What techniques can Life Coaches use to keep clients focused on their goals?

SMART goals are a great way of building self-efficacy and helping to propel your client to achieve even bigger goals in the future. It's important to make sure these goals are clearly measurable as you want your client to see how far they have come and continue to focus on the achievement of their final outcome. When working with clients to identify their goals I often find when using the SMART goals system we identify more, even smaller goals they might not originally have been aware of aiding to their overall self-efficacy and confidence.

Having clear goals and being able to measure their progress is important in keeping your clients focused when working towards goals. The achievement of a goal is most often the culmination of many small steps. Sometimes the bigger picture can become overwhelming when it seems like there's no progress. But by being able to focus and measure each small step it can serve to remind us that there is progress, this will help to maintain motivation and focus.

SMART goals are key. I often will help clients evaluate if the goals they’re aiming for fall into this category. It’s easy to set goals that are big, but sometimes they can be too big that we suffer from not acting on them. Helping clients breakdown goals into small steps will help them net better results. Like climbing stairs, one at a time.

What is the pain? The goal was set, however, when we forget the pain that motivated us (as things get better) we may decide good enough is OK. What is the secondary gain? Sometimes the pain isn't enough if there is a secondary, often unrealized, gain from continuing down the old path. It can be scary to change and improve. The devil we know... Remembering the pain and realizing the secondary gain you have gotten from the old ways, helps keep focus.

The most important thing a career coach can do, is to provide clarity to the clients. Identifying their interests and work patterns, the career coach can device a roadmap for clients to follow which will help them to achieve their goals. During the process the coach will provide them guidance from a different prespective and make sure that they stay on track. The best outcome of this practice is that clients will se far more consistency and with consistency effective results start to come in as well.

Why quote Tony Robbins? He’s amazing, but lets hear from your experience. As coaches we need to stop quoting others and establish our own credibility.

Tony Ronbins said that the quality of our results can be measured by the quality of the questions we ask. By either asking powerful questions or guiding your clients to be able to ask themselves you can help them to not just stay focused but facilitate growth. As mentioned, situations, feelings, beliefs, and values are great areas to explore with intelligent and constructive questions.

Questions are the life blood of a life coach. Without them we may lean too heavy on advice giving. Thats not my place as a coach, rather my questions help clients see the need for change and adaptation to achieve their goals. Two of my favorite questions are: And what else? If you say yes to this, what are you saying no to?

Deep meaningful conversations in a safe space that focuses solely on you and being open to powerful questions can encourage deep thinking, self-reflection, and often lead to insights that may not have been apparent before. You'll be amazed at how powerful questions can continue to influence your thinking long after our coaching sessions. They have an incredible way of staying with you, even long after our discussions. Clients often share that days later, these questions continue to work their magic, revealing new answers and fresh perspectives. It's the transformative nature of these questions that leaves a meaningful and enduring mark on your thinking, and helping you improve your self-awareness.

Questions are simply the most powerful tool a life coach can have. Ask a stupid question, and get a stupid answer. Questions when asked in the right manner at the right time and using the right words and tone. Asking open-ended questions in a thought-provoking, mindset-challenging way to the coachee is extremely important. Asking powerful questions, allows the coachees to gather insights into themselves, arrive at new solutions, and all the while enableing to look at things in a different manner.

Often we are held back by our own blind spots. This is where accountability and feedback are critical. Being able to highlight these blind spots with feedback and helping to push through them with accountability to make sure that your clients are taking productive actions is one of the key values that a coach acan bring to their clients.

Accountability is what helps clients thrive. Part of the reason for hiring a coach is to have someone hold you accountable. Without it progress may be difficult to come by. Each client will have their own level of need. Some will need more follow ups while others will dive in and take action quickly. You’ll begin to learn this balance as you coach many different folks.

Unexpected obstacles during the process is to be expected. I help my clients using techniques like mindfulness exercises and emotional intelligence training to equip them with tools to navigate these challenges, maintaining clarity and focus. The next step is the regular reflective sessions with clients ensure that they are aligned with their goals, making necessary adjustments based on the feedback and insights gained during these sessions. Making it clear that the progress will manifest itself only through ACTIONS.

One of the crucial functions of a Life Coach is to hold the coachee accountable to their goals. Accountability means making them aware that they and no one else is responsible for their goals to become their reality. It makes them stay focused, motivated, and consistent in their approach and execution of their plans. While holding them accountable can be tricky, it can be done by providing them with good actionable feedback. Feedback for their efforts and their achievements. Feedback opens up the coachee to blind spots that they may have, it also helps if the coachees give feedback about themselves and their actions, this makes them way more accountable, and allows them to accept and acknowledge their efforts.

Why do I use Equine Experiential for life coaching? Horses give far better, more honest, non biased, moment relevant feedback. Horses are mirrors to a persons situation/feelings because they have no alternative motive than to be a partner WITH the person in achieving a goal. Disclaimer: Our Classical Riding techniques places horses as equals in the partnership. Classical Riding is method which strives towards a perfect harmony between horse and rider by creating a dialogue between two bodies and two souls. Goals are achieved by seemingly effortless actions with the horse and rider as one. Therefore, accountability for success also falls equally on rider and horse. I act only as a facilitator of challenges, the horses are the real coach.

To help their clients picture their goals, life coaches ask them to describe in detail what it will look and feel like to reach those goals. This gives them a clear picture of the goal, which makes it seem more real. Coaches should also stress how important the goal is by showing how it fits with the client's values and life vision. This makes you feel very connected to the goal. Talking about the good things that will happen and the benefits that will come from reaching the goal also helps. Like seeing a trailer of a movie you really want to se, it makes you eager to see whole thing. Coaches can build a strong mental and emotional base for their clients that helps them stay focused on their goals by using all of these methods together.

Breaking the goals down is a useful way to help clients stay on track. As a life coach, it is often necessary to help the client close the gap between where they want to be and where they are by helping them identify tangible action steps they can take today. One of the biggest barriers to action is lack of clarity so the clearer each step is for the client, the more likely it is that they'll take action. When, where and how will they take the action? How will they do it even if they don't feel motivated? etc.

There is no bigger motivator than visualization & no better pep talk than affirmations. Using them effectively helps the Life Coach keep their Coachees focused on their goals. Visualization can be done in many ways, writing the goals down daily is strongly recommended, getting the Coachees to create a vision board, and asking them to vividly picture themselves as though they have already achieved their goals are some of the ways of visualization. Affirmations are daily pep talks we can give ourselves & are probably the best medicine to overcome all negative thoughts that run around in our heads. Affirmations involve repeating powerful positive things we want for ourselves. Use these two techniques in tandem to keep the Coachees focused.

Once a person accepts their accountability for achieving goals with a 1000lb animal they must have visual plans, internal affirmation and decision making capabilities. While Classical Riding allows the horse to provide information/feedback to the rider it also gives its vulnerability to the responsibility of the rider. Riders with wavering thoughts, doubt, low self esteem, and lack of planning fail to give proper cues to the foot falls of the horse and fail in their responsibility/goals. The cyclical process of learning/performance of each of the footfalls itself creates the visualization of the plan, the confidence to ask the horse, the control of emotions in the process, and the affirmation/belief in the pair's communication.

Visualization provides the the Reticular Activating Mechanism to point out opportunities that the coachee can seize on. It filters out irrelevant circumstances and helps the coachee focus on what is important and aligned to their goals. It helps the coachee see himself achieving the goals as well as overcoming obstacles to win the day. Affirmation is a way of reinforcing beliefs , positive attitudes, way of being as we continuous exposed to negative people who are not supportive to our cause and endless distraction of social media and bad news happening around the world. We can filter them out by repeating affirmations throughout the day to keep us focused on our goals.

I call it the "Puppy Training" Method: Using positive reinforcement and rewards to encourage clients to stay on track, much like training a puppy with treats. I love doing it as much as they love getting it... Really a combination of providing warm professional cuddles!!! Though I feel many coaches shy away from this - because there is some additional effort to be put in and also a value-based way of thinking that the journey ought to be the reward. Hey! I like cuddling though - try it, enjoy it!

It's very important to provide regular constructive feedback and put measures in place to maintain momentum and celebrate each milestones in every client's journey. And seeking permission to share their progress with my other clients can sometimes help them gain perspective on how far they've come and what they've been able to achieve in a short period of time. After all, coaching is about helping your client achieve their goals and every achievement, small or big, is a stepping stone towards their bigger vision for their personal and professional life.

Celebrating any win, big or small is extremely important. No victory is complete without celebration, so celebrate with your Coachee, it can include (with their permission) sharing their wins with others who have similar goals. Rewards and celebrations, renew the energy with which goals are pursued and make us feel confident about ourselves too.

Recognizing achievements, big or small, fuels the motivation to continue forward. Every journey consists of multiple steps, and each step deserves its moment in the limelight. By celebrating and rewarding, we're not just patting on the back for a job well done, but also re-energizing for the journey ahead. It's the emotional recharge our clients need, reminding them of their progress and potential. These moments of joy and pride are not just milestones, but powerful motivational tools. After all, progress paired with celebration becomes a beautiful cycle of growth and gratitude.

One of the things I do with my clients to ensure action taking is I stay in touch with them between sessions. Checking in and asking how they're doing or asking for an update on their progress keeps them focused and reminds them that they have support along the way. This helps overcome some of the psychological blocks to action taking and also means we catch those blocks "in the moment" so our work in the sessions becomes more powerful.

We all get distracted from time to time as it relates to our goals, no matter how grandiose our goals are. One of the things I do in helping my clients to stay focus on their goals is that in addition to check-in and accountability calls, I provide them with additional resources that are relevant to helping them stay on track even when it seems like they aren't making the progress they anticipated.

I try to employ several techniques to maintain my client's focus on their goals: Goal Clarity: Ensuring clients have well-defined, specific, and measurable goals. This clarity keeps them motivated and on track. Accountability: Setting regular check-ins or progress reviews to hold clients accountable for their actions. Accountability encourages consistency and commitment. Visualisation: Encouraging clients to regularly visualise the successful attainment of their goals. This technique reinforces their commitment and keeps the desired outcomes at the forefront of their minds. By employing these techniques, Life Coaches effectively guide clients towards achieving their goals while maintaining focus throughout the journey.

While having goals can be helpful, I think creating a Vision with my clients as well as an Intention can be powerful. The Vision pulls you forward and the intention creates the energy behind the actions, thoughts and behaviours we exhibit.

We all communicate through metaphors and these are easy to create. The best is to use metaphors based on our personal experience.

I usually say, we should get clients to be pulled by their vision rather than pushed by their fears. The best way to keep clients focused on their goals is to ensure their goals are aligned to who they are. When goals are aligned to BEING, momentum is natural.