Coaching Through It

During coaching sessions with peers in their coach training cohort, Julie & Laura “practice coaching” -- which is to say they coach each other on real issues to implement the structure, concepts, and techniques we are learning from our coach training course. Here are some of their observations of this coach practice and what this means when we are “observed” with our coaching instructor, Katie. 

We mention a few coaching tools and things we discuss during this episode:

• Powerful Questions 
• Exercise/Tool from Julie: “Give Me Three Words” + Let’s make a sentence for each of the words; narrowing to identify values/issues/goals/interests
• Defining Terms
• Clearing
• Trust the Client (always)
• Bottom-lining
• Repeating & Affirming Statements
• Avoiding Interpretation as a Coach
• Making Space: for the coaching practice; OK Corral/Bumpers/Perimeter for Coaching
• Holding Space: for the client to clear, rant, reflect, etc.
• ICF Professional Coach Credentialing
• Laura’s Doodles to Reflect/Process
• Journaling (Reflective Writing) e.g. 1-minute journal prompts
• To-Do Lists & Prioritization

Books & Podcasts:

• Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
  • The Ghost Ship That Didn’t Carry Us 
• Sugar Calling podcast
• I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown
• The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd

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Want to learn more about coaching? Have a question or topic we should discuss? Let us know!

Follow the pod on Twitter: @CoachingThruIt & Instagram: @CoachingThruIt

Email us at: [email protected] 

Connect to the hosts: @laurapasquini & @julieclarsen

Music credit: The song reCreation by airtone has been remixed under a CC-BY license. 

Self-Determination Theory and Motivation

• Mastery & Competence
• Relatedness & Competence
• Autonomy

Coaching tools are exercises or activities to prompt ideas, identify interests, and even prompt an open discussion during a coaching session.
Why use a tool in coaching?

• Open up a client to a conversation
• Encourage a client to think deeper, beyond the surface chat
• Help a client to visualize an idea or concept
• Demonstrate new perspectives
• Or maybe just use a powerful question

Coaching Tools mentioned in this podcast:

• Core Motivations (Enneagram)
• Powerful Questions
• Wheel of Life
• Visualization
• Values Sort

What feels stable to you right now?

Books & Podcasts:

• Big Friendship by Aminatou Sow & Ann Friedman
• Call Your Girlfriend (same authors as above)
• Listen to: Coaching Tools episode from Katie Linder, Coach-to-Coach

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Want to learn more about coaching? Have a question or topic we should discuss? Let us know!

Follow the pod on Twitter: @CoachingThruIt & Instagram: @CoachingThruIt

Email us at: [email protected] 

Connect to the hosts: @laurapasquini & @julieclarsen

Music credit: The song reCreation by airtone has been remixed under a CC-BY license. 

We recorded this episode at the beginning of December to reflect on our 6 months of coaching. In this bonus episode we share season two is coming in 2021 and birthday wishes for your hosts with the most. Be sure to send your love to Julie & Laura -- digital hugs & love are welcome. :)
p.s. Shout out to the local tea store: Steepologie  -- we're loving our advent calendars of tea!
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Want to learn more about coaching? Have a question or topic we should discuss? Let us know!

Follow the pod on Twitter: @CoachingThruIt & Instagram: @CoachingThruIt

Email us at: [email protected] 

Connect to the hosts: @laurapasquini & @julieclarsen

Music credit: The song reCreation by airtone has been remixed under a CC-BY license. 

On the podcast, Laura & Julie chat about the fishbowl coaching exercise and what it feels like to coach without an agenda!  

• Let the client lead; trust the client
• Raw feelings/emotions: to dig in or not?
• Time in practice coaching sessions

All The Feels

What happens if you recognize your coaching client needs to talk more about emotions rising or feelings coming up related to issues from the past -- we would refer out to therapy:

• Referring a Client to Therapy (ICF) [PDF]
• Coaching vs. Therapy - Referring Coaching Clients with Mental Illness

Visual representation of self as a coach via video conferencing: 

• How should we emote as a coach?
• How do you keep your facial expressions neutral?
• Top model style: Tongue to the roof of your mouth and shoulders back

Storytelling

“Not needing to hear story” [in coaching]

How does the story fit into or does not fit into coaching?

Story opens up the ideas, examples, and emotions related to the “How” and “what” questions.

Comparison of emotions or ideas from the past to now.

Podcasts:

Working It Out with Mike Birbiglia

What story is on a loop in your head from childhood?

Hooked on Phonics

What’s influencing your thoughts, mood, or mental space?

Is this information seeking for yourself OR helping a client make connections?

We don’t need the tea spilled in coaching.

What were we doing 3-5 years ago that got us to where we are today?

Great question for learning what time & perspective 

Other coaching styles -- some include storytelling, metaphors, etc. 

E.g. Coach: Katy Peplin https://www.thrive-phd.com/

Season 1 in Coach to Coach Podcast

Fishbowl Coaching: similar to fishbowl discussions you have 1 person observing and the other two practice being the coach and coaching client. Things we learned:

• Nimble coaching: improv, just listen & ask powerful questions without an agenda
• Sticking to an agenda: how does this impact getting deep with this structure?
• Powerful questions: phrase questions how we would approach and ask these open-ended questions

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Want to learn more about coaching? Have a question or topic we should discuss? Let us know!

Follow the pod on Twitter: @CoachingThruIt & Instagram: @CoachingThruIt

Email us at: [email protected] 

Connect to the hosts: @laurapasquini & @julieclarsen

Music credit: The song reCreation by airtone has been remixed under a CC-BY license. 

Are you interested in learning more about coaching certification?

ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) Path

ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) Path

Emotional Intelligence

Empathy: “I will take the train to vulnerable city any time.” ~ Julie “The open express.” ~Laura

• Allyship
• Openness 
• Affinity/Identity needs

What’s your story? (opening line or introduction)

Clearing -- ways to get the things out of their head & remove the distractions before moving into the coaching session

Asking the “HOW” and “WHAT” questions, and avoiding the “WHY” - we don’t need the information, context, history, etc.

We need to work on our best listening: facial expressions, verbal responses, non-verbals, and emotions -- maybe?

• Leading as a coach through visual expressions or reactions (verbal) (Laura)
• Be okay with the silence while thinking as a coach; breaking role (Julie)
  • BONUS ASK: What question should I be asking you now?

To work on for Agenda Setting/Structure in coaching:

• Identify a topic or issue your coaching client wants to talk about
• Why is this issue/topic significant?
• What do you want to come from this coaching session
  • Agenda structure -- planning & returning to the agenda, or not?
  • Checking in on the agenda with the client to redirect or other things that come up
  • Timestamp to check in and review agenda
  • Organized conversations
  • Guidelines & bumpers do not need to restrictive

Books:
No Hard Feelings by Liz Fosslien & Mollie West Duffy + IG: https://www.instagram.com/lizandmollie/

Forward by Abby Wamback

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones

Pretty Bosses 

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Want to learn more about coaching? Have a question or topic we should discuss? Let us know!

Follow the pod on Twitter: @CoachingThruIt & Instagram: @CoachingThruIt

Email us at: [email protected] 

Connect to the hosts: @laurapasquini & @julieclarsen

Music credit: The song reCreation by airtone has been remixed under a CC-BY license. 

Coaching Opening Questions:

• How are you coming into our conversation today?
• What’s going on in your world?
• How are you landing into the call?
• What’s on your mind?
• What’s your story?

Removing the “advising” from our coaching with the following things:

• Open-ended questions
• Questions without judgement 
• Non-leading questions
• Ask one question -- and let your client talk
• Tell me more… 
• Can you give me an example of… ?
• What do you mean by… ?
• The wandering conversation
• Asking more intentional and interesting questions

LeaderShape

End of a Session Coaching Questions: 

• Do you think that we accomplished what we set out to do?
• What are you leaving here with?
• How are you feeling as you walk out the door?
• What are you leaving this session that is most useful for you today?
• What’s one thing have you learned from today?
• What are you going to think about from today’s coaching session?
• What’s resonating with you now?

James Lipton: 10 Questions from Inside the Actor Studio

Book:

The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier

Podcasts: 

Coach to Coach Katie Linder

Dolly Parton’s America

West Cork

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Want to learn more about coaching? Have a question or topic we should discuss? Let us know!

Follow the pod on Twitter: @CoachingThruIt & Instagram: @CoachingThruIt

Email us at: [email protected] 

Connect to the hosts: @laurapasquini & @julieclarsen

Music credit: The song reCreation by airtone has been remixed under a CC-BY license. 

Introduction to this podcast and how we are “coaching through it” on this and future episodes.

International Coaches Federation (ICF) 

Coach Training with Katie Linder: https://www.higheredcoaches.com/ 

What is your past experience with coaching?

NACADA - The Global Community for Academic Advising 

Design Matters with Debbie Millman: Austin Kleon (interview)

How do you define coaching?

ICF Definition of Coaching

Coach to Coach Podcast

Season 1, Episode1 - Introduction (Group Coaching)

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Want to learn more about coaching? Have a question or topic we should discuss? Let us know!

Follow the pod on Twitter: @CoachingThruIt & Instagram: @CoachingThruIt

Email us at: [email protected] 

Connect to the hosts: @laurapasquini & @julieclarsen

Music credit: The song reCreation by airtone has been remixed under a CC-BY license. 

In Coaching Through It, your podcast hosts and newly minted coaches, Julie Larsen and Laura Pasquini, bring their perspectives and insights to their coaching practice. In each episode we’ll introduce you to what coaching is -- specifically coach training, powerful questions, coaching tools or techniques, working with clients, and applying how coaching fits into both our work and personal lives. Join us for the conversation as we’re … Coaching Through It.

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Want to learn more about coaching? Have a question or topic we should discuss? Let us know!

Follow the pod on Twitter: @CoachingThruIt

Email us at: [email protected] 

Connect to the hosts: @laurapasquini & @julieclarsen

Music credit: The song reCreation by airtone has been remixed under a CC-BY license.