recorded along the path to achieving a Desired Outcome.

6.    Keeping your focus on the Desired Outcome

If you don’t keep focus on the Desired Outcome, the client may start to wander in different directions. While you certainly do not want to stifle any opportunity for your clients to achieve a Coaching Climax, you must guard against any random deviations from the session agenda. If you don’t, the session will miss its objective and will be difficult to record in your notes in the context of the overall Desired Outcome.

7.    Inserting the Accountability Factor

The “accountability factor” must be ever present throughout the session!  As a Coach, you must hold your clients accountable for their actions. 

• Without accountability, there can be no discipline.

• Without discipline, there can be no commitment.

• Without commitment, there can be no achievement.

8.    Reviewing the session

Before you wrap up your coaching session, you must do a quick verbal recap of the things your client achieved during the call. This will re-enforce the client’s perception of value and the investment the client is making in you as a coach!

9.    The Assignment

Always assign some homework that the client must complete by the next session. This could be writing a new resume, drinking less alcohol, starting a new project for their home or business, celebrating a special occasion, etc.

1    The follow-up email

For me, this is the ‘icing on the cake’!  As a true professional, you must send a brief email to your clients that recognizes the Coaching Climaxes that were created, the Milestones that were achieved and the Assignment that is to be completed by the next session!

Incorporate these 10 elements in your coaching sessions and discover how you can create a unique and valuable coaching experience for your clients!

© 2014 Allan N. Mulholland, CPC

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE?

You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

“PersonaCoach™ teaches Life & Business Coaches from around the world how to be EXPERTS at what they do and charge EXPERT FEES for what they do. Get your FREE eBook “Become a Coaching EXPERT and Charge EXPERT Coaching Fees” at http://www.personacoach.com

Contact PersonaCoach at info@personacoach.com