What is coaching?

Coaching is a relatively new profession, different from any other but including elements of mentoring, sports coaching and counselling. It also uses personal development concepts like assertiveness and management tools like time planning and team building.

Coaches

•help people to set better goals and then assist them to reach those goals

•ask their clients to do more than they would by themselves

•help their clients to focus better, in order to produce results more quickly

•provide clients with tools, support and structure to enable them to accomplish more.

How is coaching different from counselling, consulting or a best friend?

Consulting

A coach does not give advice. Although coaches will sometimes offer opinions, the client chooses whether to accept these or not. Your coach’s role is to help you to implement your new skills, the changes you wish to make and the goals you want to attain.

Counselling

Coaching does not deal with the past in the way that counselling or therapy would. One coach has said “To a counsellor the past is an issue, whereas to a coach it is a fact”. In other words, coaches do not normally encourage you to describe past events, feelings or emotions. We are more interested in what is happening right now and what needs to happen in order to move forward.

Best Friend

A best friend may be loving and supportive, but can friends help you move forward? Will they really tell you the truth? A friend may have their own ideas about how you should be and what is best for you. However, a coach is never judgmental and does not provide answers but rather helps you to get really clear about what you need and want.

What is the philosophy of coaching?

It is that we all (yes, all!) have the potential to be truly, happily and completely

ourselves. Of course we're often not so good at knowing what we could be if we were

reaching our full potential! And making the necessary changes may not be that easy or straightforward. Having a coach means there is someone with the right skills to help you make changes more easily and quickly.

How long must I commit to and how is coaching carried out?

We ask our clients to commit to at least 4 sessions, which gives reasonable time for the coaching relationship to develop. Thereafter, we discuss and monitor how effective coaching is for you along the way. You are always in control and you can continue for as long as you are getting value from the relationship.

Coaching is very successful carried out by phone, face to face or by e-mail.

Sessions generally last either 30 minutes, 1 hour or 1 ½ hours. Our monthly package is for a total of 3 hours of coaching which can be at a frequency to suit you (for example, 4 x 45mins sessions or 3 x 1 hour sessions).