Life Coaching Blog - By Will Craig

Back to School

Bill@CoachTrainingAlliance.com (CTA Admin) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 07:58:05 -0700

Will Craig

The kids are back in school. Are you?

We live in a knowledge-powered economy and if we're not continually upgrading our capabilities we become obsolete. The good news is the educational choices we make at 18 don't need to be hard and fast choices we're stuck with for a lifetime.

You can choose to look at lifelong learning as the homework assignment that never goes away. Or, you can choose to look at it as an essential strategy for living long and living well.

I'm not suggesting you must go to college to gain the necessary knowledge. What college did do for me was make me recognize that organized learning, whether in traditional schools or through condensed courses and teleclasses, would significantly shorten my learning curve.

"Don't let your schooling interfere with your education."
- Mark Twain

Had I to do it all over again I might choose a succession of bite-sized learning opportunities in the specific areas of my interest (recognizing those change over time). Short-term, condensed educational programs have become more available and recognized as an efficient way to gain specific expertise in less time without spending your life's savings on a long program.

Learning does not take place in a box we call a classroom or in a hotel conference room. We learn more, we learn better, and we learn faster by doing and being actively involved. How are you upgrading your knowledge and abilities?

Will Craig is President of Coach Training Alliance and holds a Masters Degree in Education and Human Development. He is co-author of the #1 best-selling coaching home study course, the Coach Training Accelerator.

Fall School Schedule

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* Throughout the fall you are also invite to attend—without charge—any of the Becoming a Coach orientation calls. Learn the inside scoop on what coaching is really like. Have your questions answered and observe a real coaching session.

Making Your Point... Quickly

Bill@CoachTrainingAlliance.com (CTA Admin) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:34:16 -0700

by Will Craig

The media has changed the way we communicate. If you plan to hold an audience -even an audience of one- you must now think in terms of brevity, pacing, and distinctive language. Below is a formula used by television producers to write 30-second commercials. Keep in mind, this is the language of people who only have a half a minute to sell you something.

Hook
Something used to specifically gain attention, i.e.: headlines in a newspaper, TV and radio "teases," chapter titles in a book. What is the most fascinating, unusual, striking, or funny aspect of your message? That's your hook. Put it up front!
Build Up
Who, what, when, where, and how. Just like the news story that follows the dramatic headline. This is where you explain, reinforce, and prove your point.

Payoff
This is where you drive your point home, ask for the order, or close the deal. This is the reason for the message. The hook and the build up allow you to make your point with impact.

The Point (in thirty seconds)
We live in a headline society. If you can't bottom line your thinking, you won't be a top line success. Everyday your success is being determined by how well you communicate. Marshall McLuhan said, "The medium is the message." In this case, the medium is you. You telecast your own messages and the ratings you receive from your audience determine your success in life.

Silent Words That Work

Bill@CoachTrainingAlliance.com (CTA Admin) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 08:25:16 -0700

by Will Craig

We live in a culture that supports the tennis-volley-approach to conversation: 'You say something, and quickly, I say something next.' This happens almost without pause or without us taking a breath.

We are all guilty of formulating what we are going to say next, even before the person speaking stops sharing their thoughts. What if the words you did not speak were more powerful than the words you did speak?

Here's a challenge for you:
Get comfortable with being still. Don't be afraid of silence. When you get good at this, the quality of your coaching improves. Don't be afraid of the struggle your client may be going through during the silence in your coaching sessions.

Quiet moments provide the ideal environment for growth and insight. Silence is where some of the best growth happens and when some of the best insights appear that would have otherwise been missed during our chatter.

Without having to work very hard—and by just settling into the silence—your client can suddenly leap into a new frame of mind. Perhaps this is all they need to feel your time together has been well spent.

Silence is Golden
Building on this same idea, the "silent words" you say to yourself are extremely powerful. How might you benefit yourself and your clients with these strategies? This week, turn silence into gold!

Human Doing or Human Being?

Bill@CoachTrainingAlliance.com (CTA Admin) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 08:45:50 -0700

by Will Craig

How many times have you heard, 'It's not what you say, it's how you say it.' People not only hear what you are saying, they feel what you are feeling. Your belief and mindset affect how you are being with people and how they respond to you.

Often times it's not what you're doing that counts. You can do all of the right things to get your business established but if you give sanction to the belief that you are not valuable, this will come across in unspoken terms as lack of confidence. People will feel your doubt. They will sense it and, in turn, will also doubt you.

On the other hand, if you are steadfast in your belief about yourself and believe that your coaching benefits people, you will notice a different response from them. The comfort and confidence you feel and demonstrate is felt by others and they respond to you with confidence.

You become magnetic because you are relaxed and comfortable. Whatever you believe about yourself comes across loud and clear. You can't help this, it just is comes through. The reason for this is that we are not human doings, we are human beings.

The Buzz on Social Networking

It seems like every time you hear the radio or watch TV somebody is tweeting about something or inviting you to join Facebook or Linkedin. Why is that?

There's a reason why Social Networking has become so popular.

The power behind it is the ease in which it enables you to make connections and meet new people. With just a few clicks of your mouse, you can connect with anyone from anywhere in the world and expand your network dramatically.

Sites like Facebook give you the opportunity to share some insight into what makes you a great coach. And it doesn't cost you anything!

New to the world of social networking? Not to worry. Start your travels with your friends at CTA. We'll take you there.

Designing Your Coaching Lifestyle

Bill@CoachTrainingAlliance.com (CTA Admin) — Tue, 12 May 2009 07:11:17 -0700

by Will Craig

When we first start out as coaches, many of us get caught up in the math. We pull out our calculators and say, 'If I coach 35 clients a month at $250 each that's $100,000.00 a year. This is going to be great!

While this is possible it can also set us up for disappointment. Ironically, some of us that have reached that goal have found we didn't want that many one-on-one clients and have diversified our practices (more on that later).

Why not create a design that allows for exciting income possibilities AND one that enables you to grow responsibly?

Here's a plan that works:
Set your initial goal of a full coaching practice between 12-15 clients. Once you've reached that number, raise your rates. It's easier to do this way. Confidence is high and your goals are not overwhelming. You will also be in the position of picking and choosing the clients with whom you're most interested in working.

In short order you will hit the $50,000.00 a year mark comfortably coaching six or seven clients a day, two days a week. You now have the rest of the week to diversify your practice and increase your revenues with group coaching, workshops, teleclasses, writing, speaking...whatever you choose.

For more details on how to diversify your practice, take a fresh look at the Coach Training Accelerator™. This best-selling multimedia program helps you grow and expand your practice under ideal conditions in record time.

It's your lifestyle. Design it so it is workable, livable, and lovable.