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The
Intake Session: Designing the Alliance*
Congratulations!
You have just been hired to coach a new client, and the intake
session is scheduled. Perhaps you are an experienced coach
who has conducted many intake sessions before. Or you are
new to coaching, and this is one of your first intakes. Regardless
of where you fall along the continuum, each intake session
represents a new beginning. There is a delicate balance between
following a prescribed agenda that you, the coach, bring to
the session and being fully present with your client and the
direction he/she wants to go. This balance is an aspect of
designing the coaching alliance; customizing the relationship
to create the conditions that will allow each client to achieve
optimal results from the coaching.
What
are the key ingredients in the designed alliance?
- Asking
for Permission: When coaches ask their clients for permission,
they honor the partnership that is co-created. For what
are we asking permission? Permission to be honest, to speak
our truth, to offer our observations and perspectives as
they arise during the coaching session. Permission to intrude
when a client is in the middle of a story. Instead of simply
assuming that our clients want this, we ask them for their
permission at the intake and at various points throughout
the relationship.
- Setting
the Agenda: This is the client’s Big Agenda (with
a capital A) that represents why the client has hired you
to coach them. It is a discovery process that includes values,
life purpose, goals and beliefs. There are different assessment
tools that coaches use during the intake to assist clients
in setting the agenda. These include the Wheel of Life,
guided visualizations, values clarification exercises, and
personal inventories. The coaching skills of listening and
asking powerful questions are key in helping clients to
set the agenda. The outcome is that both the coach and client
are clear about what is important to the client in her life,
where the client sees herself at present and where she ultimately
wants to be.
COACHING
MASTERY UPDATE
Coaching
Mastery, facilitated by Lisa Kramer, an experienced coach
and veteran coach training leader, provides coaches with a
safe learning environment to further develop their coaching
excellence. Coaches can choose between individual, duo or
group Coaching Mastery, depending upon your learning preference.
For more information and to schedule a complimentary Coaching
Mastery session, contact Lisa at lisa@livingwithintention.com
or (610) 527-4511.
Here’s
what two participants had to say about their recent group
experience:
"The Coaching Mastery Group was fabulous! It was a great
opportunity to hang out and share with masterful coaches.
I appreciated the unique perspectives that each coach brought
to a situation and how we were able to build on each others
strengths. Lisa's skillful facilitation and leadership skills
gently invited everyone to participate while challenging all
of us to step into the mastery of coaching."
Pat Kilgannon, MCC www.coaching4success.com
“In
only three sessions with my Coaching Mastery group, I have
increased my “coaching confidence” 10-fold, and
my clients have noticed the difference! The group, guided
by Lisa Kramer’s masterful facilitation and spot-on
questioning, is a forum in which I can develop and test my
coaching approaches, flex my strengths, strategize with other
coaches, and have my blind spots gently revealed to me through
the coaching of my colleagues. I’ve made a huge leap
into a being a more daring, creative, relaxed and genuine
coach and because of that, my clients have made leaps too.”
Colleen Bracken, www.mcbcoaching.com
Offerings
for Summer, 2003
Two Part Series: The Complimentary
Session and the Intake Session
Part
I - Enroll Clients with Complimentary Coaching
Sessions: Master the complimentary session and fill your
coaching practice. This fun group will provide participants
with information, handouts and a chance to practice their
coaching skills. Part I meets on Monday, June 16 at 12 noon
EST OR at 8 pm EST.
Part II - The Intake Session: Design the
Coaching Alliance using the Wheel of Life, Values Clarification
Exercises and more! Part II meets on Monday, June 23 at
12 noon EST OR at 8 pm EST.
Total Investment: $50 (includes handouts)
Coaching Mastery Level I and Level II Telegroups
for Summer, 2003:
Level
I: This group is best suited for professionals
who have been coaching for a year or less. The group provides
structure and support to assist you in gaining confidence
and clarity in your coaching relationships.
The Level I group will meet on FOUR Mondays: June 16, June
23, July 14 and July 21 from 1 – 2 pm EST.
Investment: $129
Level
II: This group is best suited for more experienced
coaches who are looking to raise the bar and take their
coaching to the next level. The Level II group will meet
on FOUR Mondays: June 16, June 23, July 14 and July 21 from
2 – 3 pm EST. Investment: $129
Combine
the Two Part Series and Level I or Level II Coaching Mastery
Group for only $159 (save $20)
To
register for the Summer offerings and for more information
about Coaching Mastery, contact Lisa Kramer at
lisa@livingwithintention.com or (610) 527-4511
Upcoming Events:
Lisa will be presenting on Coaching Mastery at the Brandywine
Valley Alliance of Coaches monthly meeting on May 21 in Newark,
Delaware. For more information, contact Amy Johnson at AMJohnson333@aol.com.
Lisa
will be the guest speaker on the Louisville Coachville Virtual
Chapter call on Wednesday, May 28 at 7pm EST. The topic will
be “Enroll Clients with Complimentary Coaching Sessions”.
For more information, contact Susan Chapman at susan@realyoucoach.com
Copyright
© 2003. Permission is granted to reproduce, copy, or
distribute the Coaching Mastery™ News as long as nothing
is added, changed, or deleted, and this copyright notice
is attached. The author is Lisa Kramer, Living with Intention
Coaching, Training and Coaching Mastery™ www.livingwithintention.com
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