The Importance of Change of State in Coaching
July 2nd, 2010
As those of you who have been coaching for a while now probably know, hitting a “plateau” in the coaching process, especially when you have been working with someone for a longer time, is completely normal.
When this happens, “changing states” is an extremely easy, yet effective way to break the flow and inject a fresh feel into the coaching process, as well as into the coach-client relationship.
Changing states can be simple, for instance swapping places where you usually sit when coaching takes place, (e.g. you usually sit on the chair and client sits on the sofa and to change state you swap seats). You can also change the rooms in the house/office or better still, change the environment altogether and take a walk outside! I once took my overstressed client for a walk in the park and what a difference that made to our coaching session! I also know of a coach, who took his elderly client to an exhibition of a famous painter, who had only started painting as a retiree, just to show him that there is a lot to be achieved in the later stages of our lives.
Apart from hitting the “plateau”, there are other situations when changing states helps to move the process further. They are:
- When client finds it difficult to talk about certain subjects or gets emotional talking about it
- When client isn’t sure if he /she is ready to share certain details of what he/she is describing
- When you instinctively know that the client needs a break to gather his/her thoughts
There are many situations and there are many variants of changing states. Sometimes, just a simple movement, such as you getting up from your chair, walking to the window and taking a little time not facing the client can make a huge difference. The variants vary, the choice is yours.
Be creative and incorporate this often overlooked tool into your practice, your clients will benefit from it and so will you.
Natalie Ekberg is an international personal and executive coach and offers self-improving, motivational and coaching e-courses and e-books as well as face to face or telephone coaching.