Coaching Model: What if?

What works?

It is “time to get real”. This is the phase where the client is ready to launch, take steps toward action, and learn from the real world. A particularly powerful approach to determine what works involves inviting the client through the use of powerful questions into the conversation in an active, hands-on way, where they determine their steps forward and accept the accountability for moving forward.

The Tools:

The Tools:

Coaches are always looking for a “tool box” of effective tools that they can reach in and use as appropriate for the situations. In this model, I have suggested ten tools for the four questions to aid the coach to drive desired outcomes.

These 10 tools are:

1. Visualization: Using imagery to envision possibilities and bring them to life.
2. Journey Mapping: assessing the existing experience through the client’s eyes.
3. Values: assessing what is important to the client that supports the client’s journey. These values will guide the client in their pursuit as we work toward common goals
4. Mind Mapping: generating insights from exploration activities and using those to create decision criteria
5. Brainstorming: generating new possibilities and new alternatives.
6. Concept Development: assembling possible solution elements into a coherent alternative solution that can be explored and evaluated
7. Assumption Testing: isolating and testing the key assumptions that will drive the success or failure of a concept.
8. Rapid Prototyping: expressing a new concept in a tangible form for exploration, testing, and refinement.
9. Client Co-Creation: enrolling clients to participate in creating the solution that best meets their needs.
10. Learning Launch: creating an affordable experiment that lets clients experience the new solution over an extended period of time, to test key assumptions with their reality.

The Outcomes:

The desirable outcomes are consistent with ICA’s competencies for professional coaches. They include:

1. Setting the Foundation: Understanding of coaching ethics and standards and ability to apply them appropriately to all coaching situations. Outlining the coaching journey so the client understands their role and accountability in the process.
2. Coaching Agreement: Understand what is required in the specific coaching interaction and agree with prospective and new client about coaching process and relationship.
3. Establish Trust: Ability to create a safe, supportive environment that produces ongoing mutual respect and trust.
4. Coaching Presence: Ability to be fully conscious and create spontaneous relationship with the client, employing a style that is open, flexible and confident.
5. Active Listening: Ability to focus completely on what the client is saying and is not saying, to understand the meaning of what is said in the context of the client’s desires, and to support client self-expression.
6. Powerful Questioning: Ability to ask questions that reveal the information needed for maximum benefit to the coaching relationship and the client.
7. Direct Communication: Ability to communicate effectively during coaching sessions, and to use language that has the greatest positive impact on the client.
8. Creating Awareness: Ability to integrate and accurately evaluate multiple sources of information, and to make interpretations that help the client to gain awareness and thereby achieve agreed upon results.
9. Designing Actions: Ability to create with the client opportunities for ongoing learning, during coaching and in work/life situations, and for taking new actions that will most effectively lead to agreed-upon coaching results.
10. Planning and Goal Setting: Ability to develop and maintain an effective coaching plan with the client.

Summary

People say it all the time….”we need to think outside the box. We need to innovate.” Right? But no one teaches you HOW to do that. “What if…? written into one’s mind can radically change an individual’s life—both personally and professionally. A second question which follows “what if?’ for the client is “How could I make that happen?
Two simple questions, which when fully understood and acted upon, have the power to move the coaching experience and the client is experience to a new level. The important and impactful message is that we do have the ability to create anything we want, anything we can dream up if we just ask the right questions and have the courage to act upon the answers. The outcome can be the creation of the potential to make life better….relationships, careers, incomes, faith-walk….everything…for your clients.