Life Coaching - FAQ

  1.  Who needs a coach?
  2.  What happens during a coaching session?
  3.  How do I get started?
  4.  Is coaching the same as therapy?
  5.  Why hire a coach?
  6.  Will the coach ask me to do things I don't want to do?
  7.  How long does the client/coach relationship last?
  8.  Does coaching take place in person or over the phone?
  9.  How is coaching different from consulting?
10.  How does the coach/client alliance begin?
11.  What is a trial session?
12.  How much does it cost?

1. Who needs a coach?
   
   Anyone who wants to take control of their life and make a change. The objective may be as big as a lifelong dream or it may be an immediate and specific goal. Here is a list of common situations we see where coaching is appropriate:     

• Desire to make a career change     
• Career advancement          
• Start your own business       
• Want to lose weight     
• Want more balance in family, career, financial and spiritual areas of your life     
• Dealing with family situations more effectively          
• Want to begin a project     
• A desire to deepen your spirituality or resolve uncertainties          
• You want to be more effective at ....     
• To discover new purpose, create clarity on priorities          
• To increase vitality and zest for life     
• Get more organized          
• Stop tolerating unacceptable situations, establish boundaries

A survey of personal coaching clients conducted by the International Coach Federation several years ago found the following results. The clients were allowed to pick multiple reasons for seeking a coach.  Time management        80.5%  Career                        74.5%  Business                     73.8%  Relationships/Family      58.6%  Physical/Wellness         51.9%  Spiritual                      51%  Personal                     45.2%  Goal-setting                39.5%  Financial                     38.1%  Creativity                     11%  Other                           1.4%

 

2. What happens during a coaching session?                                          

Sessions depend on what the client wants. Some clients want to begin an aggressive laser attack on the issue at hand; others need some time to settle down into the process. The coach will adapt to the client’s style while always maintaining an awareness of where the client wants to go. Above all the coach is there to forward the agenda of the client.

The coach will alternatively: 

A typical phone session will last anywhere from one half hour to an hour once per week. There are several coaching packages available to suit the budget and the needs of the client. Coming out of each session the client will have generated some actions (homework) according to their own desire to move forward.  

3. How do I get started?

Contact a coach and arrange for a complementary trial session. During the session you will be exposed to the coaching process which will help you decide if this is beneficial to you. If you choose to enter into the coaching experience the coach will help you move through the next steps.

There are some tools at the end of this packet that you can use to evaluate whether you are ready for a coach, to help you develop a better picture of where you are, and where you would like to be.

You can use the Discovery Form to evaluate your current readiness for coaching before scheduling a trial session. Medium or low scores can still mean that a coach might be of value to help remove those blocks to self investment. Use the Session Prep Form to gather your thoughts before a session.

Or…  just call and schedule a trial session, the rest will take care of itself.
                                           

4. Is coaching the same as therapy? 

Coaching is not therapy. Coaching is for those that are looking into the future and have a desire to move forward. Therapy looks to the past for solutions to some current dysfunction. Where therapy is in the foreground it may be useful for a client to work with both a therapist and a coach at the same time in order to move forward in areas where the client is able. 

However, in actual practice coaching may help a client deal with past issues by creating new perspectives and discarding old points of view.

5. Why hire a coach?  

A coach offers an objective partner with which to form an important alliance. We all lose a certain amount of objective perspective when it comes to ourselves. We are constantly subjected to the willfulness and agendas of other people and institutions that may not have our best interests in mind. This can result in our losing track of our own core values and desires. A professional coach provides a partner that is objective and who's only agenda is your agenda; what you want. A professional coach is trained in many techniques for working with clients and stimulating them into action and success.

·      You will begin to take yourself more seriously and begin to believe that what you want is achievable.

·      You will immediately begin to take effective action and rapidly gain confidence.

·      You will identify and stop energy drains that you have been tolerating.

·      You will have a renewed sense of excitement and optimism.     
                                               

6. Will a coach ask me to do things I don’t want to do? 

No. The alliance is based on the client’s goals and aspirations, not the coach’s. All action plans are the result of a joint effort by client and coach. The coach will occasionally challenge the client to move beyond their comfort zone which the client can choose to accept, decline, or negotiate. A coach does not sit in judgement of the client.

7. How long does the coach/client relationship last?  
   
   The association may last anywhere from three months to indefinitely. Generally it takes at least three months for a client to fully realize the benefit from a coaching relationship. The client/coach alliance may continue as the client wishes to move forward on new topics. If the coach determines that coaching is not an effective tool for the client the association may end quickly.

It is important to understand that the coaching process goes through several stages just as with any new challenge or endeavor. Initial and intermediate stages of excitement and accomplishment are often followed by a stage of doubt; this is where we usually quit. The coach is trained to help the client work through this stage to finally realize their vision.

8. Does coaching take place in person or over the phone?                                                                         
   
   Most coaching, especially life coaching, takes place over the phone. Sometimes if geography allows an initial in person session may take place and the balance of the sessions take place over the phone. Many times it is more effective to do the coaching on site for business clients. Sometimes it is appropriate to conduct a portion of the coaching by email. Although it is a little more difficult to develop a rapport it does allow for extra time to more deeply consider questions and responses.
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10. How is coaching different from consulting?  
    
    A coach works as a partner to forward the client’s agenda and vision. The client is viewed as the expert on their own life. A consultant is considered the expert in the situation and is called on to propose, and possibly, implement the solution. Coaching and consulting often overlap, especially in business situations. Sometimes if it is appropriate to the situation the coach may act as a consultant and provide new information to the client.
    
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12. How does the client/coach alliance begin? 

The journey begins with the coach quickly developing a rapport with the client. By using the tools in the intake package (the intake form, the design your life, and are you ready for coaching) and by asking powerful questions the coach can very quickly begin to work with the client on narrowing down the focus of the coaching sessions to those issues most important to the client.
 

11. What is a trial session?                                                                                                                                

A trial session gives the client an opportunity to experience the coaching process without any obligation. Generally the trial session is offered free of charge and can last between a half hour to an hour.

12. How much does it cost?

The coach will present options either during a trial session or at an appropriate time after it is clear what the client is looking for. The fee structure is designed to be affordable for an average income level. Coaching for individuals begins around $225 per month and for businesses around $400 per month. Fees change according to the frequency and number of services provided.