If you are interested in discovering how to prepare a life coaching session then we offer some helpful hints and tips as well as some strategies you can use to ensure your client gets the best possible outcome from their life coaching session with you. This is the third of seven assignments completed as part of a Life Coaching Course I undertook with the Home Learning College , I can highly recommend the Home Learning College life coaching course, which leads to a recognised qualification in Life Coaching. You are provided with a superb reference guide and one to one tutoring via email or phone. I must stress that I do not earn any financial incentive for referring people to their site. This assignment is based upon four coaching sessions conducted with the client

Question 1 - Write a brief summary of how you would prepare yourself and the environment for a life coaching session before the meeting.

The first priority is to focus attention on the pending session and try to push away any external thoughts about other activities that need to be done. This is not always easy but the best way to do it would be to switch the phone to voicemail and sit for 20-30 minutes to review the client’s notes so that there is a clear focus. Doing this should push away any other disturbances and help to approach the session in a positive frame of mind ready to facilitate the change process. In relation to the environment I would ensure that the interview takes place in an environment that is conducive to an hour long discussion. This means ensuring that the temperature is regulated appropriately, to avoid it being too hot or too cold. I would seek to ensure that the room is tidy and that there is enough seating and no obvious physical barriers, like a table, between myself and where the client would sit, in order to promote effective communication.

Question 2 - In your own words write a paragraph on the difference between ‘hearing’ and ‘active listening’. Within this write about why effective listening is important to life coaching.

Hearing is a one way process which occurs naturally as a result of how our human bodies were designed. Active listening on the other hand is a dynamic two way process which involves effort and requires the life coach to focus exclusively on what the client is communicating and to offer continual verbal or non verbal indications that demonstrate attention, like nodding. Active listening becomes effective listening when the coach is able to pick up on other non verbal indicators such as body language and voice tone and process this information, analyse it and respond appropriately to the client. Effective listening is essential to the coaching process because as human beings only twenty eight percent of our communication skills are verbal, Lewis (2000). Body language and tone of voice account for the other proportion. By picking up upon these aspects the coach can clarify meaning or ask open questions designed to explore the real feelings of the client. Effective listening can also help the client to question rigid or unhelpful thinking patterns or concerns and in doing so support the client in moving forward towards their goals.

Question 3 - In your own words write about what rapport is and why building it with the client is so important in life coaching.

Rapport is a term used to describe the framework in which a professional relationship will occur. It is the foundation upon which the coaching process will be established and requires the coach and the client to actively participate and respect each others views. Rapport requires trust and honesty to develop between both parties and this is achieved by creating an open and genuine environment for the client, to enable them to feel valued and respected. As part of this, the client must feel that their discussion will be treated in the strictest confidence and the life coach must aim to reassure any concerns in this area.

Rapport may also contain an element of humour, that is responsive and appropriate to the client’s circumstances enabling them to build confidence in the coach’s ability. A significant benefit to building good rapport is that a client is likely to be more open about their thoughts and feelings which enables the coach to help them grow more during the coaching process. Good rapport is likely to significantly improve the chances of the client achieving their goals and objectives as they will feel safe working in a professional relationship.

Question 4 - Write a paragraph on why questions are so important in the coaching sessions; remember to think about the different kinds of questions and their effects.

Questions are vitally important in the coaching process because they provide the client with the opportunity to actively consider their individual circumstances. In doing so they are often able to provide their own solutions to situations rather than relying upon the coach for direction, which would be inappropriate. The wide variety of questions enables the coach to guide discussion towards a positive outcome, by using open questions to encourage the client to think more broadly or closed questions to help the client identify specific goals. It should be stressed however that closed questions should not be used to direct the client towards the coach’s preferred path, but rather to help the client make sense of their own objectives.

A life coach who is responsive to the needs of the client may also utilise empowering questions which help the individual to examine and overcome self limiting beliefs that may previously have limited progress.

Specifying questions can help overcome occasions where the client is prone to generalising, without a proven evidential base for those conclusions. By encouraging the client to think in specific terms they are more likely to take positive steps forward, as they deconstruct previously perceived barriers to change.

Finally, insightful questions are a powerful means of encouraging a positive and creative thought process and are essential for maintaining motivation as they enable the client to consider their reasons for seeking change in the first place.

Whilst I have discussed many positive ways to use questions in the coaching process I am also aware of the importance of not using leading questions as they are likely to appear judgemental or discourage the client from expressing their true feelings, which can damage rapport and negatively effect the coaching process.

Question 5 - In your own words, explain why encouraging high self esteem is so important in coaching sessions. Include what you could do within the sessions to develop the self esteem of your client.

Self esteem is important in the coaching process for a variety of reasons. Firstly it provides the client with a belief in their capacity to change and/or grow during the coaching process which is a fundamental element to help them move forward. Secondly it provides motivation, because a client who truly believes they can reach their goals is likely to work hard to do so.

In order to encourage increased self esteem during coaching sessions I would try to adopt the following approach: