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What if your coaching client isn’t ready to talk goals?

21/8/2017

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​Sometimes a client in a coaching session is not ready to talk about what they want, their goals or even to have a sense of what a better future might be like for them. That may appear to scupper the conversation if you are intent on goal-finding as your first coaching step. But there are other ways to proceed.

One option is to ask your client, ‘What are you already doing that's useful?’ to gain pointers towards from their current activities that might plausibly form part of a more fruitful future.

The Solutions Focus Resilience Pocketbook
Another is to start with highlights from the past - proud achievements, better periods in their life or their work - to get a sense of what’s important to them, their talents and their experiences.

Then, when the time is right, you can have a more informed conversation about what’s wanted in the future.
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How can a coach come up with useful questions on the spot?

7/8/2017

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​
​How do you know what to say when a client answers your question? Most of the time you did not know what your client was going to say. That was why you asked the question.

 
Knowing what to do next at that precise moment has a great deal to do with paying attention to language.  And what we say will depend on our assumptions.
The Solutions Focus Positively Speaking

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What’s the impact of visualisation on motivation?

24/7/2017

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​A participant on a recent webinar cited a study he’d heard about, saying that visualising a goal can be counter-productive to one’s motivation. Apparently, there’s a danger of feeling that you’ve already accomplished your objective, so you put less effort into doing it ‘again’ for real.

For a solutions-focused practitioner, this seems more about the danger of extrapolating too much from a single research project than about the value of visualisation. There’s obvious value for an individual or a team in the clarity gained by visualising the goal. The depiction of the Future Perfect in detail also provides useful signs by which to measure progress. And it encourages reflecting on the benefits of the various aspects of the goal – which again will provoke and boost motivation. I’m not sure how you would gain those benefits without somehow visualising what’s wanted in glorious detail.

Nor is the Future Perfect visualisation the end of the typical coaching process. First, in a detailed articulation of a vision, we not only see it, we speak it, unearthing more and more detail.  And then we also explore resources and consider the next small steps. Those additional elements should be more than enough to avoid any loss of motivation.
The Solutions Focus Future Perfect
Have a look at all of our SF TOOLS on one page.
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5 Top tips for building your resilience | Janine

24/4/2017

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​“A good half of the art of living is resilience.” 
― Alain de Botton

It’s tempting to think that resilience is a fixed personality trait, maybe even something that we are born with. But be reassured, the ability to bounce back from failure and to cope with everyday difficulties is something that can be learned and developed by anyone.

​Here are five top tips that can help you build your resilience.
​
The Solutions Focus Resilience Management Pocketbook

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6 Dos and Don’ts for Resilience post-Brexit | Janine

15/7/2016

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Some say that the UK Brexit vote on 23rd June was a vote against the establishment, a statement of general dissatisfaction with the way things are, a distrust of our politicians and a desire for more control, more democracy and independence. Others argue that it was ill-informed, driven by xenophobia and those seeking personal gain.

Not only has the vote divided the country, it’s caused ructions at work, families to fragment and a rise in reported racist incidents throughout the UK.
​
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Whatever our views on the outcome of the vote, one thing is for sure: the ability to be resilient in these times of change and uncertainty will put us in good stead for whatever comes next.
​
So what exactly is resilience? Here are some descriptions that you may find helpful.

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Why it’s worth reflecting on what you learn. | Paul

30/11/2015

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​Try these questions:
  1. What did you learn lately?
  2. How did you do that?
  3. How exactly might you use this further in future?
​


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Top 5 tips for successful large-scale change projects  | Janine

21/11/2014

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We’ve been collaborating on some big change projects recently and here are our top 5 tips for ensuring their success:

1.   Include key stakeholders as early as possible in the project planning 
This is valuable for so many reasons.  You’ll eventually need their support, so if they are involved and excited early, the path will prove much easier.  As contributors, they’ll help improve the shape of the project. If they are in from the start, they’ll share a sense of ownership.
 
2.   Agree the evaluation measures up front, preferably using those that are already in place.
This way, everyone knows what you are aiming for in the most specific terms possible – things that can be measured.  In most large organisations, measures are already in place for many variables:  which of those do you want to see affected by the project?


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7 Questions to ask your clients when they can’t put their feelings into words  |  Janine

6/9/2013

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Sometimes coaching will succeed only if your client can get to grips with aspects of their issues that are tricky to put into words.  For example, one client was describing her goals, and mentioned a feeling that she said she wanted to experience more often - a feeling of intense connection to the universe.  

She'd had this feeling, she recalled, once or twice over the previous few years, but she found it difficult to say more about it.

Getting this feeling described was important, as we shall see.  Yet doing so was an intricate process; we were trying to pin down something subtle, elusive and frustratingly ephemeral.  

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12 signs that a conference cares about its participants  |  Paul

26/8/2013

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Have you wondered what makes the difference between a ho-hum conference and one that leaves you inspired and energised? It can be tough choosing the right events to attend, and you’re always risking your time and your cash. I’ve been particularly lucky with my experiences at the conferences of The Applied Improvisation Network (AIN) and the SOLWorld events, both of which have been flourishing for more than a decade.

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Top 10 tips for better performance conversations  |  Janine

1/8/2013

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These are the top 10.

1  Deal with it in a timely manner

If there’s something to talk about, act sooner rather than later. Don’t put off something that left unchecked could become a major issue. For example if somebody has a tendency to make minor numerical mistakes in reports, discuss it with them straight away, rather than waiting until they make a significant mistake that causes embarrassment and upset.


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