During the past 10 years a new area of personal support has emerged - enter the life coach, a mix of therapist, adviser, strategist, friend, mentor, and more. With such a broad focus, how do you know what you are getting into, or what you will get out of it? Andrew Harding reports.

Fact file What is coaching? Coaches are trained to listen, observe and to customise their approach to help you to identify and achieve your goals. The process also helps you to identify and change limiting beliefs which keep you stuck in negative behaviour patterns. How does it work? Coaching is usually a series of conversations over the telephone, or sometimes by email. A good coach will help you discover new ways of thinking about yourself and managing problems. The process typically begins with the coach asking questions to assess a client's values and dreams, and then focus on specific goals. What does it cost? Fees range from £50 to £150+ per hour for personal coaching. There must be a strong commitment to making long-term changes. How long does it take? This will vary, but a typical pattern might be 4-6 sessions, then weekly for a month or two, then tapering off during a year. What qualifications are there? While a degree is not required and there are not yet commonly-accepted standards of experience or training, there a range of university and independent courses. What should I ask of a prospective coach? It is important to ask about their training, accreditation and coaching experience. Get a feel for how they work. A good rapport is essential. Further information: International Coach Federation: www.coachfederation.org European Coaching and Mentoring Council: www.emccouncil.org Catherine Williamson: www.meettherealu.co.uk John Hannon: www.newprojections.com

"I decided to try life coaching because I was at a stage where I knew I needed to go back into speech therapy to 'get a grip' on my negative thinking patterns," said Jane*. "I didn't know what to expect. I wasn't nervous, just apprehensive about how this would differ from normal speech therapy. My coach had a very precise way of helping you to break things down and view them in a different way, using exercises which guide you to look at yourself. Life coaching helped me to think differently and I had a really positive experience with it."

Jane's coach was Catherine Williamson, a speech and language therapist who recently trained as a life coach.

"I have spent much of the past 11 years working with people who stammer, and have been repeatedly frustrated that therapy techniques only work to a certain point and then the stammer comes back with vengeance," she said. "I often helped people to change their behaviour and speak more fluently, but this left unchanged the person's self talk and beliefs about who they were and what they could do."

"People who stammer will often say, 'I just want my stammer to go away,' but have not seen how this will impact on their life and the lives of others around them. How will it change them as a person? If they change, what impact will it have on friends and family? If they do not stammer what will they be doing instead? What will that feel like? Look like? I help people to visualise and imagine a different way of being. When this is done in minute detail, you can begin the process of getting from where you are now to where you want to be," said Catherine.

Defining what you want

The core process of life coaching is about understanding where you are, deciding where you want to be, planning how to get there and putting those plans into action. Coaching is not the same as therapy although it may draw on some therapy techniques to help manage problems and deal with problematic thoughts and emotions. Setting goals and achieving them is the main focus. A reputable coach will understand the boundary between therapy and coaching and refer you to a therapist if that is more appropriate.

John Hannon gained a masters degree in coaching from Middlesex University. He works mainly with business clients, but has also helped people who stammer.

"Coaches work with people who are seeking to make changes in their personal or business lives. A good coach will help you discover new ways of thinking about yourself and managing problems," John said. "A coach will not usually give you advice or tell you what to do, but they can help you achieve your goals, for example, to speak more fluently, by helping you change your thinking about yourself and your speech. A well-trained experienced coach will help you gain new perspectives and take effective action. Because coaching is about achieving outcomes you can measure its success in terms of your progress in reaching the outcomes that you decided on at the start."

"Like other goals, those identified in coaching may not be accomplished in full, but you should know that you have made progress. The relationship with the coach should be such that you can talk freely to them if you are dissatisfied with your progress," said John.

Getting started

The process itself begins with three basic questions: What you would like your ability in speaking (or in doing something else) to be; what is holding you back; and what price are you willing to pay for change? The price could mean the time and commitment needed to make long term changes, the coaching fees or building new relationships with key people in your life.

Coaching may be focused and deal with specific, measurable goals, or it may examine the bigger questions of meaning and purpose in life. Unlike speech and language therapists, coaches do not have to have formal qualifications or professional registration to practise but most will have undergone extensive and ongoing training. Whilst a degree is not required and there are not yet commonly-accepted standards of experience or training, you will know if coaching is working for you by how well it helps you to clarify and achieve your goals. "Clients need to use their common sense when assessing a prospective coach," advises John Hannon.

If you are considering hiring a coach, ask them about their training and accreditation, for example from the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Don't assume that a coach is competent in coaching because they have other professional credentials or charge high fees.

Most coaches will be willing to meet you for an introductory talk if you are interested in hiring them. This is an opportunity to get a feel for how they work, their training and accreditation, and to see if you feel comfortable about working with them. A good rapport is essential because of what John describes as the partnership nature of coaching. "The client needs to be an equal partner with their coach. Both work together on defining, setting and achieving goals, as a joint process."

And the last word: coaching is for people who want to make change - not for those looking to be spoon-fed. A coach listens to you, asks hard questions and helps you commit to taking action. Making major changes by yourself does not work for everyone. Receiving challenging and unbiased feedback from a skilled coach can enable you to achieve much more than you would do on your own.

*names have been change for privacy

Related articles:
You are what you think - Autumn 2005
Coaching for people who stammer - Winter 2004

From the Winter 2006 issue of 'Speaking Out', page 6