How can you empower your clients?

In my experience, the first 5 minutes of the conversation makes or breaks the client’s sense of trust, safety and comfort. It is important to be reminded we are here for the client, it doesn’t matter what’s our expertise and how many similar issues we have dealt with but to be non judgemental, open to hear their story from their point of view & being open to any new possibility is what comforts the client and allows them to trust you and feel safe.

I have always believed that you can’t find the right answer without asking the right question. That’s one of the reasons I became a coach. Everybody has their unique perspective and answer. With thought provoking questions we as coaches tap into the hidden part of the clients.

Using powerful questions that require a deeper consideration will elicit more change talk. Using how, what, tell me more; type of questions will enable a client to travel to their destination with less resistance. Your goal as a coach is to help the client solve their challenges with their own insights. The questions and reflections can be the difference between success and failure in any behavior change effort.

The best feedback you can give is celebrating even the smallest of steps taken by your client. I've found that the majority of the time, they don't have anyone in their corner that truly understands them. Cheering them on consistently and authentically can help them stay on track and get excited about the transformation they're taking part in.

Over the process of coaching, keep reminding them that their power was always there, it was just buried. As you both work to uncover that power, less and less encouragement will be needed from your side. At a certain point, they'll automatically know what's best for them and just how to go about it.

One thing that is often overseen, is the importance of the room you are creating for your client. It is incredible how great of an effect the setting has, that you are working with your client in. The room will have to be calm, judgmental free, open and to be a safe environment for the client and coach. This is how you get all the puzzle pieces on the table and you can go over it with your client, and make progress. No client will be able to bring or find anything deep and profound, if they feel judged or simply aren't comfortable, then it would be purely symptoms and mental defenses we are dealing with and not the root cause of their issues.