Building a Personal Coaching Relationship
In any relationship, there is usually some degree of expectation that either fuels the relationship or quashes it.
The coaching relationship is unusual on many levels. It is designed to be free from the demands of normal friend, family and workplace agendas and expectations. The power of a coaching relationship is that the energy, commitment and experiences are all directed to aid the client's agenda, aims and objectives, rather than the coach's own agenda or personality.
Coaches manage the foundation of the coaching relationship in different ways, depending on their personal coaching styles. Coaches' preferences and styles range from a 'welcome' pack or a simple list of questions for the coachee to answer in preparation for the ongoing coaching session, to arranging a two-day 'breakout session' with the client and coach in a neutral place, perhaps even roughing it in the countryside. However a coach chooses to organise the foundation session, they need to be sensitive to their client's needs. An overloaded, time pressured individual may not appreciate a 'welcome' pack to be completed and returned before the coaching session. The coach needs to know how to accommodate a client's needs. Some coaches decide to set a framework of working and leave it up to a potential client to decide if they wish to be coached within that structure.
From the initial contact, the coach and client will have discussed the basic practicalities of the coaching relationship.
These include:
- Mode of coaching - telephone or face to face
- Location and coaching contact details for each session
- Frequency of sessions
- Length of coaching session
- Level of ongoing coaching support between appointments
- Length of coaching commitment
- Level of coaching aftercare beyond the closure of relationship
- Coaching fees
- Terms and conditions of coaching contract
- Any special conditions needed for the coaching relationship
