How to work with your client comfort zones when becoming a coach.
Life coaching has become a much in-demand career over the past several years. Not only are you the boss, but you spend your time helping others which results in making a huge difference in your client’s life. A person interested in becoming a Coach may have a natural aptitude for this kind of work, but there are several strategic processes that the potential Life Coach must learn. These processes will train the person becoming a coach on how to understand what a client is trying to convey and their deeper meanings. The bonus to enrolling in a professional life coach training, such as one offered through the ICF, (International Coach Federation) is that the future coach also learns a great deal more about themselves, which improves the coach’s life.
Below are a few strategies that are useful when learning about becoming a coach. They encourage a client to expand their comfort zones in a variety of ways.
First, it is important to understand when becoming a coach that we do not want to take the position of teacher or parent with the client. These are only ideas the person becoming a coach might want to explore with a client. In the end, we want clients to make the decision and come up with their own ideas.
1. Looking at Expand Their Reading List.
Becoming a coach could mean the approach of encouraging a client to try reading a different genre of a book than the client might normally read, listen to different music than they would usually listen to, or watch a movie or television program the client might never have previously considered. When becoming a coach the coach wants to support the client to shake things up a bit by trying new things.
2. Possibly Try New Foods.
The Life Coach might discover with the client an approach to try a different type of food than the client typically enjoys. If the client likes Italian, the coach might support them to try Asian. The coach will encourage the client to seek out a new restaurant and be adventurous. While trying a new food can be challenging (i.e., will I like it?), the client may wind up acquiring a new favorite restaurant or meal. By the way, if you are becoming a coach are you willing to try this idea also? Becoming a coach also means you are ready to challenge your own comfort zones.
3. What About Shaking Up Their Other Routines
The coach might try to help the client to vary their normal routines. If the client is a big meat-eater, the coach might explore eating vegetarian for a week. If the client likes to sleep late, the client might suggest to getting up an hour or two earlier than usual. The coach will explore the client’s daily routine and together come up with ideas the client might experiment with. However when becoming a coach it is important to remember we are not telling the client, we are only providing different points of view.
4. What About a Coach to Client Comfort Zone Challenge
The coach might build on their client’s ideas to move out of their “comfort zone”. Is the client afraid of public speaking? Maybe the client wants to bring up the idea of joining a local Toastmasters club or possibly take a public speaking course at a local community college. A coach would certainly want to support the client in these steps.
The important thing to remember when becoming a coach is that the coaching conversation may turn up numerous ways the client can challenge themselves to move out of their “comfort zone.”
5. Becoming a Coach Means Keeping a Watchful Eye, Easy Does It
One of the important principles in becoming a coach is to help their client to make changes in their life one small step at a time. This is an excellent opportunity for the client to name their goal for the week, as well as the focus steps they will take to achieve that goal. Choosing their goal empowers the client by giving them ownership of the changes they make and the speed with which they make them.
One of the co-founders of The Coach Training Academy BJ Radomski, tells about a client that struggled to ask for what they wanted. They wanted to ask their boss for a raise but kept freezing at the thought. One of the ideas the client came up with was to order a cup of coffee and be very detailed in how they wanted it every day that week.
6. Discuss The Benefits Of Moving Out Of Their Comfort Zone With The Client.
The coach might ask their client, as part of the coaching conversation, to name some ways moving out of their comfort zone would be of benefit. If the client seems stuck and unable to come up with any ideas, the coach can offer to “brainstorm” with the client, and together they can make a list.