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 Frequently
Asked
Questions
About Coaching
What is professional coaching all about?
Who is the typical coaching client?
What’s the difference between coaching
and other types of seemingly similar services
(e.g. consulting,
mentoring, etc)?
What happens in a coaching engagement?
What are the real benefits of coaching?
How long
does a coaching engagement last?
Where does it take place? And how long
are sessions?
What should I be considering when hiring
a coach?
.
What is professional coaching all about?
Coaching is a professional service that helps people
move forward in their lives in one or more areas. The
context can be work or personal – and often it’s both.
Working with individuals or groups, a professional coach
will help clients discover and clarify meaningful goals;
learn more about themselves; explore new possibilities
and design action plans to support their goals.
Although
fairly new, the coaching profession is emerging into one
of the fastest growing new professions today. According
to International Coaching Federation (ICF), the world's
largest not-for-profit association of professional
coaches, there are now more than 10,000 ICF members
worldwide.
See ICF Philosophy, Definition and Code of Ethics for more detail
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Who is the typical coaching client?
You don’t need to be a CEO
or elite athlete to have a coach. Anyone who wants more
out of work and life and has the commitment to their
goals can be candidates for coaching. It might be more
fulfillments at work or in life; developing a new skill
or way of being; reaching a new performance objective;
handling stress, finding balance – or more. Often it’s a
combination of many things.
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. What’s the
difference between coaching and other types of seemingly similar
services|
(e.g. consulting, mentoring, etc)?
Many
coaches actually offer a blend of coaching and consulting services. In its
purest form, professional coaching does differ significantly from consulting.
Whereas a consultant may be hired for content-specific expertise and may be
expected to give advice and prescribe recommendations, the coach does not
prescribe solutions. The coach best serves by helping clients find their own
meaningful answers to their own unique life/work circumstances.
Likewise, coaching differs from
therapy in that it is not about resolving issues from the past as much as it is
about creating/finding meaningful solutions for now and the future. A coach will
focus on awareness with a client to the point that it serves the questions of:
“What’s next for you? And how will you use that to move forward? The focus is
not on healing. It is on possibility and increased empowerment – leading to
mastery and fulfillment.
Big Cheese Coaching recognizes
that results are a matter of the client's intentions, choices and actions,
supported by the coach's efforts and application of the coaching process.
See ICF’s Philosphy and Approach
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. What happens in a
coaching engagement?
Lots happens, including: goal-setting; learning more about yourself – your
strengths, gifts, challenges, core values; exploring new options; brainstorming;
challenging assumptions; designing action plans; creating support systems; and
much more. Each coaching journey is unique to the individual.
In each
session the client chooses the focus of conversation, while the coach listens
and contributes observations and questions. This interaction creates awareness
and clarity – leading to insights which help move the client forward into
action. Coaching accelerates the client's progress by providing greater focus
and awareness of choice.
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. What are the real
benefits of coaching?
Imagine having an
objective and committed partner to support you, challenge you, inspire you and
champion you in meeting your life and work goals? Coaching is based on a
trusting relationship and a partnered approach that helps people connect to
their most resourceful self. Coaching can help people clarify and meet their
most meaningful goals, leading to increased fulfillment, happiness, better
performance, greater clarity and focus, new learning – and more.
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. How
long does a coaching engagement last?
The length of
a coaching engagement varies from individual to individual. The frequency of
meetings may vary but the relationship can last as long as the client is gaining
value. At minimum, it is recommended that you give the relationship at least 3
months – but most meaningful coaching alliances last much longer (e.g. 6 months
to more than a year).
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. Where does it take
place? And how long are sessions?
Coaching can be face-to-face or over
the telephone. Many coaches will offer either one of or a combination of both.
In addition, email support might be offered as well.
Sessions vary from client to
client but usually range from 30 minutes to about 45 minutes. Opening sessions
and other special meetings might take longer (e.g. two hours or more).
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. What should I be
considering when hiring a coach?
With
thousands of professionally trained coaches internationally, there’s bound to be
the right coach out there for you. A few considerations to include in your
search:
- Relationship:
does this coach have the right
style and approach for you? Did you get a sense that
you can trust this person and engage in an open
conversation?
- Fit:
Are you looking for a
particular area of strength and specialty in your
coach – e.g. stress management, work/life balance;
career transition; executive leadership? Many
coaches offer one or more areas of specialty.
- Referrals:
Did this person come by way of
referral? Word of mouth and referrals are often
strong endorsements in any professional services
engagement.
- Credentials and Education:
many people use the term
‘coach’ for various professional services – e.g.
such as consulting and mentoring. If you are truly
looking for a professionally trained coach who
abides by standards and ethics, ask about their
training and credentials. The
International Coaching Federation (ICF)
credentials various training institutions around the
world. Find out if your coach’s training is aligned
with the ICF? Do they have or are they working
towards accreditation? Are they affiliated with a
professional association, such as ICF.
- Trial:
Many coaches will offer either
a free coaching session or a conversation (e.g. 30
minutes). Take advantage of this to get a sense of
who this coach is and who you are when engaging with
them.
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