"As an ICF professional coach, I recognize that during the coaching session my client and
I are permanently co-creating the relationship. In particular I pay attention to three
C’s: context, confidence and care.
"Context, for me, is everything that facilitates the emergence of what needs to emerge.
It is the physical place where the conversation takes place, my presence, my open
emotional tone to accompany my client. If we are in a virtual session, I’ll pay special
attention to my surroundings, my tone of voice and the place from where my client
communicates. I have full confidence in my clients, recognizing their ability to create
the life they pursue and to take care of their own challenges. The third C is for care.
By listening to what my client really cares about, I will be an associate to their greater
purpose. This is a key to empowering our coaching relationship."
—Fabiola Solis Plaza, PCC (Chile)
"I find that clients always value authenticity. One thing that seems to always work
for me is to be very open with all my senses, confident in my client’s abilities to achieve
whatever is desired and be fully present in the moment without any judgment at any
given point. This way you accept the person the way she or he is, and that is a key. In
other words, once you are “partners in crime” in the best sense of this expression, the
client feels that and things start to flow."
—Giedre Lesmaityte, ACC (Lithuania)
"I would highly suggest we as coaches focus on the “being” part rather than the “doing”
part, because if the client is clear and motivated enough about who he or she is, the
client has enough resources and freedom of action to get results to happen. The best
way to bridge being and doing is through the alignment of coach and client.
"There are two elements for this alignment: motivation and trust. Clarify the client’s
motivation for improvement. Does this client have clear and strong motivation to
improve something in his or her personal or professional life? If the motivation does not
exist or is ambiguous, the coaching results will be diluted by uncommitted actions or a
lack of urgency. Ensure that trust is built. Results come from action and actions have to
come from beliefs. The client has to trust the action plan he or she made with the coach;
otherwise, there is no way to generate an effective action plan."
—Carter Yang (China)
—Anna Maria Thorvaldsdottir, ACC (Iceland)
Coaching World
"When co-creating a relationship with a coaching client the one thing that I find
most important is establishing trust with the client from the very beginning of the
coaching relationship. That being said, how the coach presents him or herself in the
early stages of the coaching conversation is crucial for the client to feel he can trust the
coach. Other things, such as confidentiality, genuine interest and authenticity from the
coach to the client also have a significant role in building the trust."
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