How to have effective coaching consultations & discovery calls? Episode 76

Consultations arguably are the most important conversation coaches have with their clients, as they are instrumental in whether we will have more conversations or not. Without more conversations, we cannot help anyone. So in this conversation, Yannick and Siwash discuss the importance of consultations in coaching and the key elements of a successful discovery call: Having a plan, why we should stop trying to convince anyone, how we can manage time and structure, how to best set goals and avoid goal setting pitfalls, and how we can engage the client’s emotions and senses to create a powerful experience that makes it more likely that the client will want to move forward with coaching. We talk about the importance of exploring the cost of inaction and emphasize the need for coaches to slow down and create a safe space for clients and why it’s so important to respect their autonomy, rather than trying to influence them. The conversation concludes with a reminder to focus on building long-term relationships rather than just transactional interactions.

Keywords
coaching, consultations, discovery call, goal setting, assessing, time management, structure, flexibility, cost of inaction, exploring emotions, serving vs pleasing, respecting autonomy, long-term relationships

Takeaways
Consultations are crucial in coaching as they open the doors to potential coaching relationships.
A discovery call involves setting goals, understanding the current situation, and identifying challenges.
Engaging the client's emotions and senses in goal setting is important for creating a powerful coaching experience.
Shifting from convincing to assessing helps create a sense of trust and authenticity in the conversation.
Having a plan, managing time effectively, and being flexible in the conversation are key elements of a successful consultation. Explore the cost of inaction with clients and ask them how they would feel if they're in the same place years from now.
Create a safe space for clients to explore their emotions and make decisions.
Focus on serving clients rather than pleasing them and respect their autonomy.
Build long-term relationships with clients and prioritize the value of the relationship over the transactional time spent.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Importance of Consultations
11:30 Engaging Emotions and Senses in Goal Setting
34:18 Exploring the Cost of Inaction
44:24 Building Long-Term Relationships

See also
Episode 62 - The DOs and DON’Ts of a coaching consultation
Episode 16 - Am I giving too much value during my coaching consultations?


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