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Telephone Coaching: Be honest to yourself and your client What do you need to do and know about telephone coaching?

Written by: Edmee Schalkx

Article Overview: Teleconferencing, telephone coaching..... Telephones have taken an important role in the way we do business and relate to others. I have spent some time looking for a guide or protocol for telephone coaching and could not find anything. I decided to include a session on telephone coaching in my coach training programmes and mentor coaching, this is the result!

Telephone Coaching: Be honest to yourself and your client What do you need to do and know about telephone coaching?

Contrary to The United States, telephone coaching is a rather new phenomenon in Europe. Most coaches still conduct only face-to-face sessions.

During mentor coaching and other coach services I offer I have encountered that most coaches do not really know how to prepare themselves or their clients for phone coaching. This article is based on training material I prepared for my clients.

What is coaching?
The International Coach Federation (ICF) defines coaching as: a partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.
As a PCC certified coach my approach to coaching is based on the International Coach Federation (ICF) guidelines. My work with my clients is to support them in developing their leadership potential, starting from where they are now to where they want to be.

Why and when Telephone coaching?
Telephone coaching are coaching sessions carried out by phone. Usually involves the coach and one client, but I have carried out team phone coaching (this does not have my preference as you loose a lot of interaction and information).

Telephone coaching is a practical and cost effective way of coaching. It also allows the coach to build a coaching practice across borders, offering more coaching slots thruout the day and be more pro-client.

Problems:
Lack of time – fully booked agendas
Not knowing your clients’ way of learning (auditive, kinesthetic or visual)
Missing the face-to-face interaction – not being able to look in your client’s eyes
Interruptions by third parties or surroundings

Benefits:
Any time during the day
Cost effective in: travelling, traffic and time
Choice of environment and make yourself at home, safe, comfortable
Shorter coaching sessions – to the point, discussed points applicable immediately

Coach: How to get ready?
The coach is in charge of managing the process and making sure the client is ready for the coaching session. The coach needs to understand how telephone coaching works and educate the client to take the time to get ready for each session.

Before you start the telephone coaching session:
• Make sure your surroundings know you are not to be disturbed
• Switch the telephones off you are not using
• Your coaching space (office) should be comfortable and calm
• Clear your mind before you start getting ready
• Take 5 to 10 minutes to look through your notes and plan the coaching session and be ready for your client
• Block your time: 10 to 15 minutes before the call and about another 10 after the call (to make the notes)
• Be honest to yourself and your client: Take the time to prepare your space and your mind
• Make sure your client has the telephone number he needs to dial in
• Send a remainder of the call with needed information, including telephone number

During the call:
• Greet your client in a calm way and ask how he/she has been doing
• Exchange information like how has it been since last session, new things and find out what are the things the client wants to work on during this session
• Ask your client to take a couple of deep breaths
• Make sure the introduction is not longer than 10 minutes
• Remind the client that everything said during the session is confidential
• Tell the client how much time you have for the session and check the client’s goals
• Ask your client to draw you a picture of where they are: sitting place, computers, music, etc
• If you have a feeling the client’s place is not an adequate, see how you can change this: opening a window, switching telephones/computers off, turning the chair around, etc
• Ask the client if his/her surroundings know: NO interruptions
• Learn to “see” your client by visualizing him/her and listening to the words and intonation - listening and powerful questioning are great tools to “see” your client
• Develop empathy - reflective questioning and mirroring are tools you should master
• Understand how YOU communicate
• Know what kind of learner your client is: visual, kinesthetic or auditive
• Adapt language to your client’s communication style
• Keep building trust through out the session
• Check the agreements and goals the client wants to achieve. Remember that a common goal in mind will assure a good outcome
• Stick to the agreed times. Preparation and wrapping up time should not be t forgotten
• If you can, record the call
• Write phrases down and check with the client

After the telephone session:
• Create a system to keep in touch: email, SMS, chat, etc
• Share track performance with the client
• Record successes
• Spend some time in writing the important things of the session
• Ask the client to send you an email with the agreements and goals


Client: How to get ready?
Before the call:
• Make sure your surroundings know you are not to be disturbed
• Switch telephones off you are not using
• Your coaching space should be comfortable and calm – good comfortable chair
• Clear your mind before you start getting ready
• Be honest to yourself and your coach: Make the time to prepare your space and your mind
• Look at your notes, achievements and prepare question you want to ask
• Think at the issues you want to discuss during the session

During the call:
• Tell your coach how you really are feeling, only then can the coach support your needs
• Trust your coach and keep building on your relationship
• Keep agreed times – call in on time
• Commit yourself only to the things you are going to do
• Do not drink any alcohol before or during the coaching session
• Demand your coach to be ready and in a good coaching environment

After the call:
• Take some minutes to ground yourself and reflect on the session
• Take notes if necessary
• Plan your actions


Tools you can use to improve your (telephone) coaching services:

Learning styles
People use different ways to learn and communicate. As a coach you need to know as much as you can about learning styles. The internet is full of tests, assessments you can use to help your clients understand how they learn, communicate and how they can improve their communication skills.

When working with your clients through the telephone you lose part of your visual support. When knowing how your clients communicate you will be able to understand how he/she concentrates and learns, then you can adapt your communication skills to better support the client.
There are 3 basic ways people learn and communicate:
1) Visual people need to see pictures or "see it in writing". You often see these people frantically taking notes or mind mapping in meetings and seminars. They generally use words and phrases such as, "This is how I see it," "look at it this way," or "I think I'm getting the picture."
2) Auditory people learn by hearing. They often listen to entire lectures or presentations without taking any notes. They generally like to ask, "How does this sound?" "Can we discuss this?" or "Are you hearing me?"
3) Kinaesthetic people think in terms of sensations or feeling. They often move their hands as they talk, and respond physically as well as verbally. They like phrases such as, "How does this feel to you?" "I'm comfortable with that idea," or "Are you aware of this?"


Technology

When telephone coaching, make sure the technology you are using is reliable and that you get acquainted with the system before you start coaching. I say this because many times during my own coaching sessions things have gone terribly wrong.

Nowadays technology gives you a range of choices:
• Telephone
• Videophone
• Skype, MSN
• E-coaching services

Telephone:
There is a range of telephones you can choose from. Make sure you buy something that feels good to you. If you are good with technology complicated systems might be the thing for you, but do not give in to the temptation of buying complicated systems if you think a simple telephone with a hands free is right for me. The internet is full with information about telephones and how to use them.

Try not to call using mobiles (cell phones) for coaching sessions as you might have a lot of interference.

Videophone
You can use this system to interact with your clients as well as you can see them. You both will need the same system

Skype, MSN
The internet is full of chat systems where you can see, write and talk with clients. Some will allow recording the sessions. These systems need to be used with a computer, a headset or speakers and microphone (not recommended because of the possibility of echo) and both parties need the same programme and a user id.

E-coaching services
There are some companies which have developed IT programmes where the coach can communicate with the client through a coaching platform. This system is quite new and offers many new possibilities. Be careful when purchasing the system as people have complained that they are not 100% secure.

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Article Tags: coach training, how to conduct phone coaching, mentor, protocol, telephones



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