Teleseminars

I have participated in teleclasses, teleseminars and teleconferences. I enjoy them, especially when the topic is relevant, the participants participate, and the line quality is good.

Strengths of the “tele” format are:

• People can participate from anywhere they have access to a phone
• People from across the globe can come together on the call

Weaknesses of the “tele” format are:

• People do not have face-to-face interaction
• The line quality can be poor

In the future, I will likely include teleseminars in my coaching practice, either live or as a downloadable MP3.

E-Coaching

I have decided to offer e-coaching as an added service to my practice. I prefer the live coaching environment because it provides the opportunity to brainstorm, collaborate, and move the session forward in a natural and fluid way; it creates an energy that clients and coach alike can benefit from.

However, some clients are busy, in a different time zone, or communicate better in writing. For them, I’d like to offer e-coaching. My coaching rates will remain the same, but the medium can change to suit clients’ needs.

Acknowledgement

Part of being a coach is being a cheerleader. Many of us are not acknowledged for the wonderful things we accomplish. A coach will recognize the great accomplishments in a client’s life and acknowledge them. People can achieve great things and having a support system in place makes it that much easier.

Acknowledgement is about that person being acknowledged; it’s not about you. For example. If I say “I like your hat,” I’m focusing on me. I’m telling you that you meet my approval. But if I say “you have great personal style,” I’m focusing on you.

Commitment vs. Trying

I’ve always thought that trying was a good thing; however, I’m learning about how trying is disempowering. We either do things (commit to them) or we don’t. Even if we fail (I didn’t finish climbing Mount Everest, for example), we should still be committed to the action.

If I ask you to pick me up after work and you say you’ll try, I won’t feel confident that you’ll follow through. If you commit to picking me up and say “I will,” then I have confidence that you’ve taken responsibility for picking me up.

From now on, when you want to do something, commit to it. Don’t try to go to the gym, commit to going to the gym. Don’t try to get a new job, commit to finding one. Then, you become accountable for your actions and direction and success. Committing is a powerful thing!

Action vs. Delay

Goethe wrote that “Action has magic, grace and power in it.” So true! It is so energizing and fulfilling to act. Let’s do something about the things that are on our minds. Instead of thinking about it, do it! Instead of wishing things would change, be the catalyst for change.

I am striving to be an active – even proactive – person. Changes can be small, everyday things. We don’t have to make every change in our lives earth-shattering changes. But taking responsibility for our own lives and shaping them is a wonderful thing.

Sample Coaching

I am a coach. I used to call myself an aspiring coach until I realized that I already DID coach people. I didn’t always receive payment for my coaching, but I have always enjoyed helping people and am a sounding board for my friends and family. Does a salary make one a coach, or is it the act of being a coach – the skill involved and the desire to help – that qualifies someone? I choose the latter.

Coaching is intimate and personal and there’s a level of trust that needs to exist before clients want to be coached. I am thankful to the people who take that chance. I hope they are proud to have done so too.

Let me know if you would like a sample session so you can find out what coaching is and if it’s right for you.

Principles of Coaching

In order to help other human beings move forward in life and reach their goals, a coach must possess several qualities:

• Be non-judgmental (I think of where the client is, not where I am).
• Focus on the future (I look at where the client is going, not where he or she has come from).
• Be action-oriented (I want to help clients get things done, not talk about wouldas or couldas). 

In order for me to be an effective coach, I will:

• Be committed to living my own life to the fullest. Only then, can I help my clients reach their potential.
• Speak the truth and be honest in all my activities, especially in my coaching practice.
• Live according to my values. I do as I say.
• Work with my own coach so I can strive to achieve greatness in my own life.
• Give myself to others without giving myself away.
• Exercise compassion for those around me.
• Inspire others to live life to the fullest too.

Welcome to My Blog!

I started the blog as a public, journal-keeping exercise. I am a life coach and as part of my ICA certification I am going to be writing about my classes, my coaching practicums, and other day-to-day events that inspire me.