AC108 Coaching Process - Part II

Facilitator: Sherry Read & Merci Miglino
2009/2/11, 18, 25 & 3/4: 1900-2000

The quitting zone
- Clients are really doubt the goals and themselves to move forward.

What's going on with the client in the quitting zone?
- Doubts come in; question whether they want or achieve that goal; fear of success or failure;
Client would be doubt always in the coaching process, but what really get them to say "never mind" and quit?
- Bigger than doubt, but they shift the idea of who they are (their identity).
- It is not comfortable to do things from unconsciously to consciously but not confident.
- They miss the comfort zone before.
Why it is so hard?
- How other people in their lives would influence them.
- Become a participant than creator. Now I have to do something.
- Have no more excuses of not doing it.
- Your brain, identity, fears of feelings, and expectation from outside are pushing back.
Think of a moment that you pushed through to achieve the goal, what did you do to make it happened?
- Courage; connection with the belief of what is in the other side.
- What's the worst scenario? If I know the worst and I could move forward to it, because next step is the possibility of attaining that goal and being successful.
- Things (time, emotional energy) going out but nothing coming back. There is no pay-off yet. It could push the client back.
- We need supporters or a team, such as a coach (support and clarification).
- Be comfortable of being uncomfortable.

When we see our clients reaching quitting zone, what do we do as a coach?
- Remind them where they come from and how far they have done; there is up and down in the journey; look back to six months ago, you have come this far; there is only one more step to achieve the goal.
- Celebrate the milestone they have achieved. It might be an option to talk about the previous moments they come up the feeling of quitting or stopping coach but they made it through. (Does it help people up front if they do not remember the moment?
- If we structure of the 12 weeks with 3 weeks on and 1 week off to make it easier for client to move through the process.
Are most of people reaching that point of quitting?
- It depends on the nature of your coaching type and the clients' type. (Sometimes, They think this is too big and too much for me.)
How do you see this coming to the client? What are the symptoms? What could you notice and refresh the conversation?
- Less of enthusiasm
- A waver of commitment
- No-focus on the conversation.
- Stop talking about their feelings to you.
- Failure to complete the tasks they committed to do before.
What if they start to cancel the calls? What do you do?
- Ask what is holding them?
- Very open feedback, no judgment.
- Ask them to give us feedback.
What if the client just disappears and has no conversation to us? (Coach would have self-doubt as well.)
- Put their achievement and their rights of the coaching sessions (still have three sessions that you pay for). We are achieving your goal. Putting the black and white for them. There is so much could happened. It might encourage them to come back.
- Talk about the coaching process in the up front of the coaching session beginning. If you reaching the quitting zone, what do you want me (coach) to do. (Challenging zone instead of quitting zone.)
- People might not come back (it is a risk). If you encounter this situation, send the client a letter and talk to your mentor coach, because it is not easy.

End zone: Our clients achieved their goal, what do we do there?
- Ask them what do they want us to do to celebrate with them when they achieve the goal. Celebrate with them.
- Having a session to go over the whole coaching process with an e-mail or letter.
- Give them a call one or two month later and ask how they are doing to see the possibility of extend the coaching session.

It is very difficult to convert the client from not paying to paying client. Ask the non-paying client to provide testimony and provide them the detailed information about the paying coaching practice and ask whether they want to continue the paid coaching. Open for few minutes if they want to talk about their goals. We are available for them. Also ask them to provide some referrals if possible.