Power Hour

What better way to go to work on your life than over a hot drink in a comfortable chair? Opening up about your life and your true feelings is such an important part of the coaching process, it's vital we meet in a place that is sufficiently comfortable for you. With that in mind, some clients feel most relaxed in a private room, whereas others are much happier in a coffee shop or even a pub sipping a beer. Whatever your preference, your coaching relationship is designed around who you are and how you work best.

Being coached via Skype or phone is truly awesome because of its flexibility. You can be anywhere in the world (as can I) and within minutes we can be working through a problem together. Many of my clients use Skype coaching for part of our time together, and although it does take some getting used to, human connection is still very much possible through video link. Skype coaching can also be audio-only if you find the video of yourself too distracting. Skype coaching is normally the cheapest option because it doesn't require the coach to budget for travel expenses.

Especially in the getting to know one another phase, going for a walk in the park or taking a stroll by the river is an incredibly natural way to be coached. Many of my clients find the conversation flows much more easily and, because they're also moving their bodies, they are much more able to come up with new ideas and solutions to the challenges they're working on. Walk And Talk Coaching is a more relaxed format but that doesn't mean it has to be any less focused than a business-style meeting in an office. Great ideas or important action plans are typically recorded on your smart phone.

Because of my work with schools, universities and businesses, I also have a day rate which some of my customers take advantage of. Spending the whole day together, one-on-one, obviously allows for an enormous amount of progress to be made. Some challenges are bite-size and can be worked through in the space of an hour or two but others may take weeks or even months. Working on a problem for the whole day means there is no chance of momentum being lost at a crucial time for those more complex and time consuming issues. It sounds a bit intense to be coached for the whole day, but the reality is actually the opposite, with neither party needing to clock-watch and plenty of time for breaks.

Breaks are actually a really important aspect of coaching. Often a client's development takes place in the space between sessions, when they're not actually focusing on the problem but having fun. With this is mind, all-day coaching works quite well because it allows time for fun activities alongside the more intense stuff. One of my clients actually had her eureka moment while we were ice-skating! We'd had an intense morning discussing a particular challenge and then decided to go and do something fun before brainstorming solutions. To this day my client maintains that ice-skating changed her life. Fun aside, all-day coaching days are never concluded without a thoroughly worked out action plan.