1. What is coaching?
Coaching is a professional service.
Clients retain a coach in order to make a change, reach a goal, improve their
quality of life, leverage opportunities or solve a problem. <top> 2. Why is coaching becoming so popular, so quickly?
Coaching has become so popular because people are far less willing to wait for what they want than their parents were. <top> 3. Why does coaching work?
Coaching works because the client gets the
unconditional support they need to make the changes they want. <top> 4. Why do people hire a coach?
People hire a coach to make a change, reach a goal, improve their quality of life, leverage opportunities or solve a problem. A particularly good time to hire a coach is when a person is considering, or having to, make a professional or personal transition in their lives. Coaching
provides support and makes available perspective and clarity for individuals to make effective decisions. <top> 5. How long has coaching been in existence? The first modern coaches in a business setting were the industrial psychologists in the 50's and 60's who were often "pulled to the side" by the CEO's who needed someone to talk to confidentially about problems they were having
related to the organization. <top> 6. How is coaching done?
There are three primary ways that the coaching is delivered. First, by telephone. Coaching is often more effective over the phone than in person because there are fewer distractions for either party and the client is more likely to be more honest sooner because of the anonymity factor. And, coaching over the phone
is the most convenient method of meeting. And the client can have their pick of 30,000 coaches worldwide. Geography is not an issue or detriment to choosing the best coach for you. Second, coaching in person. You may see a coach at their office or they may come to see you. The in person sessions tend to be longer. Third, is cyber-coaching which is coaching by e-mail. This can be used in support of the first two or as a program unto
itself. In the case of coaching in person or by telephone, the client and coach make a weekly or bi-weekly appointment to meet for a specific amount of time. This is usually a consistent day and time. These are scheduled in advance and there can be a minimum commitment time (for example, a three month commitment). In the case of cyber-coaching, the coach and client agree to a certain amount of email or it can be unlimited e-mail, with a response time not to exceed 24
hours. These are some examples but coaches are flexible. <top> 7. But over the phone, how can the coach pick up on the visual clues such as body language?
There are many more auditory clues than visual ones. A professional coach is trained to hear over 200 nuances. Additionally, sometimes visual clues encourage judgment or assumptions about an individual and this is not present
when done over the telephone. On the other hand, some clients will feel more comfortable, in this type of relationship, with being face-to-face. <top> 8. What credentials do coaches have?
Currently the best credentials we have is our track record with clients. Their success is the most credible evidence of the value of coaching and the ability of the coach. Look at what others
are saying about the coach. There are certification programs for coaches as well, but the real credential lies in what clients find of value. <top> 9. Where do the coach and client first focus their efforts?
Most coaches provide assessment tools to better understand the client's life or business situation and their current needs. Usually, however, the client already knows what they
want to accomplish or resolve and the coaching begins there. <top> 10. How soon can the client expect to see results?
Usually within a day or two. Their attitude will improve, or they'll get working on something they've been stuck with, or they'll make an important change and start feeling the benefits of coaching fairly quickly. And, over time, the cumulative benefits can be life
changing. <top> 11. How is coaching different than therapy?
Most coaches have a working referral relationship with several therapists so that clients who need therapy can be easily placed.
But to answer your question directly, a therapist is trained and licensed to work with diagnosable psychological conditions. A coach is not.
To elaborate, a coach and
client typically focus on what the client wants to accomplish personally or business-wise over the next 6-12 months.. Typically, an individual works with a therapist to resolve something that is causing pain. It is not unusual for a client to be working concurrently with a coach and a therapist, each on different topics. <top> 12. How is coaching different than consulting?
There is
some crossover between what a coach and a consultant provide, but the basic difference is that most consultants are experts at information, systems and business analysis. A well-trained coach is an expert in people and life/success dynamics. Consultants are brought in to analyze a situation, make recommendations, install something and/or to solve a problem A coach is brought in to help reach business targets and/or provide support and advice on a 1-1 basis with individuals
in a company. <top> 13. How much do coaches charge?
Most clients pay a fee ranging between $200 and $500 per month for 3-4 sessions, usually once a week. Coaching fees can range from $100 a month to $2,500 a month per person depending on the expertise of the coach, the needs of the client and the market niche which is being served. <top>
14. Is coaching a fad?
The practice of coaching is no more a fad than the practice of medicine. As long as people have personal and business goals, coaching will thrive. <top> 15. How do I find the right coach for me?
Share with a coach your goal, dilemma, opportunity or problem and ask the coach to describe the approach they would use in coaching
you. This method can provide you with the real-time/real-life information you need about the coach in order to match well. Trust your intuition regarding how you feel about the potential relationship. This is about trust and you want to feel comfortable. <top> 16. How do I know coaching is working?
If you are seeing measurable quality-of-life improvements, achieving your
outcomes more quickly and/or having significant internal growth, coaching is working. If not, you may need to work with a different coach. <top> 17. Do coaches give advice?
Yes, most coaches give advice -- or at least the coach can help you expand your options in a situation -- but some coaches do not believe in giving advice. It depends on the coach's background, areas of expertise,
their natural coaching style and where they received their training. The preferences of the client, which are paramount, affect how much, if any, advice is provided. <top> 18. How has coaching evolved?
In the early days of modern coaching (early 1980s) the focus was on "take actions to get results."
By the early 90's the approach expanded to include the strategy of
"increase your range of competencies and you'll get better results."
By the early 2000's the coaching approach expanded to include the notion of "crafting environments in order to accelerate the outcomes."
What is coming up next has to do with providing clients opportunities to be self-aware in a way that allows for life and work to have more alignment with their values. Whether it is a CEO mastering leadership or a professional woman making
informed decisions around her time with career and family. All approaches can be effective. Well-trained coaches are facile with all these approaches. <top> 19. What's the next step in the evolution of coaching?
By 2005, we anticipate that e-coaching will be available, where coaching is available 24/7/365 and is 'on demand' and tailored to the exactly situation, opportunity or dilemma
at hand. The coach may or may not deliver the coaching 'live.' This, given the advancement of software and computers, situational solutions crafted by the coach (and perhaps a network of coaches) that will be accessible to clients who can self-serve many of their coaching needs. <top> 20. Where can I get more information on becoming a coach?
CoachVille.com is the largest portal of coaching resources and the largest professional network of coaches worldwide. The International Federation of Coaching is another resource for coaching information. <top> | 
