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Five years or so later , an event occurred that shook me out of my habit . In response to the question , my client said something like , “ Well it was a really great conversation and I ’ m taking away x , y and z . I didn ’ t get the thing answered I really wanted from this session , but the other stuff we talked about was great .”
I remember hanging up the phone and thinking , “ Oh no ! What happened ?! What did the client want to talk about that I missed ? I ’ ve failed him as a coach !”
From that day on , I more specifically clarified what the client wanted to have by the end of our coaching session , and I ’ d check in during the session to see if we were heading toward their desired outcome .
So I offer you one of the most powerful coaching tools we have , the “ check-in .”
In order to check in and find out how the coaching session is progressing for the client , we first need to know their desired destination . I ’ m a big advocate for using ICF ’ s PCC markers as coaching skills to master , to increase effectiveness as an Executive Coach , a trainer of coaches and as a Mentor Coach for credentialing .
The first marker for Creating the Coaching Agreement is , “ Coach helps the client identify , or reconfirm , what s / he wants to accomplish in the session .” This means we need to know more than the topic the client wants to talk about ; we need to understand what it is about that topic the client wants to explore in order to move forward in their desired direction .
Let ’ s say your client comes to the coaching session saying , “ I ’ ve just found out that two of my peers are being paid more than I am , and we ’ re doing the same work . I also trained these two peers when they
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came to the company , so this feels like a slap in the face . I want to know from our manager why I ’ m being paid less .”
The client has let you know their topic , yet what do they want to move forward ( accomplish ) around this topic in this session ? It could be to prepare for a conversation with their manager , or how to deal with their emotions first so they are able to speak coherently to their manager . Or it could be something else .
Perhaps your client learned this information right before the coaching session and says they want to work through their feelings about the situation first , and then to prepare to have a conversation with their manager . Now you can ensure your coaching stays focused on these two areas — working through their emotions , and preparing for the conversation .
The fifth marker is , “ Coach continues conversation in direction of client ’ s desired outcome unless client indicates otherwise .” This is your first way of checking in with the client to ensure that you are meeting their needs .
For example :
“ Where do you want to start exploring your topics ?”
“ It seems you are bringing up a different topic . Or do you see this related to your other topics ?”
Make a point of checking in somewhere around halfway into your coaching session ( or more often if you are doing 60-90-minute sessions ).
Examples of a check-in :
“ Can I check where you are now in regard to your emotions versus where you started our session ?”
“ It seems you have some really great ideas for how to approach your manager so far in our session .
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How would you describe where you are now ?”
Don ’ t wait until the very end of the session for your first check-in with your client , because a check-in almost always has the client share one or two things :
1 . The client reflects on what they ’ ve become aware of as a result of the coaching conversation .
2 . The client starts coming up with actions .
You want to allow time for the client to explore their emerging awareness , or to talk about their actions . This part of the coaching conversation is just as important as the exploring and discovery conversation , so don ’ t shortchange the client by allowing no time for them to explore their awareness , and / or actions .
Checking in during a coaching conversation is a very powerful tool that allows you to get a gauge on whether the conversation is still serving the client , if the client wants to shift the direction of the conversation , or if they are ready to reflect on what they ’ ve discovered so
far and talk about actions .
Copyright 2017 . Full Being Coaching , Inc ., and Carly Anderson
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Coaching World 11 |