In a coaching session, you want your client to talk more than you do. A good starting ratio is 2 to 1, since your customer talks twice as much as you do. One way to achieve this ratio is to ask shorter questions. Here are some short, simple questions that you can use right away.
The most general advice I always give to novice coaches (those who are in their first five years as coaches) is to stop talking so much in training conversations. Ideally, conversations with a coach should represent between 10 and 33% of the conversation. The ability to do so comes from a deep understanding and belief that your role as a coach is not to fill someone else's head with ideas, advice, or instructions. Your job is to facilitate reflection.
Even when the results seem abstract, there are ways to communicate them in a quantifiable way. Below, 12 professionals from the Forbes Coaching Council share how they quantify the results of their coaching to ensure that clients recognize the true value of their commitment. Before starting any coaching activity, I work with the client to create an impact map that clearly links the leader's development plans to specific business or personal outcomes. Then, we regularly track progress in relation to those results and adjust the process, if necessary, to create the greatest desired impact.
Doing impact mapping ensures that development isn't just a “check the boxes” activity. Our commitments are sponsored by each leader's organization, so our value is based on creating measurable change. We ask the leader to set specific, measurable objectives based on a comprehensive evaluation. They recruit the same colleagues to monitor their pulse on their growth.
This process allows us to track changes in areas that are difficult to measure, such as empathy, trust and psychological safety, which are fundamental to the company's growth. Members of the Forbes Coaching Council share how they quantify results to help clients understand the value of their coaching.
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