CIP The Coaching Structure
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>> Welcome back.
Now that you're clear on the primary goals
and competencies of the first session
and how to prepare for this first interaction,
let's move on to take a look
at the general structure of the coaching process
and relationship from start to finish.
It's important for coaches to understand
that while there's no set formula
on how to conduct your sessions,
there is a framework or coaching structure
that you'll need to use to guide your program.
So in this lecture, we'll talk about
how to establish the coaching structure.
So what does this structure look like?
Well, like every good story,
there's the beginning, the middle, and the end.
Let's take a look at what's involved
in each of these components.
As we do, keep in mind that the same structure exists
whether the coaching relationship lasts for three sessions,
six weeks, six months, or even a year.
The beginning phase represents
your initial sessions with a client.
The length of the beginning phase of a coaching program
will vary depending on the length of the relationship.
For example, for a shorter program,
it could be sessions one, two, and maybe three,
or if it's a six-month contract,
it could even be for the first full month.
Let's start with some benchmarks
for the earlier sessions in general.
This includes the first session
which we've already discussed.
According to the NBHWC,
the first few sessions
should primarily be spent exploring the client's values,
vision, purpose, and priorities.
It's important for a full picture of the client's goals,
challenges, readiness,
and willingness to emerge during this time.
Coaches should obtain a wide-angled view of the client
and take ample time to explore
so that goals are not set prematurely.
Asking lots of high-mileage questions
and spending time learning about all the things
the client cares about
is also instrumental in building rapport.
Both coaches and clients alike
can be eager to jump into goal-setting
at the start of a coaching program,
especially if momentum is high.
However, it's critical that the coach
doesn't rush through this phase.
The primary goal and desired outcome of the beginning phase
is to establish a client's wellness vision
and area of focus.
I like to describe the wellness vision as a journey
where the client takes the lead
and dives into their imagination,
stating their big dream
as it relates to health and wellness.
A wellness vision is not just about
being at a certain weight or having good lab numbers.
It's about defining what truly matters most to that client
and having the physical capacity
and mental alertness to enjoy it.
One way to elicit a client's wellness vision
is through a guided imagery exercise.
Or you can simply have the client
assess their current state of wellness,
using the Circle of Life or a wellness inventory.
Some coaches like to ask the client
to identify the gap between their current state
and the desired outcome of their wellness vision
in order to help them identify the gap
that stands between the two states of being.
Once a client starts opening up about their vision
for wellness in their life,
they'll pour out many different things
that are important to them.
Maybe the most important thing in the world to this client
is to be alive and healthy
for the upcoming birth of their first grandchild
or to travel the world and hike mountains
or maybe it's to plant a beautiful garden.
It may take time to get them going.
But eventually, your client will offer an exciting
but overwhelming array of goals and desires.
As a novice coach, you might think,
"Wow, where do I even begin with this client?"
Just know that you don't have to start.
That's what you ask them.
Remember, your client leads the way.
You can say something like,
"Wow, what a fantastic vision.
I sense your enthusiasm and strong desire for all of that.
Now out of all of these wonderful things,
what would you like to focus on first?
And how can I as your coach
help you concentrate on the first one?"
Make a list as they talk helping them prioritize
and put them in order.
This will be the start of planning and goal-setting.
Wellness coach Michael Orlowski
likes to call these areas of focus.
In order to create the greatest lasting change
and success toward their goals,
encourage your clients
to hone in on just one or two areas of focus.
Various coaching studies have shown
that people are more likely to succeed at behavior change
when they narrow their focus to one item at a time.
When motivation is high,
it can be tempting to want to take on the world,
but this is not the most productive outcome.
Also, something that's critical to know for your practice
and for the certifying exam
is that the client is always the expert
when it comes to choosing a focus, setting goals,
and defining outcomes for themselves,
and creating their wellness vision.
Though it can be tempting to share information
about what you think or think you know
that your client should do,
he or she must always be the expert
when it comes to deciding what's most appropriate.
This empowers the client to select what feels most important
or motivating to them at that place and time in their life.
A powerful tool that's very helpful
for assessing a client's readiness to make a change
to create progress in their area of focus
is The Transtheoretical Model,
also known as the Stages of Change Model.
We'll explore this model in great detail
later on during this course.
For now, just keep in mind that while this tool can be used
at any point in coaching,
it's particularly helpful in the early stage.
The NBHWC defines a series of benchmarks
that are important to achieve in these early sessions.
Specifically, they instruct coaches to ask the client
to take an honest assessment
of his or her current state of health and wellbeing.
Explore his or her vision of optimal health
and or wellbeing.
Inquire about the client's learning style.
Identify the gaps that stand
between the client's current state and desired lifestyle
or outcomes.
Explore and clarify the client's priority areas of focus.
Define the specific long-term goals
that will lead them toward the desired outcomes.
Establish short-term SMART goals or action steps
for what they'll accomplish in between sessions.
Support the client in achieving the SMART goals
or action steps, including backup plans.
And establish a plan for maintaining accountability.
Collectively, these are the steps
that will set your client up for successful action
and create a clearly laid-out plan for them to follow
during the middle phase.
Once your client has this game plan laid out
and he or she is ready to take action,
the relationship enters the middle phase.
The NBHWC refers to these as routine or ongoing sessions.
You may also hear them referred to as follow-up sessions.
During this time, you're supporting the client
while they enact their plan to achieve the goals
that will move them toward their wellness vision.
They're doing the work in between sessions
and then checking in with you to report on progress,
stay accountable, and fine tune their action plan as needed.
The primary roles of the coach
during the middle phase of coaching are
to hold the client accountable,
discover and reflect on the key takeaways
that the client learns,
and help them modify the area of focus
and action plan as needed.
Both the International Coach Federation and the NBHWC
expects certified professional coaches
to address the following objectives
during these middle phase or routine coaching sessions.
Ask the client to make an assessment
of his or her current state at the beginning of the session,
check in on commitments
and action steps made in prior sessions,
invite the client to select the focus
for the current session,
review and discuss the client's short-term SMART goals
or action steps to be accomplished between sessions,
adjust the plan if needed,
articulating any new action steps
and processes for self-monitoring,
discover and reflect on the client's learning
including takeaways from the session,
communicate appreciation of the client's work,
and invite the client to provide feedback
to improve their coaching experience.
In the middle phase,
it's still just as important
to connect warmly with the client.
Make them feel comfortable by breaking the ice,
asking them how they've been,
what their week's been like,
and providing emotional connection and support.
Continue to empower your clients
and encourage self-efficacy
during these routine sessions
to keep clients from slipping back
on old habits or limiting beliefs.
You'll also want to continue to demonstrate
appropriate time management,
guiding the conversation
to move through the aspects of the session
that will best support the client.
Helping a client identify
his or her mental or emotional state
can be as simple as asking a question like,
"How are you doing?
What's new and good?"
Or "On a scale of 1 to 10,
with 1 feeling awful and 10 feeling the best,
how are you feeling today?"
When you check in on prior session commitments,
be sure to look for and celebrate any successes
the client has made,
even the tiny ones count.
One of the most powerful questions to determine
what a client would like to talk about in a session
is what's on your mind?
This opens the floor for your client
to lead with what they consider to be most important.
Sometimes, challenges or other issues
will come up for your client
that are outside of your well-designed plan.
And yes, life gets in the way for all of us.
And for the types of busy people who work with coaches,
they have a lot of life to get in the way.
When this happens,
it's important to address the elephant in the room
if it's truly in the way of them achieving their goals.
Perhaps they didn't get to do the nutritional changes
they wanted last week
because they had a sudden house full of unexpected guests,
dinners out, or too much celebrating.
Managing and exploring setbacks
is a natural part of the process.
Generally speaking, there are three ways
you can help a client get back on track.
One, remind your client
of his or her earlier stated desired goals and commitments.
You can then ask your client warmly and politely
what they'd like to focus on in the session.
Then use the appropriate skills or processes
depending on the client's focus.
Two, identify obstacles
and help the client work around them.
Or three, articulate new action steps
and adjust the plan if needed.
Once you've reached the last session or two
and it's time to reflect and wrap up with the client,
you've reached the end phase.
The NBHWC refers to the end phase
as Coaching Program Termination.
Typically, this is the final session
in your program agreement.
However, the tasks of the end phase
can start a session or two
or even three before that,
depending on how long your program is.
This stage is defined by the NBHWC
as a time to recognize progress,
reflect on learning, and create closure.
The coach helps the client reflect back on their progress
throughout the program.
The client articulates his or her successes
and looks back at what he or she has learned.
The coach helps the client to establish a plan
for how he or she will maintain
or continue progressing toward goals
with an emphasis on support and resources.
During the closing session,
you get to celebrate with your client.
Be sure to reflect on every single success
throughout the program,
even ones that may seem insignificant.
Invite your client to talk about the progress
that he or she has made,
the challenges experienced and the lessons learned.
This will help your client
process the work that they've done.
Next, you'll want to assist him or her
in developing a sustainable maintenance plan.
A great way to initiate this is simply to ask,
"So what's the plan going forward?"
You want to make sure that there's a realistic plan in place
for your client to maintain their success.
Just like with goals, this should be created by the client.
However, you can offer your support
to further refine their maintenance plan.
This includes making sure they're securing their resources
and supportive networks as they move forward.
Sometimes, you'll get a client
who simply wants to keep working with you.
Many Health Coaches delight in seeing the spillover effect
in their favorite clients.
This often happens when your client gains new confidence
and heightened self-advocacy
from achieving a goal in one area of their life.
Their enthusiasm and confidence then spills over
into tackling another area of their life.
If that happens with your client,
begin the process again by creating a new coaching agreement
or simply adding a clause or addendum with a new signature
to the previous one.
After that, you'll want to repeat the steps
described in this lecture and learn to stretch your client
helping them expand their view.
Their life is becoming amazing, and thanks to your help.
All right, and there we have the basic overview
of the coaching structure.
We've gone over the beginning, middle, and end phases,
and the defining details of each.
The first few sessions,
the beginning or early phase
is defined by building trust and rapport
and establishing the client's wellness vision
and area of focus.
The middle sessions also referred to as routine
or ongoing sessions
are when the client is actively doing work
in between sessions to achieve the goals
defined in the early phase.
This is a time for the coach
to help the client stay accountable,
discover, and reflect on their key takeaways,
and modify the area of focus and action plan as needed.
The ending phase is the time leading up to
and during the closing session.
This is the time for reflecting on progress,
celebrating victories, and creating a maintenance plan.
On your next live call,
we'll review these stages and answer any questions you have.
In the meantime, if you have any questions,
we're here to support you in the course Facebook group.
Thanks for watching.