Whether you’re an old coach or a new coach, basics are basics.
And every coach must know how the basic coaching process works to be able to create consistent
results for their clients.
Hey there and welcome to Evercoach, the leading online training platform for coaches who want
to create impact and be prosperous.
This is your host, Ajit Nawalkha, and today I’m sharing the step-by-step coaching process
you should follow when coaching clients.
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So, what is the coaching process?
A coaching process is a step-by-step structure on what you should do when coaching a client.
It’s a great tool, especially when you’re just getting started, to ensure you tick all
the right boxes to take your client through a transformational journey.
Let me be clear here.
A coaching process is not a coaching structure.
The coaching structure is the flow and agenda you should follow in each coaching session.
What we’re talking about is the process from starting to work with a client to the
end of their journey, or at least until the review of their goals and starting the cycle
again.
Before going into the 4-step coaching process with your client, you must first establish
where your client is when they are starting their coaching journey.
And, of course, I don’t mean physically.
- Vincent…
I’m on the other phone.
Understand where your client is at that moment.
Mentally.
Let’s call this Step 0.
Think about it like this.
You wake up in the morning, get ready, and as soon as you open your laptop to start working,
you get bombarded with emails and messages on things you need to do.
It’s like information overload!
At least let me get a coffee first.
- I think I’m gonna have to cut you off, sir.
The same happens with your clients.
If you start a session going straight into the action, your clients might not be in the
right headspace and won’t follow their or your train thought.
Understand where they are in that present moment.
You can ask questions like, How are you feeling right now?
What is on your mind?
Do you feel present in this moment?
What thoughts do you need to let go of before we get started?
Step 0 should be the start of any coaching journey.
But I also recommend using it when starting each coaching session.
This will help both you and your client get on the same page before starting the real
work, and you can customize the session to their needs that way.
As a bonus, it also starts forming your coaching relationship.
You get to connect and build rapport with your client and create a safe space in which
the coaching magic will happen.
Once that has been set, you can start the actual coaching session.
The first step is establishing goals and purpose.
This is the foundation of the coaching session.
You can’t help your clients reach their goals if their goals are not defined.
So start by assessing your client’s situation.
Ask them, What would you like to be coached on?
What do you want, need, and/or desire?
What do you want to achieve?
What targets are you aiming at?
Why do you want to reach this goal?
Make sure their motivation and purpose are super clear.
It will allow you to coach them better and it will also increase their commitment and
likelihood to follow through on their plans.
Once you have a clear direction of where your client wants to go, help them set specific
goals that reflect what it means for them to achieve that dream or vision.
What will be “success” for them by the end of this coaching journey?
Ask your client to come up with 3 goals that will support their plans.
Encouraging your client to create these goals themselves will make them feel more ownership
over them.
However, it doesn’t mean they have to do all the work here.
Here are 3 tips you can follow for Step 1 to help your clients establish their goals
and purpose.
The first tip is share your thoughts.
Start with something like, This is what came up for me as you were speaking…
Second tip is to reflect back what they’ve told you.
You can rephrase them like this, Here is what I heard…
The third tip is to Ask powerful questions to dig deeper.
You can start with, Let me ask you this…
or Why is that important to you?
How do you help your clients establish their goals?
Share your favorite techniques with us in the comment section below.
I would love to know.
Now onto the second step.
Lay out the plan.
Your client has the vision, the purpose, and the drive.
But how are they going to actually get there?
As the quote goes, “A goal without an action plan is a daydream”.
Help your client create an action plan that will support their journey to their goal.
Explore opportunities, options, possibilities, and ways to overcome any obstacle that could
come in their way.
Your role here is to guide your client through creating a strategy that meets their needs,
that they feel confident and capable of executing, and that will take them closer to their goals.
The key here is to allow the space for your client to elicit their own solutions and strategies.
You’re not coaching them if you’re doing the work for them.
Let them work on it.
And then provide your support as their coach to enhance the skills, resources, and habits
they might need to follow through.
You can ask them questions like, What action steps would you need to take?
How do you see yourself achieving this goal?
What obstacles could get in the way?
How would you overcome those obstacles?
What could be a Plan B if Plan A doesn’t work out?
What’s another way of achieving this?
Now that the plan is in place, it’s time to get our hands dirty.
Step 3 is all about executing the action plan.
This will probably be the stage that takes most of the time during the coaching journey.
Why?
Because it’s what’s gonna define if your client reaches their goals or not.
Once you enter Step 3 of the coaching process, your coaching sessions should mostly be focused
on following up on your client’s actions and setting the next steps.
Help them move forward by providing the support, encouragement, and resources they might need.
Coach them through their limitations and obstacles so they don’t get stuck at any point in
the journey.
Another crucial role of yours as their coach in this stage is to keep them accountable
for their plan and ensure they don’t lose direction.
Put them back on track or re-adjust their plan to the new direction when needed.
Some questions you might want to ask them are,
What is on track with your plan?
What isn’t working out and why?
What could you do in the next week?
What do you have to pay attention to?
What support or resources do you need?
The last step of the coaching process is probably the most powerful one of all of them.
Because it’s not about taking action, it’s about taking a step back and reflecting on
your client’s personal journey.
Step 4 is about reviewing and learning.
It’s time to review, reflect, and reassess the plan.
There are 3 scenarios of what could happen during step 4.
First scenario: the goals were not reached at this point.
What comes next is coaching your client through a reflection of why the plan didn’t work,
what they need to work on, and how to get back on track.
In this case, Step 4 marks the end and start of a new cycle in the on-going coaching process.
Which means setting new goals, creating a new action plan, and executing it.
Second scenario: your client reached their initial goal but there’s still some work
to do.
Your coaching journey could continue.
Use this step to review their learning points and start the process again like in Scenario
1.
Third scenario: your client reached their goal and they’re happy where they are now.
The coaching journey has come to an end.
Close your coaching session with a reflection of the main learnings and growth your client
has had.
Use this step to ask questions such as, What did it take for you to achieve this goal?
Why didn’t you achieve this goal?
What worked?
What didn’t work?
What’s your next step?
And that’s it!
The 4-step coaching process.
Simple yet extremely effective and works every time.
Just like great coaching.
My wish for you is that you try this coaching process out and tweak it as you go to fit
your style.
The more you practice it, the more comfortable you’ll feel taking your clients through
it, and the more consistent results you’ll be able to create for them.
I share more insights, strategies, and hacks for building your coaching business in my
latest book The Business Book of Coaching.
Get your copy by clicking here.
What’s your favorite step in the coaching process and why?
Share it with us in the comment section below.
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