About Coaching
Reading through the web site should answer this for you - but for those of you who like a definition, I have included some here.
Actually, definitions are as varied as they are numerous. It is very difficult to capture the essence of coaching in a verbal description.
ICF - the International Coaching Federation - talks about coaching as
“partnering with clients to compel personal transformation
through thought-provoking dialogue”.
The ICF adheres to a form of coaching that honours the client as the expert in his/her personal and/or professional life, and every client is considered to be creative and resourceful. Based on this foundation, the coach’s responsibility iis to
- Discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve
- Encourage client self-discovery
- Elicit client-generated solutions and strategies
- Hold the client as responsible and accountable
Thus the ICF defines coaching as
“… an ongoing partnership that helps clients produce fulfilling results in their personal and professional lives. Through the process of coaching, clients deepen their learning, improve their performance, and enhance their quality of life.
In each meeting the client chooses the focus of conversation, while the coach listens and contributes observations and questions. This interaction creates clarity and moves the client into action. Coaching accelerates the client’s progress by providing greater focus and awareness of choice. Coaching concentrates on where clients are today and what they are willing to do to get where they want to be tomorrow”.
www.coachfederation.org
I personally also like the simple acorn analogy:
“Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximise their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them…..we are more like an acorn, which contains within it all the potential to be a magnificent oak tree. We need nourishment, encouragement, and the light to reach toward, but the oaktreeness is already within”
(John Whitmore, Coaching for Performance, NB Publishing 1992)
And finally here is a definition from the Association for Coaching (UK):
"A collaborative solution-focused, results-orientated and systematic process in which the coach facilitates the enhancement of work performance, life experience, self-directed learning and personal growth of the coachee."
www.associationforcoaching.com
If you would like a hands-on experience of what coaching with me is like, why not contact me to arrange a no-obligation complimentary session?
“Is coaching for me?”
If you are still unsure, all you have to do is contact me to discuss your concerns, doubts or questions about whether or not coaching may be of benefit to you at this time. I look forward to hearing from you.
If you decide that you want to work with a coach, you should choose a coach you can easily relate to; who you feel is compatible; someone you trust. Don’t be afraid to “interview” a coach to find out if they are the “right fit” for you – coaches are used to this and normally there is no charge for a conversation of this kind. And ask about their training and qualifications – a well-trained coach gives you peace of mind. At the moment, anyone can call themselves a coach, whether or not they have any formal training or experience.
You can do the quick "Are you coachable?" quiz right now to help you decide if coaching might be for you. Click here to complete the questions and see the results.
If you want to find out more about what coaching with me might do for you, go to Who I work with . On that page I say more about the kind of clients I work with and some of the issues I help them with.
From there you can continue to explore How I work for the practicalities of the process of coaching, and what it is like to work with me as your coach.
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