As coaches, there are many things to be listening for as a client speaks, more than their words alone. This article explores some of the non-verbal communication to pay attention to, often also called client “somatic” information. Non-verbal information can...
Category: #7 – Direct Communication
Train like an Olympian
The Winter Olympic Games 2022 have been underway for about 11 days so far, with about 5 days remaining. Every 4 years feels like a treasure chest to me, watching the best athletes in the world compete against each other...
Butterfly on the Wall Coaching Series
Have you ever wanted to be a "butterfly" on the wall hanging out (inconspicuously, of course) while an experienced coach is coaching their client? Here's a very rare, unique opportunity to get an insider's peek into the real relationship...
Curiosity and Interrupting the client are like oil and water
I’m often asked by my mentor coaching clients, how to stop clients who speak a lot, including if, how and when to interrupt a client. That’s a great inquiry! Here are some of my thoughts and different ideas, which have...
Normalizing Conflict
Hands up anyone who enjoys being in conflict with someone? Conflict is a serious disagreement or argument with someone where there is often a ‘winner’ and a loser’ mentality. Maybe some people enjoy conflict, yet for the majority of people,...
Coaching is like playing tennis…
I’ve recently been using this metaphor with mentoring clients, to convey how a coach engages with their client. Metaphor is a direct form of communication, as it cuts through a lot of words and mental churn. Through metaphor, our client...
Distinctions on observations comments and intuitions
May I make an observation? Who is willing to say no? Anyone? My observation is when this question is asked of a coaching client, they don't say no. So what is the purpose of saying this rather than just making...
Effective use of visual language
Imagine you are walking down a path with beautiful trees on either side. The sun is shining through the trees, creating a soft glow of light on the path ahead. There’s a puddle and you easily jump over it. As...
Speech is Silver and Silence is Golden
You may have heard the saying, “Silence is Golden.” When I did some research on this saying, I found that it is a part of a saying that goes, “Speech is silver and silence is golden.” In many cultures or...
Simplify Simplify Simplify
As coaches, we are oriented to helping our clients to become the best version of themselves, to believing in their capabilities, and to support in their confidence to achieve what it is they are seeking to. One of the temptations...