The Ultimate Introduction To Transformational Coaching Tools

CHAPTER 1

What You Need To Know About Coaching Tools

Have you noticed that when it comes to learning how to be a great coach -- whether it has to do with practical tools and techniques or concepts and ideas -- it’s easy to get overwhelmed?

It’s because there’s an ocean of information out there around what it takes to be an effective, transformational coach...

But information is not the same as practical experience.

Googling “how to be a great coach” or even reading books and attending weekend seminars or coaching courses is like scrolling through images of cake on Instagram.

It will only get you so far when it comes to being successful, in-demand coach.

You need to get your hands in the game and understand on an experiential level, just what it takes to be a great coach...

And this is where coaching tools come in.

Coaching tools are practical devices you can use to dial up your coaching skills and these tools are absolutely game-changing, when used at the right time.

Keep in mind…

A powerful coaching tool in the hands of a not-so-great coach doesn’t make much of a difference in terms of results…

But a powerful coaching tool in the hands of a powerful coach is a whole other ball game… it’s an unbeatable combination that can rapidly skyrocket results for clients!

It’s why so many of the best coaches in the world don’t just rely on their experience and understanding on what it takes to create extraordinary outcomes for clients…

They turn to coaching tools to accelerate progress and amplify results.

Through the rest of this Guide, we’ll be taking a close look at some of the most powerful, popular, proven coaching tools you can use to support clients at the highest level.

Each chapter is dedicated to a specific type of tool so you can get a clear picture of what it is and how to get the most out of it.

These tools work for just about any coaching niche, market or specialization, and they can also be updated, modified or even combined with one another to create amazing results.

So, give yourself permission to play with the tools and adapt each one to particular challenges and situations in your journey as a coach.

CHAPTER 2

Coaching Tool: Journaling

You already know journaling can be a deeply healing and transformational exercise, but when it comes to using journaling as an effective coaching tool…

There’s a lot more to it than just randomly “freewriting” thoughts or going for a blow-by-blow account of your day with a “Dear Diary” journal entry.

This is about helping clients uncover hidden and sometimes painful truths about key aspects of their life, relationships, health or any aspect of their life...

And this is where focused, intentional Journaling comes in.

Journaling with focus and intention is about crafting specific, laser-focused journaling exercises for your clients around their specific “stuck places” and not just asking them to “write down their thoughts.”

The best way to do this is to choose the type of journaling method you want your client to participate in.

There are many journaling techniques you can use in your coaching but here are 3 key methods to start with:

For clients who are having a hard time dreaming big or setting powerful goals, you could have them create a “Vision List” or a “Wish List” where they get to play what they think is possible and list their deepest desires to jumpstart a sense of empowerment and motivation.

This is exactly what it sounds like. It’s essentially a journaling prompt where you have your client finish the sentence.

This type of Journaling method can even be done during a coaching session as it allows hidden emotions, wants and needs to come up to the surface to be shared and explored.

Here are some examples of journal prompts to share with clients:

This is one of the most powerful ways to tackle journaling with a client. It’s a simple yet incredibly effective path to create a safe space for deep self-reflection.

It’s about crafting questions that will direct and help your clients get to the heart of their challenge or problem.

Some great questions for Question & Answer Journaling method include:

What is the greatest lesson you’ve learned?
What does a perfect day look like to you?
What is one thing you can do today to move closer to your goal?

Journaling is a powerhouse coaching tool when it comes to helping your client get deeply honest with themselves.

It’s also an effective way to help them get to know who they truly are and what they really want in life, work and relationships, minus external expectations.

CHAPTER 3

Coaching Tool: Visioning

Imagine you’re strolling through a peaceful forest and suddenly, out of nowhere, you’re struck by an arrow.

The first is the physical arrow that’s causing you pain, but there’s an invisible second arrow and it’s the arrow of your emotions.

This second arrow adds to your suffering and struggle… and it does nothing to help you resolve the pain from the first arrow.

This is an example of a visioning exercise and it also happens to be a well-known parable that is believed to come from the Buddha himself…

And the lesson in this parable is around something that we are all familiar with.

As a coach, you’ve probably come across clients who experience a bad situation and make things even worse for themselves by focusing on what went wrong, instead of what they can do to fix or change things.

Guiding your client through a focused visioning exercise designed to increase their confidence and clarity, is a brilliant way to help them.

Visioning exercises in coaching are often centred on having clients “look into the future” to envision reaching a goal or to “practice” an ideal outcome in their minds.

For instance, you can guide a client who wants to become a public speaker to envision themselves giving a flawless speech with a standing ovation from the audience at the end.

However, visioning is also a powerful path to redirect energy and attention to what they can do and what they can learn from past difficulties and problems.

Visioning allows clients to “walk through” their problems from a safe space and identify their strengths such as creativity, perseverance, and courage as they discover their true abilities.

It also shows clients that they are capable of overcoming challenges that seemed insurmountable or incredibly difficult.

This will help them move toward their goals with confidence and a sense of inner clarity and strength, even when they come up against unexpected blocks and obstacles.

You can use this coaching tool during a session or you can assign it to your clients to do it on their own.

Start by asking your client to envision a past crisis, problem or challenge.

Have them go back to that experience in their minds and remember all that happened just before, during and after the issue.

Next, ask them to identify situations, opportunities, people or anything uplifting, positive, creative or inspiring – both expected and unexpected – that happened because of this problem or challenge.

It’s good to have them identify “lessons learned” which are essentially ideas, insights and wisdom they gained from a particular challenge or problem.

You can also try the same exercise for future envisioning and goal-setting