What is Life Coaching?
ICF definition: Partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspire them to maximize their personal professional potential.
- a collaborative relationship between coach and client that fosters self-discovery, self-awareness and a deeper sense of satisfaction and fulfillment.
- happens in an environment where clients can freely express their emotions, be profoundly heard, manage internal blocks, clarify intentions & desires, become more self-directed
- coaches trained in listening, empathy, reflecting through insight, and asking powerful questions
- the most important element is the relationship b/w the coach & client
Coaching
- focuses on the present and how to move into a desired future.
The past may be touched on, but coaching doesn’t attempt to unearth and heal wounds from the past.
It’s not considered a healing or therapeutic modality.
Counselling
- delves into client’s past in order to support the healing of traumas or developmental disruptions.
- trained in therapeutic interventions and traumatic processing.
- provides support for addictions and mental health disorders.
What is presence?
The ‘here and now’ or when the focus is on our experience exactly as it is in the moment, so we can inhabit ourselves free from the past or expectations of the future.
- the practice of returning to the present moment facilitates self-awareness, personal growth and clarity.
Why is it important for a coach to cultivate presence?
- helps avoid getting swept up in our thoughts and emotions.
- clean listening means the coach is free from distraction, filters and assumptions which develops trust, safety and rapport with clients.
- exploring presence-cultivating practices: sit/grounding, breath, body scan, meditation, mindfulness, nature, movement.
Who was the Life Skills Program designed for?
socio-economically disadvantaged adults
What are the 4 Communication Styles and which one is most effective?
Passive Aggressive Passive-Aggressive Assertive The most effective is Assertive.
What are signs of Passive Communication?
• fail to assert for themselves
allow others to deliberately or inadvertently infringe on their rights
• fail to express their feelings, needs, or opinions
• tend to speak softly or apologetically
• exhibit poor eye contact and slumped body posture
What are signs of Aggressive Communication?
• try to dominate others use humiliation to control others • criticize, blame, or attack others • be very impulsive • have low frustration tolerance • speak in a loud, demanding, and overbearing voice • act threateningly and rudely • not listen well • interrupt frequently • use "you" statements • have an overbearing or intimidating posture
What are signs of Passive-Aggressive Communication?
mutter to themselves rather than confront the person or issue
• have difficulty acknowledging their anger
• use facial expressions that don’t match how they feel - i.e., • smiling when angry
• use sarcasm
• deny there is a problem
• appear cooperative while purposely doing things to annoy and disrupt
• use subtle sabotage to get even
What are signs of Assertive Communication?
- state needs and wants clearly, appropriately, and respectfully
- express feelings clearly, appropriately, and respectfully
- use “I” statements
- communicate respect for others
- listen well without interrupting
- feel in control of self
- have good eye contact
- speak in a calm and clear tone of voice
- have a relaxed body posture
- feel connected to others
- feel competent and in control
- not allow others to abuse or manipulate them
- stand up for their rights
An empathetic response to a person’s dog passing away.
“I can really hear how much your dog meant to you and I can see the tears.. that appears to me there is a lot of sadness there for you right now, and that makes so much sense to me because your dog was your companion, your best friend for all these years…” *Recognize and validate feelings/emotions
Why is it important for a skilled coach to ask a lot of questions during a session?
Invite inquiry and compassionate
curiosity.
The most effective open-ended coaching questions start with _____ & _____ ?
How/What
What is the definition of life skills?
Life skills are problem solving behaviours appropriately and responsibly used in the management of personal affairs.
Describe the stage “contemplation”, in stages of change
The Client is considering making a change, but doesn’t know what that change is exactly, or how to make it and is still feeling undecided.
No plan/action to make a change yet.
When would you refer a client to a counsellor?
If the client is seeking healing/processing from past trauma.
What are 5 phases in the 5 Phase lesson plan?
Stimulus Evocation Objective Inquiry Skills Practice Evaluation
What is the purpose and an example of a ‘Stimulus’? (5 phase lesson plan)
The purpose is to promote interest in the topic and either emotionally/intellectually stimulate them into an active state of learning.
A question, video, problem for discussion, activity, game, etc. related to the lesson topic.
What is a metaphor? And what are 3 benefits of using it?
A figure of speech in which a comparison is made between two unlike things that have something important in common.
Metaphors foster connection, build communication and encourage insight.
- help explain a situation in a way that may be more relatable or even less complicated.
- help clients identify with the situation through a metaphor in a way they may not have understood it before.
- great to explain something more precisely in how the client is actually feeling about a situation.
What are the stages of group development?
Form (centred around belonging)
Storm (testing out behaviours and may include frustration, conflict, lack of unity)
Norm (starts with decrease in satisfaction and ends with neutral or positive feelings)
Perform (trust is high and a strong sense of unity)
Adjourn (review experience, achieve understanding and insight)
What is a limiting belief?
A belief a person holds about themselves that limits their capacities and/or abilities.
Define empathy and explain its importance in Coaching.
The ability to understand the emotional experience of another, connect with that experience from within oneself, and have an appropriate, compassionate response.
- builds trust and safety in the coaching relationship and encourages emotional
processing.
Explain why giving advice isn’t effective in Coaching.
It’s more powerful for a client to find their own answers. If someone relies on a coach for advice, they come to believe that the coach is the capable one, not themselves.
