Becoming a Successful Coach Ultimate Guidebook

Copyright 2014 The Coaching Institute | All Rights Reserved | V.2 March 2014 1


CONTENTS

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................ 4

What is coaching? .................................................................................................................................................................. 5

Coach As Guide Matrix ................................................................................................................................................... 6

The history of coaching........................................................................................................................................................ 9

Difference Between Coaching, Therapy, Counselling and Mentoring .................................................................. 9

Benefits of becoming a coach ........................................................................................................................................... 13

Why someone hires a coach ............................................................................................................................................ 14

There are two types of people who hire coaches:.................................................................................................. 14

The benefits people can gain from working with a coach include: ...................................................................... 14

Qualities of a successful coach ......................................................................................................................................... 16

And beyond this, outstanding coaching means: ........................................................................................................ 17

Does everyone become a success as a life coach? .................................................................................................. 17

What if I don’t intend to become a professional coach?........................................................................................ 18

The personal and professional backgrounds coaches come from ....................................................................... 18

Why counsellors and psychologists are becoming coaches .................................................................................. 18

How coaching assists trainers ...................................................................................................................................... 18

What coaching ‘looks’ like ................................................................................................................................................ 19

Meta Dynamics introduced ............................................................................................................................................... 20

What do most people worry about? .......................................................................................................................... 20

Coaching resources and tools .......................................................................................................................................... 23

Goal Setting ...................................................................................................................................................................... 23

More on Goals ................................................................................................................................................................. 24

Fears ................................................................................................................................................................................... 24

Secondary gain ................................................................................................................................................................. 25

Alternative choices ......................................................................................................................................................... 26

Distractions when goal setting ..................................................................................................................................... 27

Designing your ideal day .................................................................................................................................................... 28

Becoming your best self ..................................................................................................................................................... 29

Focus on strengths .......................................................................................................................................................... 29

Be grateful ......................................................................................................................................................................... 30

Do something new .......................................................................................................................................................... 30


Challenge your beliefs .................................................................................................................................................... 30

Be with people who champion you ............................................................................................................................. 31

Stop doing what’s bad for you...................................................................................................................................... 31

Declutter ........................................................................................................................................................................... 32

Keep your promises ....................................................................................................................................................... 32

Make more decisions ...................................................................................................................................................... 32

Stop taking anything personally .................................................................................................................................... 32

Laugh more ....................................................................................................................................................................... 33

Be more optimistic ......................................................................................................................................................... 33

Methodologies a coach can use ........................................................................................................................................ 34

The “Critical Thinking” Model ..................................................................................................................................... 34

D.A.R.E. Methodology* .................................................................................................................................................. 35

G.R.O.W. Model* ........................................................................................................................................................... 37

How to start working with clients .................................................................................................................................. 39

Step #1: Decide on the three packages you will offer. ........................................................................................... 39

Step #2: Offer complimentary coaching sessions .................................................................................................... 40

Step #3: Run a small workshop ................................................................................................................................... 40

Sample Coaching Agreement ....................................................................................................................................... 41

How coaches earn their income ...................................................................................................................................... 42

Meet students and graduates from The Coaching Institute ...................................................................................... 43

Overview of The Coaching Institute ............................................................................................................................... 48

The three main programs offer – ................................................................................................................................ 49

Benefits of enrolling with The Coaching Institute ...................................................................................................... 50

People choose their coaching training with us for seven main reasons: ............................................................ 51

Take the ‘Is Coaching for Me’ quick quiz ..................................................................................................................... 53

Fun facts to know about The Coaching Institute........................................................................................................ 58

COPYRIGHT 2014 – THE COACHING INSTITUTE PTY LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopying and

recording, or by information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published by The Coaching Institute.

For further information contact:

The Coaching Institute

Suite 40, Albert Square, 37-39 Albert Road, Melbourne VIC 3004

Phone: + 61 3 9645 9945 | Fax: + 61 3 9645 7002 | Email: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


INTRODUCTION

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN BECOMING A LIFE COACH.

We’ve been training people to become professional life coaches for over 10 years, and love to share it

anyone who has the desire to make a difference through working with people.

This Guidebook is about what coaching is, why people work with coaches, why people become coaches,

how coaching works and how you can start your own coaching business.

When you receive your training at The Coaching Institute, you have the opportunity to learn the basics of

coaching, the foundation skills of starting a one-on-one coaching business all the way through to advanced

coaching and Meta Dynamics and how to build an online business using coaching.

You also learn how to incorporate what you learn into your daily life, your relationships, your career and

your personal development. We are considered to have the most comprehensive training materials

available, and offer more face-to-face training opportunities than any other coaching school in Australia.

Wherever you are in the world, you can participate through live and interactive classes we hold each

week.

Whether or not you decide to train with The Coaching Institute (and we hope you do) this guide will give

you the information you need to better understand yourself and others, and gain knowledge on coaching

and how it can benefit you.

Sharon Pearson

FOUNDER AND CEO THE COACHING INSTITUTE


WHAT IS COACHING?

We have many definitions of coaching:

COACHING IS HELPING SOMEONE MOVE FROM where they are TO where they

want to be.

COACHING IS THE ATTITUDE AND METHODOLOGIES OF human achievement.

COACHING IS A CONVERSATION WHERE THE CLIENT SEEKS TO SEE AN ASPECT OF THEIR LIFE

FROM A NEW PERSPECTIVE, SO THEY CAN experience a different result.

COACHING IS A conversation BETWEEN A COACH AND A CLIENT, WHERE THE COACH

ASSISTS THE CLIENT TO GET clarity on a goal THEY WANT TO ACHIEVE, WORKS WITH

THE CLIENT TO overcome obstacles to its achievement, BRAINSTORMS WAYS TO

ACHIEVE THE GOAL THAT ARE ALIGNED WITH THE OTHER AREAS OF THEIR LIFE AND THEN

holds the client accountable TO THE COMMITMENTS THEY MAKE TO MOVE

TOWARDS THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THAT GOAL.


Coach As Guide Matrix

Coach As

Guide

EXPLORER of how to think

INSPIRER of new thinking

MISMATCHER to test veracity of ideas and strength of commitment

CHALLENGER of ineffective

strategies

PROVOKER by providing

contrasts

REFLECTOR of current thinking

COLLABORATOR in invention and

plans

REINFORCER of what works


Coaching finds its roots in the history of sports psychology, adult learning models and neuro-linguistic

programming.

Coaching is a conversation between a coach and a client, or a group, where the coach will ask questions

and guide the conversation to facilitate the achievement of the desired goals.

To coach, we need to understand that we are merely facilitators to change, and not the reason for the

change. We don’t make it happen. Our client(s) do.

Regardless of where a coach chooses to focus their skills, coaching is about facilitating transformation

within the client in the most effortless way possible.

It’s a conversation… a conversation like none you have ever had before, because the agenda of the client is

the only agenda that matters.

The true strength in coaching is that we ask our clients the questions that they never thought to ask

themselves. It is through asking truly outstanding questions that we get outstanding outcomes.

The quality of our lives is determined by the quality of our communication with

ourselves and with others.

Your role as the coach is to develop and maintain an effective coaching plan with the client.

YOU ARE THERE TO –

Brainstorm with the client to define actions that will enable the client to demonstrate, practice and

deepen new learnings

Engage the client to explore alternative ideas and solutions, to evaluate options, and to make

related decisions

Challenge the client’s assumptions and perspectives to provoke new ideas and find new possibilities

for action

Encourage stretches and challenges

Consolidate collected information and establish with the client a coaching plan

Create a plan with results that are attainable, measurable, specific and have target dates

Assist the client to make plan adjustments as needed by the coaching process and by changes to the

situation


Identify early successes to assist the client to build momentum

Beyond the goal setting, you are also there to –

Keep the client on track with their chosen goals

Promote self-discipline and hold the client accountable for what they say they are going to do

Assist the client to develop their ability to make decisions and address key concerns in a

resourceful way

Positively confront the client with the fact that they did not take agreed-upon actions

AS YOU WORK YOUR WAY THROUGH YOUR PROGRAM, KEEP ASKING YOURSELF:

How can I apply this in my business?

How will this impact my own life?

If I use this skill or strategy, how would it look?

Everything we do in our programs is about raising our standards, challenging our old beliefs and developing

the most ideal strategies possible for living an extraordinary life.

Ask yourself:

Who do I need to be, and what do I need to do, to make this happen?

The answer is a willingness to learn, to explore, to do something differently or to do a different thing…

and to ask questions. That’s all it takes.

What we want for you as you participate in this program is to discover and embrace:

A willingness TO ASK THE MOST OUTSTANDING QUESTIONS, NOT JUST IN YOUR

COACHING PRACTICE, BUT IN YOUR OWN LIFE, EVERY DAY…

A deep sense OF UNDERSTANDING ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO COACH WITH

INTEGRITY, PASSION AND COMPASSION…

Total mastery OF THE FOUNDATIONS OF WHAT IT TAKES TO BE AN

OUTSTANDING COACH… SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS THAT LIFE’S RICH FABRIC IS

MADE UP OF MORE THAN RESULTS, GOALS AND FORECASTS.


THE HISTORY OF COACHING

COACHING BEGAN ITS JOURNEY IN THE UNITED STATES DURING THE LATE 1980’S.

At first some people used to go to see either a psychotherapist or an analyst to help them overcome a

specific problem e.g. to give up smoking, suffering depression etc.

It was soon discovered that these people referred to as ‘patients’ didn’t have a ‘condition’ they just felt that

their lives were out of balance, with a feeling that there is more to life. Some therapists, who became life

coaches, dealt solely with these ‘patients’ who became clients; thus creating a new industry called life

coaching.

There are now currently 30,000 coaches worldwide and coaching is one of the fastest growing industries in

the world. At The Coaching Institute we have put together the most comprehensive and advanced

coaching program available, drawing on the latest technologies from around the world.

Difference Between Coaching, Therapy, Counselling and Mentoring

YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD THAT ‘COACHING IS REALLY LIKE THERAPY, COUNSELLING AND

MENTORING, ISN’T IT?’

Absolutely not.

Let us explain why. Patients seeking therapy and/or counselling usually have a problem arising from a

specific incident, condition or trauma. A coaching client usually hasn’t experienced any of these. Many

clients are successful, fulfilled people already and are looking to raise the bar, experience even more

success and become more effective at what they already do well.

A therapist or counsellor usually starts with the past to find the solution to an existing condition. A coach,

on the other hand ‘draws a line in the sand’ and starts with the ‘present’ and ‘the future’.

The past does not equal the future

The coach doesn’t have the answers. Instead they have the absolute belief that their clients have

‘everything they need in a given moment’. The client reaches their own solutions through the coach’s skill

in asking key questions.


It is a holistic profession where all clients are accepted as the magnificent individuals they truly are.

Mentoring has similarities to coaching although there is a fundamental difference. Mentoring is usually

about a specific task, job or process. The mentor is experienced in that particular area and knows the

answers. So think of the mentor as the teacher and the coach as the guide.

A coach doesn’t have the answers and requires little experience of the task. The coach merely has the skill

at asking powerful intuitive questions which facilitates the client in seeking their own answers from within.

Coaching also provides flexibility enabling you to choose when, where and how you work. You are truly in

the driving seat in charge of your own destiny. Some of the Coaching Institute coaches have thriving

coaching practices with international clients, others have chosen coaching as a secondary income. Other

coaches choose to take these new ‘coaching skills’ back into their workplace to share with their colleagues

and improve the company’s and individual performances.

It really is your choice.

Coaching is a ‘judgment and critical’ free zone. Coaching is all about the results that are obtained from the

action taken by the client.

Some of the skills you will be developing and building upon throughout your training include:

THE TEN SUCCESS PRINCIPLES

Day 1 of your “Foundations of Coaching Success” Intake training

EMPATHY FOR YOUR CLIENT’S EXPERIENCE

Respect their map and don’t impose your own view of the world.

UNCONDITIONAL SUPPORT

They are doing the best they can with the resources they have available to them at the time – and if

they knew how to do better, they would.

CURIOSITY

About how your client does what they do.

ABILITY TO USE HUMOUR

Taking ourselves lightly is a very attractive quality.

WILLINGNESS TO NOT KNOW THE ANSWERS

Having to know everything before you ask anything is going to fail. We must be willing to have a go

even when we don’t know what’s going to happen next.


HOW TO BUILD RAPPORT

Rapport is that place where your client trusts you and responds to your questions with openness.

ABILITY TO ACTIVELY LISTEN

Being present and tuned into your client, rather than listening to your own self talk, is a key quality

in a good coach.

HOW TO ASK QUESTIONS

Tony Robbins says that the quality of our lives is determined by the quality of the questions we ask

ourselves and others.

THE GROW MODEL

A basic coaching model that is a good first step to coaching.

THE SMART MODEL

For goal setting – in this manual.

THE META DYNAMICS MODEL

When you get more advanced, you’re going to learn some of the most advanced coaching models

in the world, including the structure and strategies of Meta Dynamics, the next level of NLP

THE HIERARCHY OF IDEAS

How we see the world is based partially on whether we focus on details or on the big picture. If we

stay stuck in one perspective or the other, we are only seeing a fraction of the whole picture.

THE FIRST TWENTY STEPS TO START YOUR COACHING PRACTICE

What to do first and then second is going to take a lot of the worry out of how you will get

started. There is a double CD set in this manual for you and on the website to help you with the

first steps. You’re also going to get a manual at your first training that will walk you through what

to do next.

DEVELOPING YOUR NICHE

The most successful coaches have a niche, rather than being generalists. At the Advanced

Practitioner level we teach you how to choose a niche and also give you three examples of

successful niches. At Master Coach level, you receive 6 examples.

NETWORKING

Each month you are going to receive a DVD on marketing your coaching practice. Networking is

covered thoroughly in the DVD’s and in classes we’re going to run for you.

BUSINESS BUILDING TIPS

Throughout your program you will be constantly exposed to business people who already have

successful businesses. You’ll be able to ask them questions and find out how they do what they do.


The more advanced your program, the more advanced the classes. At the Master Coach level, you will be

trained in how to replace yourself in your business so you are earning money as a business owner, rather

than as a practitioner. This means you won’t be selling your time for money!

You’ll also be trained in Meta Dynamics, How to Run a Successful Workshop, Leadership Coaching and

Building Your Coaching Business.

Much of what you will learn will be based on your own experiences, so participation is important to your

journey.

Together we will harness, develop and master the language of coaching. It’s the language of compassionate

curiosity… the place where your client knows with deep certainty that you are a part of their team.

It is part of the experience of every coach who begins this journey that we feel occasionally confused or

overwhelmed. This is because we are learning so many new skills that our conscious mind has trouble

processing it all. This is totally normal, and how it’s supposed to be… Our subconscious mind is taking it

all in, and within a short period of time everything you are learning will make sense.


BENEFITS OF BECOMING A COACH

Coaching can be a pathway to your own business, giving you the flexibility and freedom to work where and

when you like. For people who want to work from home, and who want to work part time, it provides

true independence.

It provides the tools and resources to enable you to work on yourself, as you assist others with their

goals. Each methodology we learn to help a client, we can apply to help ourselves, also. As you learn about

communication skills, for example, you can apply your learning in your own communication. If you learn

about goal setting, you can apply those skills to your own life and career.

Being a life coach provides the opportunity to assist people who want to move forward in their lives. You

don’t spend your time talking about their problems, but rather, ways to proactively create the results they

want.

Coaches work in organisations, bringing their goal setting and brain storming skills to the team. They can

work independently, from home, or form a group and benefit from being in a team.

Coaching can then turn into speaking engagements, workshop presentations and group coaching. This has

the benefit of helping larger numbers of people, and also allows you to leverage your time effectively.

As you build your skills and confidence, you can develop a personal development product and make that

available through a web site or through your client network, providing an alternative income source for

you.

By being a coach, you can be around positive and like-minded people who are committed to excellence.

The Dalai Lama once said "the purpose of our lives is to be happy", and for me

that is a real benefit of coaching.


WHY SOMEONE HIRES A COACH

People hire coaches for many reasons. It could be someone wants to improve their career prospects, or

wants to learn how to communicate better with a colleague. Perhaps there’s a relationship challenge. Some

people want to be better public speakers, or have a specific project they wish to deliver.

Coaching can assist with overcoming fears, breaking through limiting beliefs, achieving goals, improving

relationships, improving health and driving home a specific outcome.

A person hires a coach not because they want to talk about their problems, or know why they do what

they do, but to explore new ways to solve problems and develop new strategies for improving their

results.

There are two types of people who hire coaches:

1. Someone who is not doing well in an area of their life or career who want to improve

2. Someone who is doing well in an area and wants to take it to another level

The benefits people can gain from working with a coach include:

Giving you clarity about what you want, why you want it and how you can get it

Bridging the gap between where you are now and where you want to be

Strategies, techniques and tools that can facilitates you reaching your desired outcome

Assisting in helping to overcome obstacles, low self-esteem fear of failure

Exploring and evaluating possible options, ways forward and alternatives

Giving dedicated time, support, encouragement, accountability and motivation


Coaching is an investment the client makes in themselves for their entire life.

Many large companies have coaching panels of coaches for their team to access as needed.

One of the surprising things about life coaching is that you don’t have to know exactly what you want to

work on for coaching to be effective. You can use coaching to explore a feeling of dissatisfaction, a sense of

unease or simply to learn about what matters to you.

Sometimes having a firm goal can get in the way of the coaching, as the coaching may reveal there is more

to explore and other goals that would be more appropriate, exciting, effective or desirable than originally

thought.

Clients best suited to coaching are open minded, willing to challenge first thoughts, let go of what doesn’t

work and who seek to learn a new way to think about themselves and their world.


QUALITIES OF A SUCCESSFUL COACH

Not everyone is suited to becoming a coach or a consultant. Some people are a little too impatient with

people! Or don’t really enjoy helping people. Some people don’t enjoy seeing others succeed. If any of this

seems like you, then perhaps there’s another career that you may be better suited for.

A coach develops certain qualities that enable them to be effective with their clients. Some of the

characteristics of an outstanding coach:

A CAPACITY FOR SELF-OBSERVATION AND REFLECTION

If we can see ourselves as we are, rather than how we wish we were, we can be more

effective as a coach. We will bring an honesty to the coaching that would be missing if we

were ‘hiding’ who we really are.

A RECOGNITION OF WHAT WE CAN INFLUENCE AND CHANGE

We cannot control and influence everything. A great coach has the capacity to focus on that

which they can control and influence, and thus improve results through being proactive in

those areas, rather than focusing on what can only worry them but which they can do

nothing.

SELF-AWARENESS OF OUR EMOTIONS AND THE IMPACT THEY HAVE ON OUR CLIENT

By being aware of our own emotions and choosing to manage them effectively, we can

become far more effective when we’re with our clients. The client may bring something

that’s emotional for them. We don’t then get to be emotional with them, unless it’s

appropriate, so we must be in tune with and be able to manage what comes up for us

emotionally.

AN UNDERSTANDING OF OUR OWN STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Knowing where we excel means we can bring those strengths to the coaching conversation.

Knowing where we need to improve provides us with a pathway for building our capacity in

other areas that are less familiar to us. Being stretched to learn and grow is part of what

coaching is.

THE ABILITY TO RECEIVE FEEDBACK WITHOUT DEFENSIVENESS

Feedback does not immediately mean ‘criticism’ and a successful coach has the capacity to

take on-board the feedback they’re hearing without getting defensive, shutting down or

rejecting the whole conversation. We must be the example for our clients by being open

and receptive to the whole conversation, not just the parts of it we agree with or that suit

us.


And beyond this, outstanding coaching means:

Living and acting according to our values

Seeing the magnificence in our clients, even when they don’t… and often especially when they don’t

Being a role model of all that you believe

Moving your clients beyond their comfort zone so they may learn new behaviours

Being passionate about the coaching process, so you inspire your clients to stretch themselves

Recognizing when to push, when to hold back, when to support and when to challenge

Staying on course for your client even when they lose direction

Being focused

Holding yourself responsible for your results

Does everyone become a success as a life coach?

‘Success’ is difficult to recognise and harder to measure. Not everyone wants success based on lots of

clients, yet consider themselves extraordinarily successful.

Not everyone wants to put in the effort it takes to succeed as a coach. Some people want a weekend

course and that’s it. Or they want to study as a distance student and not actually deal with people.

Some people do not have a desire to learn about the business side of coaching and are not interested in

learning how to attract clients. For them, it’s enough to know how to coach others, and they enjoy it and

don’t want any more than that. For them, it’s not about making money and success as a coach is not

measured in perhaps the traditional way. It’s about feeling they have contributed to someone else, and

made a difference.

Not everyone who trains to be a doctor, succeeds. The same occurs for painters, electricians, lawyers and

actors. Doing a coaching program does not ensure success, however it’s defined. The participant must

firstly be open to feedback, which for some people is extremely challenging, and must be willing to learn

how to assist others to achieve their goals.

This does not come naturally or easily to everyone.

Also, it takes time to become a success in a new profession. This is no different to any other career

choice. Effort, time and ability all play a factor.

Ultimately, coaching is a profession based on many interactions with many types of people, so the capacity

to get along with people, enjoy them and be curious about others is needed.

Like all professions, some people persist and put the effort in and get educated to achieve extraordinary

success.


What if I don’t intend to become a professional coach?

There are many reasons people choose to train in life coaching. For many, it’s to have a coaching practice

where they get to work where and when they want with who they want to work with. It’s about a choice

for themselves that suits their lifestyle and family better than going to an office each day.

For some it’s about learning more about themselves; about what makes them ‘tick’. They learn about

coaching and Meta Dynamics so they can learn more about what motivates them.

For others, it’s about learning how to be a more effective communicator in their current career and

learning coaching skills for the workplace.

The reasons for studying life coaching are as diverse as the people who study!

The personal and professional backgrounds coaches come from

We see a wide diversity of backgrounds in our coaches. People who are accountants, teachers,

psychologists, receptionists, fitness trainers, business owners, managers, mothers who are home schooling

their children, people who work part time and people who work three jobs, single mums, single fathers…

There is no one background we see, but what we do see is that they each share a desire to learn a new

skill, and want to make a difference.

Why counsellors and psychologists are becoming coaches

There is a trend we’re noticing that in most training rooms we will have a few health care workers,

psychologists or counsellors. They are finding that coaching, NLP and Meta Dynamics are helping them

with the work they do currently.

It’s exciting that differing approaches to something can come together and combine their methodologies to

help their clients.

Psychologists who train with us explain that there is an efficiency and effectiveness to NLP that more

traditional approaches to challenges don’t provide.

How coaching assists trainers

By including coaching skills and methodologies, new conversations, based on interaction, brainstorming,

and participation are brought to into the training scenario. Rather than the trainer ‘training’, it becomes an

exchange of ideas where the audience brings their perspectives.

With the exchange of ideas encouraged, the training moves from ‘teacher’ to ‘facilitator’, enabling the

audience to participate in and own their own learning experience.


WHAT COACHING ‘LOOKS’ LIKE

A coaching session is generally around 45 minutes in length. Some clients want one session for a specific

issue, whilst others want a longer relationship they may be a series of six sessions, 12 sessions or more.

The coaching can be conducted each week, each fortnight, once a month, or however often suits the

client.

If it’s a series of coaching sessions, the coach will assist the client in getting clarity on what they want to

achieve together.

It may be in detail, or it may be more a general agreement to focus on an area of life that matters to the

client, such as their career.

The coach will ask the client questions, share insights, challenge assumptions, or brainstorm solutions with

the client. The client decides what they want to commit to as a result of the coaching session, and in

between sessions, with action what they wanted to action.

Some coaches have coaching ‘packages’ they provide. These may include a series of coaching sessions, and

a guide or workbook for the client as well, such a personal development program.

Some packages include group training, classes online or email coaching.

Most coaching is done by phone. Most people, when they say they’re interested in coaching, say, ‘But I

want to do face to face, not by phone’. Here’s the thing… the clients often prefer phone coaching because

of its convenience. Also, coaches often have clients throughout the world, because geography is

unimportant when it comes to coaching.


META DYNAMICS INTRODUCED

NLP AND META DYNAMICS IS THE STUDY OF EXCELLENCE.

In NLP and Meta Dynamics we say that ‘the map is not the territory’. What this means is we don’t see the

world the way it is, we see it the way we are.

Said a different way, we can’t experience reality, only our own version of reality.

Carl Jung said: “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.”

The father of general semantics, Alford Korzybski stated, "A map is not the territory it represents, but if

correct, it has a similar structure to the territory, which accounts for its usefulness". What this means is

that our perception of reality is not reality itself but our own version of it, or our ‘map’ or mindset.

So, we don’t experience the world the way it is, we experience it the way we are.

Our purpose is to not change the world, but change ourselves

To experience a different world, we must be prepared to experience a different version of ourselves.

NLP is interested in exploring the map/mindset and helping to find what’s missing.

Meta Dynamics is concerned with determining the most functional map/mindset possible for that client for

that situation.

What do most people worry about?

MOST PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED WITH TWO QUESTIONS:

1. How do I see the world?

What do I believe to be true of the world?

What do I expect the world to consist of?

What do I think will happen in this world?

What is this world capable of in terms of supporting me? Hurting me? Championing me?


2. How does the world see me?

Do I think the world (the people in it) like me?

Do I think the world trusts me?

Do I think the world ignores me? Sees me as insignificant?

Do I think the world rejects me or accepts me?

These two focuses and what we decide the answers to the questions are, determine our reality and the

world we are capable of experiencing.

Studies show, for example, that people who think they’re lucky tend to get better results than those that

do not. They think the world is lucky.

Studies also show that more optimistic people are happier. They see their world as filled with possibilities.

The question to ask is, how can I see the world, and how can I decide the world

sees me, that will give me the best results and outcomes?

For example, if you think relationships are hard, they will most likely be hard. Yet there are plenty of

people who find relationships easy, have great relationships and could never relate to the notion that

relationships are hard.

WHICH REALITY IS TRUE?

WHICH REALITY WILL GET US THE BEST RESULTS WE WANT?

For some people, they would rather believe relationships are hard, because the result they want is to have

something to complain about!

The curious then ask: Who determines what a functional mindset is? The search begins… through

modelling, to ascertain the most functional mindset.

It cannot get into content, but it can create, based on modelling, the structure of a functional and effective

map/mindset for someone.

Functional can be determined, simply, as: Gets the outcome and is sustainable

But in my opinion, this leaves too much out.


FOR EXAMPLE…

If something unpleasant happens, some people are devastated, some are irritated, some are mildly annoyed,

some are indifferent, and some don’t even notice it happened.

The question isn’t, whether people have different ways of seeing the same event… that is the given, and

will always be so.

The question that matters is… which view of the event is most functional?

FUNCTIONAL:

Based in fact

Without false sentiment or hidden meaning

Without the gloss of ego or fear

Seeing it as it is, not better or worse than it is

Has built into it the ability to forward think

Has built into it sound beliefs to support sustainable growth

Has built into it sound values to support sustainable growth

Capacity to see things from another’s view

Empathy for the other, even when they are not being functional

Kindness under pressure

Calm under pressure

Not self-interest, others focused

Given a meaning that serves the most

Given a meaning that allows others in

Given a meaning that expands possibilities

Given a meaning that contributes to the greater good

Response is proportional to the event – not more and not less

META DYNAMICS IS ABOUT SEEKING, DISCOVERING AND APPLYING MORE AND MORE

‘FUNCTIONAL’ (EFFECTIVE) VIEWS OF THE WORLD.


COACHING RESOURCES AND TOOLS

There are many tools that a coach will use in a coaching session with a client. Here are some of the

resources you will access when coaching.

Goal Setting

The SMART Model is often used to assist your clients in setting goals.

•Keep the goals simple and focused, rather than wordy and vague

•Be specific with what is to be achieved – the more specific the better

S SIMPLE

•Make sure the achievement of this goal is measurable ie ask the question ‘How will you know you’ve achieved this goal?’ ‘What will be different once this is accomplished?’

M MEASURABLE

•The goal must be appealing to the client – not just for the short term, but the long term also

•As if now – state the goal as if it is already achieved, with the date stating the date of successful achievement of the goal

A ATTRACTIVE

•The goal needs to be achievable – ie tennis champion in two years having never played and in their forties would not be attainable

R REALISTIC

•Stated as if it’s done

•Know when it will be achieved

T TIMED


FOR EXAMPLE – It is Christmas 2009 and I am at Anglesea beach, toasting my success as a coach with 20

clients who all appreciate my service and pay $200 per hour, on time and happily and I love what I do.

More on Goals

Central to coaching is what the client is going to do differently, more of, less of and what action they will

take that will precipitate the change they seek. This means you need to ask at the end and during the

session –

“Would you like to do that?”

“Is that something you would like to commit to?”

Sometimes when a client commits to a goal or course of action, there will be some underlying fears they

will need to deal with, and they may not even be aware of them. Sometimes there is secondary gain – a

benefit derived from not changing that needs to be dealt with also. The path needs to be reasonably clear

of these obstacles for the client to success in achieving their goals.

Fears

A fear does not have to be rational, or even reasonable. If it’s real for the client, then that is enough for it

to need dealing with.

If you notice hesitance in the client around a commitment, ask – “Is there something around this we need

to look at?”

Notice the question is open enough that the client can share anything that comes up as a result, rather

than just sharing a fear. Maybe their uncertainty was a new awareness of just how powerful they truly are,

rather than fear, so don’t imagine hesitance is always fear.

Sometimes it will be fear. Ask – “Can we look at how to best resolve this in your mind?” or “How do you

see yourself moving through this / letting this go / managing this?”

Another way to assist the client is to ask the Cartesian co-ordinate questions –

“What will happen if you do this?”

“What won’t happen if you do this?”

“What will happen if you don’t do this?”

“What won’t happen if you don’t do this?”


Secondary gain

Secondary gain is a payoff or benefit that the client perceives (consciously or unconsciously) they get from

continuing a course of action or non action. It can sometimes lead to self sabotaging behaviour. For

example, the client really wants to go for the promotion, and arrives late to all the interviews. They say

they really want it, but coaching reveals that they feel safer not getting the promotion, and they actually

feared the consequences of all the extra responsibility.

A good insight to share with a client is – “We all do what works for us on some level. Everything.”

THE CLIENT WILL OFTEN SAY – “BUT THIS DOESN’T WORK!”

PERSIST.

Have certainty that we all do what works on some level. Every action and choice gives us something that

we believe we need. Often a choice to not act looks like laziness, and it is inevitably due to fear of change,

and the secondary gain is that they get to stay safe through not changing.

Share this insight with clients where it is relevant. It adds a new level of awareness to their understanding

of why they do what they do.

So many people get trapped and caught up in trying to figure out why they do what they do, and why they

didn’t do something, and why they sabotaged something… you can save they a whole lot of thinking! For

many clients, it’s a relief to realise that their choices were for a positive intention – to protect them.

Ask your client

“Now that you know you were only wanting to keep yourself safe, what real

risk is there in taking this course of action?”

Generally, there is little real risk at all.

For more on this, look at the pain pleasure model for creating leverage.


Alternative choices

Sometimes there is a number of choices the client needs/wants to make. The simple perception of too

many choices can hamper progress for the client. To assist the client to decide, ask them to make smaller

decisions and commit to smaller actions, rather than the ‘all or nothing’ approach which many clients think

they need to do.

ALL OR NOTHING TENDS TO RESULT IN NOTHING HAPPENING,

BECAUSE THE ALL SEEMS SO BIG AND DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE.

Brainstorm with the client the various options and have them prioritise them in order of importance.

Importance can be assessed on time, desire, urgency, benefits to the client, benefits to others, short term

gain, medium and long term gain, and how the desired choices fit into the broader context of the client’s

life and vision.

Often the choice becomes clearer once they focus on what is most in alignment with their values. It can

also be assisted by choosing based on importance and urgency, rather than just importance.

Another approach is to have the client make small commitments to action in a number of different

priorities, so they can get a sense of progress across different areas of their life. This can be rewarding, if

they can do it, because they begin to collect reference points for success and that means successfully acting

becomes easier as they go along.

Don’t dismiss any choice because you don’t see its relevance. It’s your client’s perception of importance

and urgency that counts.

Check in for obstacles that may occur, either in the client’s thoughts or in reality. This is covered in the

GROW Model.

If you see something that could benefit the client, and they haven’t noticed it, share it with an easy and

relaxed tone, so they are free to reject it if they don’t see it fit it in. Learn to let go of strong attachment

to your suggestions, and that way the client will be more willing to consider them!

If you see a clear pathway the client has not considered, share it by saying something like – “I’m wondering

if this approach is a possibility as we go forward…”

If you see a bigger picture they haven’t considered, share with them – “I’m wondering how this might fit in

with your goal of owning your own business in the next few months…”


Distractions when goal setting

The client will sometimes have a goal setting strategy that includes throwing everything into the pot,

including the irrelevant, and wondering why they don’t act! They include everything from their childhood, a

chance conversation, stuff that’s got them busy in work… rather than getting caught up in this clutter, be a

guide for your client by assisting them to focus on what counts.

“What do we need to consider when making this one decision?”

“What can we leave out?”

“How can we narrow our focus?”

“What’s distracting us?”

“What’s the top three important parts of this decision?”

“What would someone who had already done this focus on?”

“What could you leave out?”

Invite your client to notice their strategy of overwhelming their senses with all the noise and encourage

them to design and use a simply strategy in the coaching session itself. By them ‘trying it on’ in the session,

they will have evidence of clear thinking and its benefits, and thus be more likely to want to do it again.

The more they practice this clear thinking in the sessions with you, with encouragement and feedback and

guidance, the more likely they will be to have positive experiences of this strategy when they go and apply

it in their everyday life.

Stretch your client when they attempt this, even if they are uncomfortable.

Anything new, unless we are practiced experiencing new, will feel

uncomfortable. This is normal and you need to be certain than their doubt

about the effectiveness of trying something new.


DESIGNING YOUR IDEAL DAY

Very few people put the time into thinking about their ideal day. Many people just get through their day!

The idea of this exercise is to get thinking about how you would like your day to be, if it was completely

ideal for you and your family.

If has to the idea day you would want to do, after you have been on holiday, had time to travel, settled into

your life and chose what you would be doing. It must be sustainable, so you would be prepared to do this

all the time.

It’s not an exercise to think about more ways to not work, and not build wealth or avoid responsibilities.

Your ideal average day is the day you would be prepared to do, as you provide for yourself and/or your

family.

It’s also not an exercise of listing everything you want to have. Material possessions can be part of it, but

are not the point of it. It’s about exploring the experiences that you want to have on a consistent basis.

THE QUESTIONS CAN BE ASKED AS A FAMILY OR CAN BE FOR YOU TO ANSWER FOR

YOURSELF:

What is my ideal day…

What am I doing? Who am I doing it with? How many hours a day do I do it for?

How do I start my day? Who am I with?

What do I eat? Who do I share it with?

What value do I provide? Who do I provide this value for?

How much do I earn? How do I provide value enough to be worth this income?

What do I discuss with the people around me?

What do I do for fun? Who do I share this with?

How do I make a difference? How do I contribute beyond myself and my family?

Do I meditate? Do I watch TV? Do I read? Do I learn something new?

Answering these questions can be the beginning of a pathway for the choices you can make moving

forward. It won’t happen immediately, and there will be steps involved, but the journey now has a sense of

direction to it.


BECOMING YOUR BEST SELF

When we’re learning to walk, we fall many times. We fail more than we succeed. We just never, ever

think, ‘I quit; this is too hard!’ We keep going until we succeed.

Yet, as adults, we can experience a setback and decide that means we can never succeed in that area, and

give up. We make excuses for not having another go. We reject the dream because of early challenges.

We then have teachers, our parents, colleagues or friends wanting to protect us and confirming the limits,

and encouraging us to ‘take it easy’, and ‘maybe that’s not for you’, or ‘hey, you’re great the way you are’.

Or ‘Are you sure you want to do that?’

We start to accept this as reality, and stop reaching too far, in case we fall short.

We ‘settle’.

We tell ourselves we’ll get around to doing something about it, one day. We get busy doing what doesn’t

matter to bury the feelings of unease that swirl inside.

And then, we begin focusing on and reflecting on what we don’t do well, thinking that if we focus on

‘improving’ ourselves things will get better. Instead, our self-esteem gets more undermined, because we

keep bringing our minds back to what doesn’t work.

Then… the self-talk seems reality. It becomes ‘normal’ to be unsupportive of ourselves.

And we ‘wait to feel more confident’ before we’ll act. But the confidence never turns up. It can’t.

confidence is not needed until we do something. Waiting for courage is the same as thinking we can wait

for weight to be lost. Waiting doesn’t help us lose weight… action does.

Focus on strengths

Taking a look at what you do well, and the times you enjoyed what you did and were good at it, does

much to boost our self-esteem and to feel more capable.

Rather than trying to figure out what you’re not so good at, focus instead on your unique qualities. Take

the pressure off worrying about what you’re not great at, and move towards where you have some talent,

some interest or some passion.

You are much more capable than you know. Focusing on where you can bring your unique self will build

you capabilities and will cause you feel stronger about yourself.

Your strengths could include creativity, innovation, empathy, listening, negotiating, initiative, self-reliance,

using systems…


Be grateful

The more we focus on what we fear, the bigger the fear will feel. Given that most of our fears are about

being rejected, or judged or not succeeding, so are created in our own minds, it makes sense that we can

create something else in our minds.

If we move our focus to what we appreciate, love and are grateful for, the fears begin to fade.

Each day, write down the ten things you’re grateful for, including the people you love, a meal you had, a

moment of kindness, a moment in nature, exercising, reading, being with a friend, helping someone…

Focus every day on what you appreciate, so that you can ‘build the muscle’ in your mind around the

positives that are there, but have not been focused on as much as they could be.

Do something new

Being ‘stuck in a rut’, after long enough, can start to feel like ‘a normal day’. We can stop thinking the rut is

unusual, and start thinking it’s just how things are.

To get out of the rut, we can do something different, that challenges us a little bit and guides us to realise

how capable and unique we are.

Think of change as an opportunity to learn more about yourself, rather than something to be feared.

By adding new behaviours, we begin to get different results. As we get different results, we begin to

experience a different world, where what’s possible gets noticed more easily.

Challenge your beliefs

Perhaps you are pretty clear about what the world means, and what’s true and not true. You may have

decided what is and what isn’t. For example, ‘People are great’, could be a belief you have. Equally, you

could have the belief that ‘People are not to be trusted’.

It’s not about which belief is right. It’s about what results we’ll get depending on the belief we hold to be

true. If we believe people are awesome, and love meeting new people, you will experience a different

world compared to someone who never believes they can trust anyone.

We create our reality based on what we believe we will experience. For example, if we go to a party with

the belief that it’s hard to meet people, we will act differently around them than if we go in with the belief

that it’s easy to chat with people.

Our beliefs are shaping the reality we experience. Beliefs limit us, or empower us.

Roger Bannister, for example, ran the four-minute mile despite athletes believing it to be impossible and

scientists saying the human body couldn’t do it.

Your beliefs will determine to a large extent what you will do and what you will not do.


If you believe public speaking is hard, you will more likely to avoid it.

If you believe exercise is important, you will be more likely to do it.

Write down your beliefs about what’s possible, and you can use some of these sentence starters to get

you underway…

I believe I can…

I believe I can’t…

I believe that people are…

I believe that the world is…

I believe that success is…

I believe that failure is…

I believe that I am…

Then, have a look at your beliefs and where they are potentially going to limit you, think of a belief you

could adopt instead, and write the alternative down. Let that be your focus when you consider what you

can and cannot do.

Be with people who champion you

It’s been said that the level of success we can reach is determined by the average of the six people we

spend our time with. Who do you spend your time with? Who do you listen to? Who do you take your

cues from about what is possible?

By being around people who only agree with us, validate us, and encourage to stay the same, we become

complacent and accepting of how things are.

If we’re around people who are challenging the status quo, who see alternatives, who talk about

possibilities, we begin to look at the possibilities for ourselves.

Sometimes we have to literally join a different community to create this for ourselves.

Stop doing what’s bad for you

If you’re tolerating negative people, then it’s time to stop and make some new choices. If you eat poorly,

lack exercise, dress without care, fail to meet commitments and let yourself down, it’s time to make some

new choices.

The more we hold ourselves accountable to higher standards, we become more attractive to ourselves

and begin to believe in ourselves more. We must take the first steps to get this started.


Declutter

If your house, your car or your work space is cluttered with old thoughts, rubbish, unorganised piles of

papers, it’s time for a Spring Clean, regardless of the season. Giving away the stuff you know you’re not

going to use. Donate old clothes, beds, appliances. Create space for yourself and for the new ideas that

you want to encourage in yourself.

Your environment is a reflection of you. That doesn’t mean you can’t have creative spaces filled with ideas.

It means where there is the useless and the discarded, we give ourselves a message of defeat, that is easy

to get rid of. Time to clean out what no longer serves you.

Keep your promises

To be able to trust ourselves is the ultimate gift. If you make a commitment to yourself, keep it. If you tell

yourself you’re going to exercise at 8am the next morning, do that, or don’t make the commitment. If

you’re going to cut back on junk food, do that, or don’t make the promise to yourself.

Imagine a bank of ‘goodwill’ in your mind that is filled with all those moments you followed through on

your promises to yourself.

Now imagine that each time you don’t follow through, you take a Goodwill Credit out of this bank. Your

bank account of goodwill towards yourself will be determined by the credits you accumulate.

How’s your Goodwill Account?

Make more decisions

Many people avoid making any decisions because they’re afraid of making a mistake or getting it wrong.

They are hard on themselves before they’ve even done anything.

To get rid of this, we need to make more decisions. The better we get at making the decisions, the more

we have on the go. If we’ve got twenty different decisions on the go at any one time, you won’t notice so

much if one decision doesn’t work out. You will be onto think about other decisions. This momentum

brings us a sense of energy and certainty, which makes decision making even easier.

In the beginning, if you’re out of practice, the decisions may not be great. They may not be thought

through as well as you would want. Persistence is the key to improve this vital skill.

Stop taking anything personally

The more we worry about what others think, the less flexible we let people be around us. If we’re

worrying about being judged, then we are more likely to be judging others. We’ll think things like, ‘I could

never do that’, or ‘I can’t believe they did that’.


We get super-sensitive to people being ‘out there’ and opinionated, and get anxious when we’re around

them. Because we’re so worried about people’s opinions about us, we think everyone else should ‘tone it

down’ and stay within the confines of very safe conversations.

Being around someone like this is very exhausting. It’s being judged all the time, so we start double

guessing ourselves.

Instead, cultivate a curious attitude about all whom you meet. Be open to and interested in all different

perspectives. Don’t judge what they say, seek to understand their thinking for saying it. Don’t waste any

energy deciding what is ‘acceptable’, for example, strong language, irreverence, humour, contradictory

ideas, seeming lack of care for something we think really matters; instead, be interested in their differences.

The world would be a very boring place if everyone behaved the same as one person.

Laugh more

Everyone has real challenges going on. No one has it made. No one is perfect. Everyone has ‘stuff’ to deal

with.

We ALL have challenges. Just some people still manage to laugh, and find humour and joy in moments.

Lighten up. Laugh more. Worry less. Judge less. Enjoy difference more. Celebrate what you love.

Be more optimistic

Being a sceptic keeps us safe. It keeps us on guard from being hurt and keeps us safe. We get to stand

back, observe, judge and assess, without actually doing anything.

If everyone did that, nothing would ever happen. Ever.

The comes a point where being a sceptic is another way of never taking action.

We can never know everything about everything. No amount of research will ever prepare us for every

setback and challenge. Nothing we learn before we take action can prepare us fully for the real deal.

When curiosity becomes scepticism to the extent that you don’t do anything, you’ve gone too far.

Time to be a little more optimistic about what may happen. time to lighten up about what may go wrong,

and realise getting involved, for example in a club, a community event, organising something, doing

something new, has risks built into it, but that you can handle them.

Setbacks are an inevitable when we participate in the game of life. It can’t all go our way all the time.

Rather than trying to avoid all setbacks by not actually doing anything, become the person who can handle

setbacks. You will be a leader for others and inspire people to have a go themselves.


METHODOLOGIES A COACH CAN USE

When we coach someone, we can access many methodologies that can benefit the coaching process.

Coaching is not giving advice and telling people what to do. It’s asking questions, sharing insights,

brainstorming ideas and showing the client how capable they are.

The “Critical Thinking” Model

Most people think that if they know what to do, they’ll be able to get the same results as someone else

who is already successful in that area. What they’re leaving out is, to me, the most important step – how

to think.

Stay with me here… Doing the right stuff is part of the equation. BUT, the most important part of the

equation is how to think, how to make decisions and how to draw complex and seemingly unrelated ideas

together to form a new choice.

In business, decision making is far more critical to its success than the paperwork shuffle that occurs.

In coaching, how we think is far more critical than just doing the same thing over and over.

Most people are in a rut, frustrated by lack of results or unclear about what they want to do, so they do

nothing.

If they knew how to prioritise, make decisions, and could draw on different places/people/events as

feedback for their way forward, they would know what to do.

“CRITICAL THINKING” IS THE EXPRESSION I USE TO EXPLAIN THE FOLLOWING –

Decide what outcome is wanted

Only do actions that move you towards that outcome

Make decisions that are going to last the distance ie. Are sustainable – if you kept to that decision,

your results would improve

Make decisions that are directly aligned with what you want to achieve

FOR EXAMPLE, someone might decide they want to be a coach, and spend their time reading books that

are unrelated, hang out with people who aren’t interested in their success, and then worry about whether

or not things will “work” for them.


CRITICAL THINKING WOULD HAVE A DIFFERENT APPROACH:

The coach would decide what outcome was wanted – be a successful coach

The coach would take action to achieve this – read books on coaching, on business and on

marketing

The coach would make decisions that are going to last the distance – get mentored by someone

who has already achieved great results, for example.

The coach would make decisions that are directly aligned with what they say they want to achieve –

they’d stop hanging out with people who drag them down and seek out people who are getting it

done.

Whilst the example given is simplistic, the same principles can be applied for a multimillion dollar business,

a career, a relationship, health…

D.A.R.E. Methodology*

*D.A.R.E. METHODOLOGY DEVELOPED BY SHARON PEARSON AT THE COACHING INSTITUTE

The D.A.R.E. methodology is based on the principle that action without change in thinking results in same

action, and no change.

To change our actions, we must be prepared to change our thinking. To change our thinking, we must be

willing to challenge our own built in desire for the ‘status quo’ and our desire for certainty in an uncertain

world.

D • DESIGN

A • ACCESS

R • REALISE

E • EVOLVE


Certainty comes when we are flexible in a changing world.

Flexibility of thinking is therefore the key to our success.

This questioning model is built around the thinking that ALL starts in thinking, not external to us.

Summary questions

D - DESIGN

What do you want to achieve

Why does it matter

What will it give you if you achieve it

How will you know you’ve achieved it

A - ACCESS

What categories are there to consider

What are the benchmarks for each category

What are the benchmarks for progress

What’s the plan for achieving these benchmarks

R - REALISE

What’s your first step

What does anyone else have to do

What will you need to bring to complete this

What support do you need as you complete this

E - EVOLVE

What have you learned

What would you do differently next time

What’s your new beliefs about how you see the world

What’s your new beliefs about how you think the world sees you


G.R.O.W. Model*

*G.R.O.W. MODEL DEVELOPED BY SIR JOHN WHITMORE

The GROW model is a coaching model that is widely used as a coaching tool to explore how you can

create change in your life. The GROW model is an acronym for a four step journey…

Whilst this model explores questions in a particular order, it’s normal if you find yourself jumping between

the sections and exploring the questions in an order that feels right for you and the participant. Explore

the road ahead in a way that works for you both.

This model is one of many that will give you the opportunity to reflect on how you see the world, your

goals, your ability to achieve them and will provide you with alternative thinking strategies so you can give

yourself a new approach to a problem you have or a goal you want to achieve.

G IS FOR GOALS

Pick one area of your life that is on your mind at the moment. It may be an issue or challenge, or it may be

something that is exciting and positive. Make sure that it is something that you can control or influence.

1. Write one sentence to describe the situation.

2. What is it about this situation/issue that led you to choose it?

3. How would you like this situation/issue to be?

4. How is this situation important to you? To your purpose? To your ideal life?

GROW

REALITY

OPTIONS

WAY FORWARD

G

R

O

W


R IS FOR REALITY

1. What is happening right now that tells you this is important to you?

2. What is missing?

3. What are you tolerating?

4. What is happening that you would like to continue?

5. What have you attempted to do so far to transform this situation? What results did you get? What

did you learn?

O IS FOR OPTIONS

1. Brainstorm as many ideas as you can for options about what you could do about this situation. Not

necessarily what you will do. Write down anything that could move you one step closer to your

desired outcome.

2. What could you do if you weren’t answerable to anyone about your choices?

3. What could you do if you were without fear?

W IS FOR THE WAY FORWARD

Now we know a whole lot about what it is you could do. It’s time to... ______________________.

No decision has power unless we commit to action.

1. Looking at your options, which action or actions stand out as being the actions that would bring

you just one step closer to your outcome?

2. Is there anything you need to do to before you can take these actions?

3. If so, when will you have these other things done by?

4. What do you need to do to get these actions done? ie resources, information etc. When will you

have these resources?


HOW TO START WORKING WITH CLIENTS

To attract clients, the potential clients must know about you and what you do. It’s not enough to know

how to coach; you also need to know how to have people want to work with you.

There are a number of ways to go about attracting clients. No one way is the right way and it will depend

on the level of confidence of the coach, the time they have available and what suits them the most. The

following three steps provide a guide only and there are many other ways to build your coaching practice

that are covered in The Coaching Institute’s training.

Step #1: Decide on the three packages you will offer.

FOR EXAMPLE:

The Results Coaching Package

12 coaching sessions

1 Personal Success Workbook

The Focus Coaching Package



6 Group Coaching Classes online

The Ultimate Coaching Package



6 Group Coaching Classes online

2 day retreat ‘The Seven Vital Elements for Relationships’


Step #2: Offer complimentary coaching sessions

Many coaches get started by offering complimentary coaching sessions to people they know, and ask that

people let others know what they do.

This accomplishes a lot. By coaching for free, you get to build up your confidence and notice your

strengths as a coach. You also get to let people know what you do. Then, the people you coach will tell

others, and will refer them to you.

It’s a great way to get great at what you do and get known at the same time.

Step #3: Run a small workshop

Many coaches run a small workshop when they’re starting out, for five or six people. They teach

information they have been taught at The Coaching Institute on mindset and success. The people who

come along enjoy learning a little about success, and are offered a complimentary coaching session for

coming along. Some of the people who accept this offer go on to become clients.


Sample Coaching Agreement

CLIENT NAME:

Your investment includes 3 months of support, coaching and personal development resources through our

“Your Success” Personal Development Program. It includes a minimum of 12 sessions with me, limitless

email support, ‘laser’ coaching as needed, access to our “Your Success” Member’s Area, and your monthly

“Your Success” newsletter.

SCHEDULE: 12 hours of coaching commencing June 2014

PROCEDURE: Face-to-face coaching at XXX, or phone coaching.

Client makes the call at the agreed time

PAYMENT: The coach requires monthly payments that are automatically debited.

The payments are $600 a month

CHANGES: Rescheduling or cancellations of appointments should be conducted at least

24 hours before the planned date, to avoid a full fee charge for the missed

session

YOUR PACKAGE: Please feel free to email or call me to share any insights or challenges you

may experience

CONFIDENTIALITY: I recognise that anything the client shares with me is regarded as confidential,

whether it is business or personal information. I undertake not to, at any

time, either directly or indirectly use or disclose any information the client

shares with me in a session

COACHING: The client is aware that coaching is in no way to be construed as

psychological counselling or any type of therapy. Coaching results are not

guaranteed. The client enters into the coaching with the full understanding

that they are responsible for creating their own results

EXPIRY: The client may continue beyond the 12 week membership by upgrading to

the “Dynamic Life” package

CLIENT SIGNATURE:

DATE SIGNED:

DATE COMMENCING:


HOW COACHES EARN THEIR INCOME

Whilst some people who train with us don’t want to turn their skills into an income, many do. We have a

very thorough step-by-step system in place to help our coaches achieve this. Coaches can earn their

income through many different channels:

One on one coaching with a client list

Group coaching with approximately ten people, via phone or face to face

Workshops and seminars

Public speaking engagements

Applying for tenders for coaching ‘panels’ or teams of coaches

Providing diagnostic tools and methodologies, such as EDISC and Meta Dynamics profiling tools

Developing a personal or professional development CD set

Developing a personal or professional development DVD set

Writing a book

Having an agency of coaches and earning a percentage from the work they are given

Mentoring new coaches to develop their skills and abilities

Coaches can get paid in a number of ways:

Per hour rates of between $75/hour and $1,500/hour or more, depending on skill and experience

A monthly retainer of between $200/month to $5,000/month or more, depending on the services

provided

A per event fee for speaking of between zero and $5,000

All of these fees are dependent upon the coach’s ability, expertise, skill, experience and demand. These

fees do not ‘happen’ simply because someone has done a program with a coaching school. The coach must

have talent, ability, a willingness to ‘put themselves out there’ and get known, and marketing skills.

Some coaches, even though they say they want to, make no money as a coach. They receive the same

training, the same materials and the same access to mentors and experts who can help them.

Inevitably, all results come down to effort, willingness to learn, willingness to apply what you learn and

persistence.


MEET STUDENTS AND GRADUATES FROM

THE COACHING INSTITUTE

“I learnt more about how to ‘do’ life in those 3 days

than I did in my entire preceding 30 years!”

TARA WHITEWOOD, Credentialed Master Practitioner of Coaching Student

“2012 was a year of great change for me. It was the year that I made the decision to take action on

changing my life and finding happiness. At the time I had no idea whatsoever how I was going to do that or

what a phenomenal journey I was beginning!

During that year I became a yoga teacher, left a 6 year relationship, quit my 5th (unfinished) University

degree and decided that I needed to find a career that fulfilled and sustained me. I had a really high level of

awareness of the things that were wrong – I had low self-esteem, I was a “rescuer” of lost people, I hated

my job. I just didn’t know what to put in place of those things.

Foundations of Coaching Success intake training in December 2012 changed everything for me. I

experienced the highest quality of training I have ever seen. I found a community that supports and

challenges each other. That embodies their values. That is tirelessly committed to facilitating change, and

bringing love.

I LEARNT MORE ABOUT HOW TO ‘DO’ LIFE IN THOSE 3 DAYS THAN IN MY ENTIRE PRECEDING

30 YEARS! SINCE THEN I HAVE GONE FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH.

In June 2013 I left my well paid job in the Construction Industry to focus on my coaching business fulltime.

Over the next 6 months I grew from a shy girl who was “too scared” to go to my first networking event,

to a confident woman who has run 3 workshops and regularly speaks to rooms of people. I met the love of

my life, found an amazing apartment, and have my own fulltime coaching business.

My business The Sugar Doctor is my passion and my mission is to teach Gen X how to understand the

mysteries of the opposite sex, and bring even more love, connection and sugar to their lives.

I love the variety in my job, I can run a workshop, blog, have coffee with a client, work on my laptop from

the beach and coach clients all in a week! The future is a sparkling and exciting prospect for me, running

workshops nationally, collaborating with other coaches as their Relationship Expert and continuing to bring

value to my amazing clients.

I cannot adequately express the gratitude I feel for Sharon Pearson, Joe Pane and the incredible team at

TCI. The level of support they offer is second to none. The training is world-class, in fact there is nothing

you need to know as a coach that is not built into your TCI education. I joined to become a coach, I have

stayed because I am becoming a better person and a better global citizen…”


“I knew I wanted to make a difference and assist

visually impaired people to move forward…”

MARIANE BARAKAT, Credentialed Master Practitioner of Coaching Student

I have been legally blind for the last 10 years. A few years before joining TCI I felt that there was something

much bigger waiting to happen and a real passion to contribute and to help other visually impaired people

to step out into the world. One phone call to TCI enquiring about the program and within a few days I was

enrolled and booked in for my intake weekend which I did with the AMAZING Joe Pane in October 2013.

I have to say I was initially nervous walking through the doors on the first day of intake. Within 15 minutes

I was comfortable and I knew I belonged. I was definitely in the right place with a group of people who

were like-minded and absolutely amazing and have definitely become lifelong friends.

Prior to becoming a student at TCI I was unemployed. After losing my vision, my life as I knew it came to a

complete halt. Everything I knew and all the certainty faded away. My car, my job as preschool teacher, my

independence and my marriage. The familiar became unfamiliar, the certain became uncertain, relationships

changed, and being rolled in and out of surgery for years on end was all I knew.

THERE WAS ONE THING IN ME THAT KEPT PUSHING ME THROUGH, AND THAT WAS MY DRIVE,

MY PASSION, MY STRENGTH AND MY WILLINGNESS TO NEVER GIVE UP.

There was something more. I knew I wanted to make a difference through my experience and assist

visually impaired people to move forward but I just could not figure out how. After doing my research and

coming across TCI I made the call. I spoke to them about how I was feeling, my visions and aspirations. I

can honestly say that the conversation I had with the awesome TCI team gave me the courage, clarity and

the feeling of certainty that I had not felt in 10 years.

My personal transformation began as soon as the phone call ended.

I had always known who I was and what I stood for…. but WOW! After the

FOCS intake weekend and all the teachings through TCI I learnt what it

was to truly let go and took knowing who I was and being the best version

of myself to a whole new level. The strong, passionate, confident and

caring women that had always been but never acknowledged, started to

shine through and I was becoming who I wanted to be.


Being or becoming visually impaired can build an immense amount of fear and limiting beliefs in one’s self.

Through my personal experience and leanings, I niche in working with people who are visually impaired. I

assist them in overcoming their fears and limitations and provide them with the strategies and the mindset

to have self belief and live a fulfilled and abundant life.

Giving vision to the visually impaired is what it’s all about!

I joined a quality living program with Vision Australia which ran for 8 weeks. At the end of the 8 weeks I

was approached by Vision Australia and was asked to become a support leader giving me the opportunity

to connect and work with their clients one-on-one or in groups on a range of issues, along with working

with them on a referral based partnership in the future.

After having a conversation with the priest from our church, he expressed to me the issues that people

were bringing forward and the amount of value that I could bring to the community. It was then he offered

me the opportunity to work with the people of the community to help them grow and have the mindset

and strategies to help achieve their goals and to help work through their issues. Again on a referral basis.

Of course I said yes to both!

The future plans for myself and “Vision for life” is to continue working with visually impaired people to

allow them to realise and create their vision for the future and to gain the belief and confidence within

themselves to achieve it. I also plan to take this message international and bring awareness to the visually

impaired and non-visually impaired that you do not need sight to have vision for life and that anything is

possible if you believe.

Having said all this, I would like to express my sincerest and deepest THANK YOU and gratitude to

everyone in the TCI community for their phenomenal dedication, encouragement and support. Sharon

Pearson, Joe Pane, the Wow team, staff and awesome students again thank you. This is by far the most

amazing community I have had the privilege of being involved in!"


“It became clear to me that there was a better life for

me, but it needed to be my own version of success…”

NOPPADON TUNGWATCHARIN, Credentialed Master Practitioner of Coaching Graduate

“My name is Noppadon Tungwatcharin or Nop as my friends call me. I live in Bangkok with my wife, Rak,

and my daughter, Fah. I am now enjoying my life as a Success Coach & Trainer under my own brand, MAX

Potentials.

I started my journey with TCI in February 2011 after learning about TCI from my mentor, Jimi –

Potchanart Seebungkerd, who also studied with TCI. When I began my journey, I only wished to learn

some coaching skills so I could return to Thailand and work as an executive coach for corporations. In fact,

I did not know much about coaching and had some doubt about it, but decided to trust my mentor and

took the journey anyway...

WOW! I NEVER KNEW THAT THIS DECISION WOULD CHANGE MY LIFE AND THAT MY WORLD

WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN AFTER I FLEW TO MELBOURNE TO ATTEND MY FIRST

TRAINING WITH TCI.

I was 44 years old at the time and was in the midst of shifting my life direction from a corporate banker,

where I spent 15 years of my life and felt like being imprisoned. I worked so hard in banking, trying to

chase “success” like money, title, recognition, acceptance, pride, social status... But despite the fact that I

had it all (my last position was Senior Vice President at HSBC), eventually it did not matter that much to

me. I was losing my health, I was losing my time with my family, I was very often under stress. I started to

question myself “is this the meaning of my life?”.

After a few months of reflection, I decided to leave my familiar world as a corporate citizen to a more

balanced and yet more mentally rewarding life as a trainer and a coach. Over the last few years, I have

been working with corporations developing their executives and talents to become great leaders. I use the

coaching models learned from TCI, along with Anthony Robbins and Jack Canfield, which allows me to

differentiate myself and produce success in assisting people to achieve the outcome they desire.

With the skills I learned, I am now being asked to coach CEO, Vice Presidents, Directors, Senior Managers

of several corporations in Thailand, both locals and multinationals. My aspiration is now to bring these life

skills to the general public. Thailand and its people will benefit so much from learning and applying these

skills in their life. I have been inspired by Anthony Robbins and that is where I am going next. I will be the

Anthony Robbins of Thailand (or just call me AnthoNOP Robbins lol). This journey is already starting... I

am proud to say that I did it! My own first public seminar “Drive to SUCCESS” on 4 December 2013,

where almost 500 people came to learn how to reclaim their life and start living their dreams. Thailand was

once called “The Land of Smile” and I will bring the smiles back to Thai people once again.

My journey will continue and I am grateful to have good friends, teachers, mentors, and TCI to walk with

me along this journey.”


“I didn’t realise quite how powerful coaching could be,

even when you are learning…”

MICHELLE CRONER, Credentialed Master Practitioner of Coaching Student

“My coaching journey began just two and a half months ago with my intake weekend at the end of March

2013. I’d been thinking about a coaching career for over a year before I took that first step, but with just

having had my second baby, I wanted to time it right. As soon as the little one was weaned, I knew it was

the right time for me.

Before children I had been working as a teacher in our local country town and I really wasn’t motivated to

go back. I just didn’t feel that my skills and passion were being fully utilised in that environment. What I

really wanted was to be able to run a business from home, connect with people and still be able to help my

husband with his cattle business. TCI provided all of those things.

I DIDN’T REALISE QUITE HOW POWERFUL COACHING COULD BE, EVEN WHEN YOU ARE

LEARNING.

My first pro bono client became a paying client in our second session together. Since then I have clocked

up over 40 hours of coaching, run two workshops and gained another three paying clients. I don’t even

have a business name yet. At the moment, I am working on building a partnership program with some like-

minded community members, which will span the whole of the North Burnett. My vision for the next six

months is to be able to run one workshop per month, have ten clients and be earning $3000 per month.

Of course, once I get there, the goal posts will be moved.

I’m not doing anything profound here guys: I don’t have the time. Each day, whilst looking after a one and

two year old, I may have the opportunity to write an email or two and make a phone call. Most of my

work and study is all done after the kids are in bed and on the odd morning that my husband takes the kids

for a few hours. Then, I’m just following the steps outlined by TCI as best I can.

I am celebrating small success after small success because this program is so comprehensive that I don’t

need to waste hours trying to figure out what to do next. I just do what I can, when I can and the results

are speaking for themselves.”


OVERVIEW OF THE COACHING INSTITUTE

The Coaching Institute has been training people to become life, leadership, and Thought Dynamics

consultants and coaches for over 10 years. Over 2,500 students have entered our training programs in

order to either become a coach or to enhance their communication and coaching skills for the workplace.

Our coach training programs, which are recognised internationally by the International Coach Guild (ICG)

and the International Coach Federation, provide you with the coaching and client attraction skills essential

to becoming a successful professional coach.

There are three accredited coaching programs available to you with The Coaching Institute (plus a range of

other programs)

CREDENTIALED MASTER PRACTITIONER OF COACHING

CREDENTIALED ADVANCED PRACTITIONER OF COACHING

CREDENTIALED PRACTITIONER OF COACHING

You can start with any of the three programs, and if you choose to start with the entry level Credentialed

Practitioner of Coaching, you can upgrade at any time to one of the more advanced programs.


The three main programs offer –

Credentialed Practitioner of Coaching

60 hours of training

ICG Level 1Recognised

Credentialed Advanced Practitioner of Coaching (INCLUDES THE CREDENTIALED PRACTITIONER OF COACHING)


ICG Level II Recognised

ICF Recognition

Credentialed Master Practitioner of Life Coaching (INCLUDES BOTH THE PREVIOUS TWO PROGRAMS)


ICG Level III Recognised

Meta Dynamics Level 1 Certified Practitioner

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER PROGRAMS AVAILABLE AT THE COACHING INSTITUTE:

Meta Dynamics Level I Certified Practitioner Training

Meta Dynamics Level II Profiler and Consultant Training

Meta Dynamics Level III Facilitator Training

Thought Dynamics Consultant Training and Membership

The Executive Coaching Academy Training and Membership

EDISC Profiling Training

Inquire with your Course Consultant for the most appropriate selection for

you, based on your desired outcomes and your lifestyle


BENEFITS OF ENROLLING WITH


The Coaching Institute has been operating for over ten years as a dedicated life coaching training provider.

Founded by Sharon Pearson, TCI provides interactive, experiential and fun classes in many formats,

including:

Face to face and live streaming training

Online delivery of content

Online classes

DVD’s

MP3’s

Mentor support

Live coaching demonstrations

Professional development classes


People choose their coaching training with us for seven main reasons:

ONLY Coaching Institute to Provide International Recognition

AND Cutting-Edge Training in Meta Dynamics

Our programs are internationally recognised. We are the ONLY coaching provider to have training programs recognised by the International Coach

Guild (ICG) AND the International Coach Federation (ICF). Our life

changing courses are renowned for being at the forefront of the coaching

industry and we pride ourselves in teaching our students the cutting edge

tools and techniques that will equip them with the expertise to become

the leaders and influencers of the coaching world.

MOST Popular Coaching Institute in Australasia

The Coaching Institute attracts enthusiastic people from many

backgrounds who just want to learn how to make a difference and who

are committed to discovering how to be their own personal best. We

accept students who want to learn how to succeed, so you get to

immerse in an encouraging and success-focused learning environment.

Access to Your Dedicated Outstanding Support Team

From the very first moment that you make contact with The Coaching

Institute you have full access to our amazing WOW team who are your

personal support team throughout your entire journey of becoming a life

coach. Because we are the most popular coach training provider we are

able to provide a team of trained coaches who assist you to select your

program (it's not for everyone) and will be with you every step of the way

on your path to success.


Connection with Like-Minded People Through our Community

of Coaches

One of the most common things that we hear back from our students is

about the overwhelming sense that they feel of belonging to a friendly and

supportive community of like-minded people who love helping each other

to succeed. From interacting together in training events, to studying

together, to the monthly Coaching Connect system and more, our

students really feel like they are a part of a connected community where

lifelong friendships are formed.

Your Training Delivered by Three of the Best Coaches in

Australasia

Our award-winning and internationally recognised coaches are phenomenally successful at what they do AND they are also the biggest

names and key influencers in the coaching industry. Each with tens of

thousands of hours of coaching experience, they live and breathe what

they teach and are known for going above and beyond for their students

to help them build a successful career.

Systematic Coaching Practice Blueprint

The Coaching Institute students benefit from the most unique and

effective coaching practice blueprint available - it is so successful that our

Coaches who have no experience in attracting clients find themselves

working with clients within 90 days of enrolling. Of course, if you would

like to slowly transition into coaching, that is understandable, but it's

great to know that access to proven client attraction methodologies are

available.

Dedicated World-Class Training Facilities

Our brand-new, state-of-the-art training facilities are in a class of their own and have been purpose-built with two things in mind - to create the

perfect learning environment for our ever-growing number of students

and training events, and to Deliver a WOW Experience to everyone who

enters our doors.


TAKE THE

‘IS COACHING FOR ME’ QUICK QUIZ

QUESTION #1

I am willing and able to do the required study to become a successful Life Coach – not the ‘bare minimum’

or what I can ‘get away with’; but I’m genuinely prepared to put the effort that’s required into this

LEAST LIKE ME 0 1 2 3 4 MOST LIKE ME

QUESTION #2

I am willing and able to accept feedback that will enable me to improve. I am not overly sensitive or

defensive when it comes to learning how to improve and I appreciate the help


QUESTION #3

I am willing and able to change habits and patterns of behaviour that I may have been doing for years, if I

discover that those habits are holding me back and stopping me being as effective as I can be


QUESTION #4

I am willing to stretch myself outside of my comfort zone and try things I haven’t done before, including

new ways to listen and to communicate



QUESTION #5

I truly understand and appreciate that what I want to learn cannot be learned in a ‘weekend course’ or

overnight. It will take genuine effort and time to get proficient at something as important as helping people

improve their lives


QUESTION #6

I am willing to learn successful Coaching methodologies and to practice these skills until I am proficient


QUESTION #7

I have a genuine curiosity about people, what makes them ‘tick’ and about human behaviour


QUESTION #8

People can tend to come to me and I tend to hear about their challenges


QUESTION #9

I am often curious to know more about what drives people to do what they do



QUESTION #10

I have a desire to become the best version of myself I can become and I’m willing to take action to make

this a reality, rather than relying on ‘hope’


QUESTION #11

I am self-aware enough to know I don’t have all the answers and I’m willing to educate myself so I can be

more informed about how to assist others to achieve their goals


QUESTION #12

I have the tenacity and determination to push through setbacks and challenges – I don’t expect it to all be

easy all the time and I’m realistic enough to know that training in something new will be challenging


QUESTION #13

I expect the best of myself and strive to be that best


QUESTION #14

I am driven by my own values and goals, and not by what everyone else says I should do with my life



QUESTION #15

I desire to help others and to make a difference for other people – I see myself as someone who needs to

contribute to others


QUESTION #16

I don’t expect it to go ‘perfectly’ all the time, nor do I expect it always to ‘go my way’ – I am emotionally

mature enough to know there will be times it won’t work out, and I will have to persist


QUESTION #17

I understand and appreciate that my past does not have to equal my future


QUESTION #18

I am willing to focus on others, and not myself – it’s not always about me


QUESTION #19

I am willing to learn how to be a role model and example of leadership for others



QUESTION #20

I realise that to improve my results I must learn how to do that – I am willing to be coachable myself, to

learn how to improve


This quiz is a simple, yet effective way to assess your readiness to become a life coach. Right now,

successful life coaches from our community are working with clients from all over the world. Here’s a way

to assess you as ready to train to become a Life Coach:

You scored between 0 – 20 points:

At this stage, Life Coaching is not the best career choice for you. You could benefit from working with a

professional Life Coach, if you were interested in changing some of your perceptions about yourself and

your world.


Life Coaching may be a career for you, if you’re willing to change some of the perceptions you have about

yourself and about what it takes to succeed. Success will possibly not come for you in coaching as fast as it

might for someone else. You would need to really challenge some of your limiting beliefs about what

you’re capable of.


In this range, Life Coaching is a possible career choice for you – you have the determination, the desire

and the beliefs that are suited to training as a Life Coach.


Life Coaching is an ideal potential career for you. Your willingness to embrace the learning journey the

exact attitude successful Life Coaches we work with possess.


FUN FACTS TO KNOW ABOUT


FUN FACT #1:

We run our business based on ten values, and have pop quizzes on them.

1. Let outstanding results do the

talking

2. Be passionate and determined

3. Deliver WOW

4. Take responsibility

5. Create fun and a little bit of quirk

6. Bring out of the box thinking with

a sense of adventure

7. Drive innovations and

improvements

8. Bring an insatiable hunger to learn

and grow

9. Model excellence

10. Build a positive team spirit

FUN FACT #2:

The TCI Team has a fancy dress and costume

day about every six weeks,

and we tell our members throughout

the world and send them photos.


FUN FACT #3:

Our Events Manager, Ananda, is a big fan of

zombies. In the case of a zombie apocalypse,

she’s the kind of expert you want to have

with you…

FUN FACT #4:

We have a whole TEAM of CEOs instead of

just one… they are the Chief Extraordinary

Officers, responsible for making your every

experience with us extraordinary :)

FUN FACT #5:

In fact, we don’t do anything the normal way

around here :) Each of our team has a code

name for what we do:

THE MARVELS a.k.a. the superhero team of

course consultants

MISSION CONTROL a.k.a. the masterminds

in the administration team

WOW TEAM a.k.a. the superstars in student

support

DREAM FACTORY a.k.a. the geniuses in

marketing and research and development

MIDAS TEAM a.k.a the big brains in

accounting

NINJA CREW a.k.a. the stealthy events

organizers

FUN POLICE a.k.a. the compliance team

keeping things in check


Documents

Becoming a Successful Coach Ultimate Guidebook