You're coaching clients from diverse backgrounds. How can you address biases and stereotypes effectively?

Let's sprinkle some anti-bias magic! Embrace the weird: Everyone's got quirks. Celebrate differences like they're rare collectibles. Language makeover: Banish boring words like "diversity." Let's talk "flavor explosion" instead. Role-play reversal: Walk a mile in their shoes, or rather, their stilettos or sneakers. Laugh it off: Humor can be a powerful antidote. Find the funny in misunderstandings. Open book policy: Admit when you mess up. Authenticity builds trust faster than any textbook. Remember, we're all just different shades of awesome!

"The purest form of listening is to listen without memory or desire." Wilfred Bion (1897-1979) Wilfred Bion's concept of "listening without memory or desire" is crucial here. It means engaging with each client in the present moment, free from past experiences (memory) or future expectations (desire). This self-awareness helps prevent biases from influencing your judgment and interactions, creating a more inclusive coaching environment.

Effectively addressing biases and stereotypes as a coach requires developing self-awareness. As these can influence your views and relationships with customers, start by thinking back on your own experiences, values, and beliefs. To find any unconscious prejudices you might possess, regularly evaluate yourself. Seek input from colleagues and contemplate taking part in diversity and inclusion or unconscious bias training to expand your knowledge. This self-awareness enables you to approach coaching with openness and empathy, fostering a secure space where clients may confront prejudices and share their stories. This ultimately creates a coaching dynamic that is more inclusive.

Creating a safe and non-judgmental space starts with creating rapport, which also includes sometimes some vulnerable shares about you. Another aspect is that I make it very clear from the beginning that although we have clearly defined goals for the coaching process, it's about progress and not perfection. This creates an environment that feels non-judgmental and where the client can share any "failures" (which are always learning experiences).

I coach clients from all around the world and English is not my first language. It's very important to ask detailed questions and also read non-verbal cues to get a good understanding of where the client is and where he/she wants to go. If you're not clear, ask another question to go a level deeper. As coaches, we need to be clear that our cultural background and experience is influencing the way we interpret what the client tells us.

I would say that you can take this further, as this is quite a general approach. Just be curious when you meet new people and seek to adopt a learner mindset/ child's mindset, where you see everything as new as opposed to seeing it through the lens of judgement - I find this hard as I grew up in a very judgemental household. I am constantly having to stop myself from making unreasonable snap judgements because that's a learned pattern of behaviour.

I've always worked in an international environment which really helps me when working with clients from all around the world. Being part of international networking communities (or in my case, also joining a Spanish BNI chapter) helped me to continue learning and better understand different cultures. One example to take into account is the best time to organise coaching calls, in Spain my clients have a lunch break around 2:00pm, in Germany around 12:00/12:30pm. So a call during the lunch break means something different!

Jeder Kunde ist einzigartig und individuell. Es ist wichtig, urteils- und stereotypenfrei in den Dialog zu gehen. Empathie ist dabei der Schlüssel. Ich spreche von ehrlicher Empathie. Diese beginnt immer bei uns selbst. Wenn wir mit uns selbst empathisch sind, k?nnen wir dies auch bei unseren Kunden sein.

"I can't live without coffee." "I can't say no to my boss if he offers me a drink." I challenge stereotypes around food/drink with my clients all the time - and many of them are rooted in societal / cultural norms. This starts with the social aspect of drinking coffee in the morning at the workplace or alcohol at company events.