What techniques can be used to develop client self-awareness in personal coaching?

I would like to share three things. Firstly there is a process called perceptual positions. I invite them to look at the issue through their own eyes, then through the eyes of the other party and then as if they were a Coach to both parties. Finally I invite them to consider what they have learnt from this journey of perspectives. Normally the client learns something about their own behaviour for adaptation or change. The second technique is called re-framing. This needs a lot of rapport or connection with your client and is an invitation to look at their world view differently. It is important to deliver a re-frame without attachment. Thirdly: a series of exercises for self reflection in and on action.

Be their mirror. Instead of asking them anything, once done, re-tell what they said and act like they did when they told it. Many breakthroughs occur by just using this simple technique.

I think a key to asking powerful questions is to ask something that's "off script" from what the client is already saying. For example, if they're talking about all the tasks they're going to do to reach a goal, I might try to get them to think "big picture." So I may ask, "What would having [goal] do for your life?" Or if they're talking big picture already, I may ask, "What's the first step you need to take?" to get them to think about the details. A good awareness-raising question sometimes will cause the client to pause and say, "Hmm...that's a good question!" as they ponder their answer. Then I know that they're thinking something through (and getting self-awareness!) rather than continuing with their script.

A few great powerful questions to ask are to help develop a clients awareness are : 1- What are the 5 biggest changes you want to make in your life over the X amount of years, and why ? 2. What have been your 5 biggest success to date ? How did you go about achieving them? 3. What was the greatest challenge you have overcome? 4. What is most important to you in your life and why ?

I would like to suggest the following ways to develop client self-awareness in personal coaching. There should be Reflective questioning, doing Journals, Having Feedback and observations, Personality assessment, Values clarification, Mindfulness and meditation, Goal setting

I love to say, 'What I'm hearing is....' . I find that being direct with clients and reflecting is such a powerful tool. A client recently was becoming emotional about a situation at work, with seemingly no way to deal with it. When I reflected what I was hearing she was taken aback and then we decided she could play with becoming someone more empowered in the situation; to pretend confidence and react as if she were someone else. The next session, she was brimming with excitement as she spoke to the protagonist in such a different way and she loved the result!

Reflective listening ( Paraphrasing ) is a great way to show your client that you are paying full attention. More importantly helps you make sure you understand what they said correctly. A few tips when it comes to reflective listening. Put your focus on the paraphrase on what your client is implying. E.g " If I'm hearing you right " . Put the paraphrase as a question- E.g. "So you are saying that ..?". Put the ownership of the clients words on him/ her . E.g " If I understand you right ,you are saying that ..? Don't judge or evaluate the other person comments, don't say - " I wonder if you truly do believe that ".

I find that clean language, meaning use the wording and metaphors your client uses rather than paraphrasing, works extremely well. For example, if they talk about time being like a certain video game, go with that rather than replacing it with your own metaphor (e.g. "like a river"). You can also ask them to explain what the metaphor means to them. The coach doesn't have to completely understand the metaphor, as long as the client understands it for themself. When you use their words, you show that you are listening and empathizing with them rather than trying to change what they are saying. They have greater resonance than your own words, and they will build trust faster and more effectively.

My approach is client-centred, emphasising the need for a mirror reflection. Even a subtle paraphrasing can risk altering the emotional tone, significance, or impact of expressed feelings. Our priority is to ensure that the client never feels misunderstood. This could break rapport. E.g.: Client: "I've been really overwhelmed. It feels like no matter how much I do, there's always a mountain of tasks left. It's exhausting." Paraphrasing 1: "It sounds like you're feeling swamped and that the effort you're putting in isn't leading to a sense of completion." Client-centred approach: "It feels like you are exhausted. You have been overwhelmed lately with the mountain of tasks." This mirrors their words and emotions, validating their experience.

Another technique for developing client self-awareness is using reflective listening. This process involves paraphrasing, summarizing, or mirroring what the client says, with the intention of demonstrating empathy, understanding, and validation. It also helps the client to gain a better understanding of their own thoughts, feelings, and needs. For instance, you could say to your client: "It seems like you are feeling frustrated and overwhelmed by your workload," or "I get the sense that you are excited and nervous about your new opportunity," or "You appear to be passionate about your project and want to make it a success." Reflective listening can help the client recognize that you value honesty and respect in your relationships.

One thing that I do with my clients is ask them to reflect on times when they have felt successful in the past. I often work with newcomers to Canada who have lost some sense of self-worth due to lack of work and challenges adapting to the culture. Asking clients to reflect on how they dealt with challenges in the past helps them to remember they are competent and capable, and they can bring those lessons forward into their current situation. If a client specifically asks for my feedback, I will gently give some to them but I always follow up with the question, "What do you think?" Ultimately, I'm not there to provide them with solutions--I'm there to partner with them to help them find the answers that work for them.

Apart from constructive feedback, I love to share personal stories to help clients relate to what they just said. This puts the scenario in a different perspective and it will give your client the chance to shine a new light on the topic. Be careful with this though, the session is not just about you. It’s about your client and you.

O respeito ao dar feedback é outro momento que merece ser trabalhado pela lente da empatia, pela lente dos julgamentos suspensos, e pela lente do amor fraterno. Ao utilizar toda sua humanidade para tocar nesta alma humana em nossa presen?a, permite que o outro possa se sentir emocionalmente protegido e seguro, para reconhecer suas sombras e seus medos, libertando-se de padr?es até ent?o intransponíveis.

The best tool out there is called: ‘Being yourself’ As a coach, whenever you are truly and genuinely yourself, you create a space for your client to do the same. This will help them further.

Assessments, if designed effectively, are a powerful tool. I am working with the Being Profile? , the world's leading oncological assessment questionnaire that has come out of Australia. I am working to be a Certified Being Profile? Practitioner and cannot wait to use this tool on my clients. It is an in-depth Assessment Tool for Performance, Effectiveness and Leadership and helpful for both personal and professional life. The Being Profile? measures 31 Aspects of Being across four key layers. It is the first framework for how humans are "Being" in this world. And, I believe, an excellent tool to get to the core of one's essence to find their purpose in life and successful ways of being in their job, business and personal life.

I find assessments useful primarily as a pathway to deep reflection and conversations that help unpack self understanding for my clients. The assessments themselves may not be very accurate and so I am often agnostic. Some are designed for conversations on specific skills like negotiation and others for deeper and more holistic understanding of self. I often use the Enneagram when working with clients, especially those in leadership roles and have some chronic behavioural challenges.

Assessments are a powerful tool to start a conversation, particularly in my specialty of cross-cultural competence. Culture is something that can be defined in many ways, and it's easy to assume one is more culturally aware than they truly are. For example, just because a person has lived in multiple countries does not automatically mean they are cross-culturally competent. Like any skill, it has to be pursued with intention. That's why I find the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) and the Cultural Orientations Framework (COF) are a great combination early in the coaching relationship. They help define cultural competence and orientations in more concrete and measurable terms, and then goals and action plans can be developed.

I like to recommend that clients keep a judgment journal to tracking when they judge themselves, others or situations. It helps for them to start noticing that their view of things might not be the only one, as well as broaden awareness as to what internal block is at play - assumptions, limiting beliefs, etc. This helps to open up awareness in a simple easy way.

The brain learns so quickly and easily from the use of metaphors. Hypnotic Coaching uses them substantially when clarifying subconscious blockages and motivating lasting change. Additionally, my clients imagine a future version of themselves that they want to game plan and commit to creating. We call this their Future-Self. This is not that different from those who use an internal teacher or imagined mentor from their highest ideals. What you focus on grows. Your today is a ripple effect of your past. And you have the capacity to form your future in ways your past can never change. (Its meaning can change. The way you feel about it can shift.) It is your future that you co-create daily. To live fully is up to you. Choose to enjoy it!

One effective technique to foster client self-awareness in personal coaching is journaling. Encourage clients to maintain a reflective journal, where they record thoughts, emotions, and experiences. This practice promotes self-exploration, helps identify patterns, and enhances clarity and insight into their goals and personal growth. Here a some prompts: Emotional Awareness: How do I feel right now, and why? Explore any emotions that stand out today. Goals and Desires: What are my short-term and long-term goals? What do I truly desire in life? Obstacles and Challenges: What challenges have I encountered recently? How did I respond, and what can I learn from these experiences? Values and Beliefs: What are my core values and beliefs?

In my experience, the most powerful metaphors and stories are the ones that come from the clients themselves. They have the greatest resonance, and when the coach mirrors their stories it will make a more powerful impact. Asking a client to explain abstract ideas that they bring up in more concrete terms, such as "What does happiness look like to you?" can lead to them sharing their own stories and metaphors. You can then refer to them when asking further questions and reflecting, and they will have greater impact.

One of my favorites comes from Oliver Sacks. In one of his books he describes a patient who came into his office with a tremendous lean, as if he were a walking Tower of Pisa. Dr. Sacks asked the man why he had come to see him, and the man said, "People tell me I lean." Sacks said, "People tell you that. But you don't think so." And the man replied, "How could I be tilted without knowing I was?" So Sacks made a video of the man walking and played it for him. The man realized things were exactly as he thought they could not be: He was leaning, and he had no idea he was leaning. This illustrates why we need to actively cultivate self-awareness, and why we need the help of others to do so. We don't know all the ways we are tilted!

One of the ways to detach from the emotional impact of your own story is to think of a character that you know with a similar story and how they resolved it. This works for clients as well. Ask your client to consider the story of a persona or character who went through something similar to their situation. This allows them to remove themselves from the centre of the problem and look at the situation with less emotional interference. Looking at the character's situation from multiple perspectives can lead to new insights for the client. Then, gently shifting the client from the character back to their own life can help shift them from stuck to action focused.

Mindfulness is a useful and evidence-based practice for building self-awareness and one that I work with many of my clients to integrate into their daily life. We look at the ways they may be able to find moments to ground themselves, moments of getting out of their head, activity-based mindfulness, meditation and other simple but effective tools to build a habit of presence and being where they are. It doesn't need to be time-consuming or complicated, but those simple habits of mindfulness can be incredibly helpful for developing self awareness and mental fitness, showing up in more present ways and handling challenging situations with more intention and effectiveness.

I think one of the most strongest questions here is: "What are you noticing about yourself now?". I consider this question to be particularly advantageous as it facilitates a deliberate and contemplative approach, allowing the client to arrive at their own insights.

A very powerful technique is to ask the client to close their eyes and see the tricky situation they want to change. Then to think of a person with qualities they admire. Close their eyes and watch the person in their mind's eye; how they walk, talk, interact with the world. They then step into the person, to assimilate those qualities and to feel how it feels to be confident and assured. Finally, to imagine themselves back in the tricky situation and to display the new qualities. It's like magic!

Helping your clients tap into their feelings and their current experience is essential. Especially when having a session with someone who has never been coached before, it is important to ask them how they feel and what is going on in their state of being. It creates rapport, trust, and makes the client feel safe and understood. Coaching isn’t guesswork.

One thing I′ve found helpful is to ground my client by using meditation. Depending on the situation we are working on I choose to ground them in the here and now through a body scan and then I proceed to use focusing. After the client has relaxed and notice a felt sense inside I invite them to express it with art to create a shift within, this anchors the client with what is happening with them and it helps them be more conscious of what is really going on inside. I recommend for them to practice short meditation and breathing in their daily lives.

One thing I noticed it’s very basic yet fundamental, To understand the polarity and duality within themselves. The clear distinction between their soul mission ( true heart desire and life path ) and their ego success/ fulfillment, known as 3D reality. When they are aligned as ONE, it’s easier to follow the next steps. Blessings ?????

‘The way people do one thing, is how they do anything.’ Someone’s external reality is a direct reflection of what is going on inside. Understanding this and reflecting it back to your client will change their life (as well as yours as a coach - the deeper you’ve gone yourself the deeper you can take your client)

I love what I do! I love to see the transformation my clients go through as we work together. I love to see their faces at the end of the sessions; brighter, lighter and more optimistic! What a great job I have

To develop long term self awareness in a client I often recommend to start a diary and write daily. This practice helps the client to reflect on his or her day. Reflection leads to awareness. When a client is down and depressed I recommend a special type of diary: a gratitude journal. As this helps them to become more aware of the good things in their life in the midst of all troubles. In a next session, the dairy is a topic of conversation. Many times clients tell wonderful stories about the insights they gained.