A Coaching Model Created by Natalia Pliszczak
(Life Coach, ZURICH)
Several reasons can lead a client to consult a coach, e.g. lack of life/work balance, lack of purpose in life, mobbing at work, etc. But what is certain is that when a client first consults a coach, he/she is ready to make a change in his/her life and willing to take action.
As I believe an effective coaching session can help the client towards this goal of making radical positive changes in his/her life and helping him/her get the best life possible, I use the REBORN coaching model.
REBORN
Reason for the session
At the beginning of the session, I have a conversation with the client to find out what is the burning topic this person wants to address today.
By asking relevant questions and actively listening, we find out together what really brought the client here, and what is the real issue to solve today.
I focus on emotions and feelings, not facts, in order to find out the real reason for the session need.
When these emotions and feelings are identified, it offers a focus for the session, and we’ll be able to work on them and try to shift them into more positive ones and find solutions to the issue presented today.
Explanation of the current situation
Now that the grounds are set, the emotions to work on identified, and the situation well understood, we can move on to the second part of the session. We analyse the current situation, try to understand how the external aspects of the situation affect the client and analyse a bit deeper his/her internal emotions. These emotions that the client is feeling are questioned, and the client needs to understand where they are coming from (underlying beliefs?) in order to better identify them and manage them.
We analyse all aspects of it so the client can brainstorm potential solutions to the current situation.
Brainstorming of potential solutions
At that stage, we know what the current situation is, and where the client wants to head.
Starting from the desired end result, the client will now brainstorm on ways to get there. In order to set realistic and attainable expectations to reach that goal, I’ll use several techniques, depending on the client need. One of them can be the SMART goal setting (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely).
The goal here is for the client to get concrete ideas that can be implemented right away, in line with his/her values and desired emotions.
Organization of the newly created plan
We have now identified the action steps that the client can take in order to get from where he/she is now to where he/she wants to be. In this phase, we talk now about timeline and milestones: when will the client start implementing these ideas, what are the key milestones, when does he/she plan to reach each of them, etc. This is to give the client an idea on when he/she’ll be able to reach that goal if he/she commits to the plan he/she’s just created. This is not set in stone and can evolve. However, if the client is not able to follow this timeline, we’ll analyse in future sessions the potential reasons for it and address them.
Responsibilities of the client to make this plan work
In order to make sure the client actually commits, he/she needs to set up a support structure. This is discussed in the last phase of the coaching session. This support system can come from friends or family, himself/herself, the coach, or someone else important to this person. The client also needs to brainstorm other ideas that will help him/her work consistently towards the desired outcome, e.g rewarding himself/herself with some treats when she reaches her goal.
Run-through session and next steps
Finally, before coaching the session, the client recaps what was analysed and discussed during the session and gives his/her take away from the session. Next arrangements between the client and the coach are discussed, and the session can be closed.