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5 Tips to Get The Most Out of Coaching
You have an appointment with a coach. What next?
Coaching is a learning interaction between two or more peers, one of whom is trained in the coaching skills of listening, questioning, and reflective feedback, and the other an expert in their own resources, challenges, and opportunities. The coach is there to help the client tap into the inner expert.
Any coach will agree that when both the client and coach come to the coaching session ready to make it great, it usually is.
Here are 5 ways you can prepare for and participate in coaching to get the most out of your experience:
BEFORE THE COACHING SESSION
1. Reflect on what you want to achieve.
Come to the session with one or more ideas for a topic you wish to discuss. Typically, this topic is around a plan, decision, or strategy you want to create. You might want to reflect on a project or product you created with an eye to improving it or doing it differently next time. Remember coaching is forward thinking-- don’t come expecting to stay in the past. It is all about what you will do moving forward.
During the coaching session
2. Be fully present.
Set aside all distractions-- give yourself this time to be fully present with yourself and with the coach. Of course, shut off all devices and be in a quiet, private place. Coffee shops and other public spaces are not the best choice. Practice mindful breathing or other simple mindfulness techniques as you begin to bring your full self to the moment.
3. Be honest.
Some people struggle to silence their need to impress, make friends with, or hide from their coach. Remember that this conversation is bound by confidentiality, and it is worthless if you use the time to present yourself other than you are. Believe me, good coaches have heard everything, and the relationship is not a social one. This is one reason coaches whom you know socially and professionally may not be the best fit for you. One of the delights of having a coach is knowing they have no agenda other than your agenda.
After the Coaching Session
4. Reflect.
Not all of the benefits of coaching happens during the session. Afterward, write down your thoughts, or review your notes (if you took them). What did you learn in the session? What was most helpful? What do you want to address next time?
3. Follow up.
You should leave your session with something you want to do or think about. Determine how you will hold yourself accountable for doing this and how you will communicate it with your coach.
The coach may be an expert in coaching, or even in your industry, but you are the expert in your challenges and opportunities.
Both experts have to come together with open hearts and minds to make the process effective.
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