So you want to become a life coach. Congrats – you’ve chosen a fulfilling career that will not only help you build your own business, but also help others overcome their biggest challenges and make lasting positive changes in their lives!
If you’re new to life coaching, running your first life coaching session with a client can be a bit scary. You know how to help people, but structuring it in a session is a different beast altogether.
Here’s everything you need to know about planning, structuring, and running your life coaching sessions, to leave a positive impact on your clients.
How to Organize a Life Coaching Meeting
You must ascertain the session's goal before choosing how to arrange a life coaching session. Is this coaching session, for instance, a solitary call with a customer who simply scheduled you for a single session? Or is this specific session a component of a broader, high-end package or trademark coaching program that is intended to work towards a more significant objective or result?
The session must be organized with the wider picture in mind if the latter is the case. Every session in a signature program should get your client one stage closer to the desired result. A stand-alone life coaching session, on the other hand, will need to provide a less significant result in a shorter period of time.
In both situations, you must first determine the goal for each session before you can break it down. Talk about this in advance with your client to better understand their goals for this session. So when the coaching session begins, you'll invite them to go more into this; however, more on that later.
1. Build a relationship
Any phone contact should begin by building rapport. Depending on how well you know the customer, how you handle this will vary. Is this, for example, your first time training them? Or have you and this client already met for a number of sessions?
If you already have a close relationship with this client, you can build rapport by discussing prior sessions and getting their reaction to the conclusion of the last session. However, you'll need to start with something different if this is your initial experience with this client (other than the discovery session).
You might begin by expressing your gratitude for their confidence in you and assuring them that you will both work together to help them achieve their goals.
2. Focus on accountability for the initial five to ten minutes
After establishing rapport, you must hold your client responsible for the outcomes of the life coaching session. Yeah, you are the life coach, and it is your responsibility to direct the client in the direction they desire. But in the end, you can't alter anything for your client. Your coaching client must take responsibility for their own development. If you're leading a session for the very first time, you might not be able to hold them responsible because you've never collaborated before.
However, if you recently attended a life coaching session, touch base with the actions you requested that they perform. Did they carry it out? If not, was it because they were unable to move? To encourage them to accept responsibility, you might query them about the following:
What happened during [action step] last week/month?
Have you encountered any hurdles?
What did you find worked and what didn't?
Are you being blocked somewhere right now?
What can you infer about these actions?
Allocate 5 to 10 minutes on this phase, and if your life coaching sessions take more than an hour, feel free to spend additional time on it.
3. Specify the problem at hand
The next step is for you and your customer to decide what they want tutored that particular day. This will also depend on the kind of coaching you provide; for example, if you have a hallmark program, the subject of this session may already be decided.
In any case, you and your customer need to analyze the problem at hand. For instance, is your client aware of the origin of this specific problem? Why are they unable to travel where they want to because of this problem?
You must set goals for the session today in addition to defining the concerns. Set realistic expectations for the amount of time you have because you cannot resolve every issue for your client in a single session.
4. Reframe your client's problems, so you can jointly develop answer
Take a moment to reframe the problem with your client once you've identified the issues you're facing and your coaching session's objectives.
To come up with a good strategy, you and your customer should work together to help your client view their problem from a fresh angle. While your own personal circumstances and coaching expertise may provide a distinct point of view for someone who is stuck, this alternate perspective is one of the most beneficial things a life coach can offer to their clients.
5. Guide your customer through pertinent tactics
You may deconstruct some techniques to aid your client in overcoming their difficulties based on what you've learned from them.
Prior to giving the customer any suggestions, it's critical to work jointly to examine the problem in the prior phase. Your customer will be more adept at solving problems autonomously in the future, the more they can generate fresh ideas on their own.
Keep in mind that you should empower your clientele rather than always hold their hands. Having said that, they will still require certain tactics to get through the obstacles in their way.
6. Create a strategy of action
Develop a strategy that your client must follow in the near future in cooperation with you.
If they don't plan on scheduling another session soon afterwards, this may be for the upcoming several months or until the following part in a week or month.
Create this action plan in collaboration with your customer. Your goal as a life coach should be to motivate your client to take action, thus in order for them to carry out the plan, they must agree with it.
Should You Adhere to a Structured Coaching Call?
You could occasionally find yourself straying from the intended path during a session since life coaching is such a personalized service.
Although it's challenging to plan a life coaching session minute by minute, there should be some room for improvement. Nonetheless, it's crucial to keep on course.
If it helps, print down the format of your life coaching sessions so you have it handy for when you sense things veering off course.
Guidelines for Preparing for a Life Coaching Session
You should spend some time to organize and get ready before your coaching session so that you can anticipate the greatest result for your client.
Provide your client an intake form if this is the first life coaching session, so they can provide some basic information.
Make it explicit that they have a deadline by which they must respond to the inquiries. Let them know they must complete the form 24 hours prior to their session, for instance, if you require at least 24 hours to examine their responses.
If you have previously coached this client, go over your session logs to refresh your memory about what you've already worked on. Furthermore, if this session is a component of a package or signature program, review your program plan to keep in mind the session's goal.
You can use this to organize the tactics and plans of action you'll present to the meeting.You won't be able to organize the session as well if this is your very first call with the customer, which means it isn't a part of a larger package. Rather, throughout this session, you'll get to know the customer and create a strategy from there.
Just be sure to submit an intake form to this kind of customer as well so that you have a starting point!
What to Avoid When A Life Coaching Session has ended
Even if you give your client one of the most incredible life coaching sessions, it won't help if they don't follow through. Obviously, you should hold them accountable for acting, but it's also your responsibility as a coach to do all in your power to support them. Review your notes when your coaching session is over, and then ask yourself:
Examine your notes when your coaching session is over, and then challenge yourself:
What new information did I acquire during this session?
What obstacles may my customer encounter before our next meeting?
What can I do to assist them in getting beyond these obstacles?
After that, compose a follow-up email that includes the actions you and your customer decided to do, as well as any further suggestions or ideas you may have gleaned from the brainstorming session earlier.
After that, compose a follow-up email that includes the actions you and your customer decided to do as well as any further suggestions or ideas you may have gleaned from the brainstorming session earlier.
Tell them what to do if they get trapped in between sessions in this follow-up email. Your contract with them will determine how this works. Notify them of how they may contact you if necessary if you provide email or Voxer assistance, particularly for high-end services.
They might choose to plan a shorter session as necessary if you don't provide this kind of help in between sessions.
An Organized Life Coaching Session Can Assist Your Clients More Successfully
Well, you have it—a quick and easy approach to conduct a life coaching session and assist your customers in improving their lives.