Tips - Inner Firewalking

Do’s and Don’ts for Coaching Sessions- Part 1

The following is an excerpt from Top Coaching Techniques.

1. DON’T

Give your client all the answers.

Draw your client out. Help them to come up with the answers themselves by asking questions.

2. DON’T

Allow your client to set “negative” goals. (I want to lose weight. I want to get rid of my spouse.)

Help your client to set uplifting goals that feel good when they say them. (I love my healthy, energetic body! I am thrilled to be in this loving relationship!)

3. DON’T

Stick to a session plan no matter what comes up during the session.

Be flexible and willing to help a client explore issues as they arise. Issues can affect many areas and be the very thing blocking their success.

4. DON’T

Be afraid of feedback as a coach.

Ask for and use any feedback you can get to improve your coaching skills. This will keep you clear on how you are reaching your clients.

5. DON’T

Wait until the end to ask for a referral or testimonial.

Have your client write a testimonial AS IF they have achieved all their goals with your help. This will get your client clear on how they expect you to help them.

Top Ten Tips for Committing to Action

The following is an excerpt from Top Coaching Techniques.

1. Choose something you really want – not something you think you SHOULD do.

2. Set a goal that is specific and measurable – so you know you’ve reached it!

3. Find a way to make it fun (it doesn’t have to be serious).

4. Choose a meaningful halfway mark or milestone and ~celebrate~!

5. Have a friend do it with you.

6. Tell everyone what it is – it doesn’t exist until people know about it.

7. For the tricky ones, have three friends check in with you to see how you’re going.

8. Schedule a regular time of day or day of the week for your action.

9. Put up a banner or screen saver reminding you of the benefits of your goal.

10. Hang out with people who have the same or similar goals!!!

Top Advantages of Narrowly Defining Your Niche

The following is an excerpt from the CoachStart Manual.

1) Their challenges get more uniform as you go narrower. Therefore, you can become an expert in their specific issues, instead of a generalist in everything.

2) You can research this particular group to learn more about what they need. And, you can test-market your wares to see what they are buying.

3) In your literature, you can appeal specifically to this group instead of to everyone. So your target market will be attracted to you instead of passing you by.

4) Your material (e.g. newsletter), can be targeted and of value to your target market, instead of a little bit useful to everyone (e.g. newsletter articles).

5) You can work out where they ‘hang out’, (e.g. health magazines), and focus your marketing campaigns.

6) When you want to get paid advertising in YOUR newsletter and on your web site, advertisers will actually be interested because you have a targeted, qualified audience for their product.

7) You achieve more credibility than someone who appears to handle everything.

You can create specific products and services that appeal to this group; e.g., Find your Career Direction form.

Top Ten Radical Actions for Finding a Partner

The following is an excerpt from Top Coaching Techniques.

1. Declare to all your friends that you’re available. Let them know the type of partner and relationship you’re looking for.

2. Ask 20 people out in the next seven days.

3. Join a dating service (try it!).

4. Get listed on the Internet dating sites (If you’re embarrassed, get over it! This is a non-confronting way to check people out, and it’s fun!)

5. Place a personal ad.

6. Do a personal development course.

7. Join 1-3 clubs/courses where people share a common interest with you, and where you’ll have fun (e.g. yoga, bush walking, dancing, indoor rock climbing, film club)

8. Polish up your life to become more attractive (i.e. list 5 things in your life which you know you should handle, and get them handled! E.g. health, house, car, fight with a friend)

9. List 5 people you would normally not ask out on a date (e.g. they’re not perfect, not your type, probably not interested, you’re not attracted to them), and ask them out! (Trust me – if nothing else, this gets you out, and lubricates the dating wheels)

10. Declare to yourself that you will be single for 6 months, and simply have the best time you possibly can! (You become a magnet!)

Top Ten Steps To Peace

The following is an excerpt from Top Coaching Techniques.

1. Tidy your room (and for a bonus – the apartment/house! Consider getting help doing it.)

2. Get/understand that anything you do above securing food, shelter and clothing, is all entertainment. (You’ve made it dramatic!)

3. Arrive 15 minutes early to all appointments (including those with yourself).

4. Stick to the speed limit (drive with peace…let others overtake you)

5. Schedule BLANK TIME in the day – 1-2 hours where nothing can be scheduled. When it comes, you can use it to walk on the beach, work, make love……. It doesn’t matter.

6. Lower the Bar – Examine what you THINK you need to do this week, and then think again.

7. Drop something. There are 1-3 things you’re about to do this week, which do not support you having peace in your life (or maybe anything good!). TV? Obligation? Draining person? (Oops – can I say that?)

8. Identify what your needs really are, and get them met. (This is easiest using a coach with experience in this area)

9. Handle a drain i.e. something you’re putting up with.

10. Schedule at least two hours per week for YOU. Time where you get to reflect, think, walk, paint, write, and quieten the mind.

Coaching Tips and Hints

The following is an excerpt from Top Coaching Techniques.

Learn to trust your intuition

If someone is stuck figuring out what they love, ask them “what do you hate?”

Remember your mission as a coach: to discover or create who your clients really are.

Make a list of 10 to 15 powerful fallback questions to help if you ever get stuck in a session. Here’s a couple to get you started:

How could I best help you with that?
If you were the coach right now, what coaching would you give yourself on this?
What’s something that you could do to move forward on this goal?

Convert more prospects by helping them to clearly see the gap between where they are and what they want. Then get them excited about achieving what they want.

Exceed the expectations of your clients. Give them more value than they pay you in money.

Stay educated. Never stop learning about your specialized field. Become an expert.

To help draw out a client ask them about different areas of their life. Go through the standard areas (relationships, finances, health, and career) and ask them to score each one out of ten. This will help you find out where to start with the client.
Dealing with resistance: Start with building awareness of the resistance. Set targets you can actually achieve. Try double padding. You set the target for each day; estimate how long each will take and double the time. Another thing is to set spaces in your day, like an hour space in the afternoon.