Storytelling, a powerful life coaching tool

Storytelling, a powerful life coaching tool

Storytelling is one of the most powerful life coaching tools when working with clients. Popular among all the coaching techniques available, storytelling provides value from both sides and illustrates what matters to a client in a way they understand. Sharing anecdotal experience is often frowned upon by life coaches, but when used correctly, storytelling is an effective means of communication. Trained life coaches understand the need for clients to relate to them as well as articulate values on their own. Whether a story is used by the coach to illustrate a concept or by the client to share insight, storytelling has an incredible variety of uses in a coaching relationship.

Storytelling by the Coach

Stories are often used as one of the best life coaching tools to illustrate specific concepts that are more “educational” than is appropriate for a session. Rather than walk a client through technical coaching methods, a coach can illustrate how a concept applies to a real life experience. For example, a client may struggle seeing the “bigger picture” of her career journey while currently in a job she hates. Instead of explaining the SMART goal-setting technique, a coach might tell a story of a past client with the same challenge who began setting SMART short-term goals and eventually created a 5 year career plan she could stick to. If this past client landed a new job she loved, the current client may find more inspiration and technique from the story than by simply learning a goal-setting method.

Another powerful storytelling method used by life coaches is reframing the client experience. Self-narrative is crucial to a client’s progress and a client may see her journey more negatively than it is actually unfolding. When this occurs, a coach can tell the client’s story thus far in their own words, shedding light on the more positive “wins” of the client to encourage her. An illustrative example of this is with a client who (despite making great lifestyle changes) has only lost 7 lbs of her 15 lb weight loss goal. She may feel discouraged and unmotivated to keep going. Her coach can reflect on the client’s progress by summarizing the most positive changes she has made. After hearing her coach emphasize the kitchen makeover, new fitness routine, and growing sense of self-love the client has created for herself told from the coach’s perspective, the client is inspired and proud.

Storytelling by the Client

A lesser known utilization of storytelling is by eliciting information from the client’s perspective. Stories and personal narratives illuminate how the client views their progress and desires so the coach can dig deeper and ask questions. The most valuable knowledge gained from asking a client to share their story is to uncover their “unspoken” motivations. When asked directly, clients are less likely to share desires or fears they are embarrassed to share. This can be overcome by the coach in a more subtle way to learn about client behavior and motives. For example, a client may report to the coach that she struggles receiving affection from her husband. The coach may prompt the client to describe a few instances where the client felt this way in the past. Perhaps the client reveals times where her husband may have simply been tired or preoccupied, and the coach can point out that this is an opportunity to communicate needs instead of simply expecting affection.

Client storytelling is also necessary to build self-awareness. Humans often hold memories in a way that skews positively or negatively, and life coaches are here to help keep the narrative in a realistic light. Some clients need help reframing their experiences more positively to remain encouraged. A coach may help a discouraged working dad reflect on his progress and effort he’s recently given to spending more time with his family. Some clients need to take accountability for their past mistakes and tell their stories honestly. A coach may ask a teenager failing college to take a step back and describe her role in missing classes and studying. Either way, coaching around clients’ narratives is a powerful use of storytelling to build self-awareness.

Of all the life coaching tools, storytelling is a powerful tool because it elicits honest narrations and uncovers client motivations, while also building self-awareness and shedding light on personal accountability. Coaches can take advantage of storytelling from their end to share techniques in the context of the client’s world or to inspire them. Clients allow the coach to understand their worldview and understanding of their own progress. Each of these scenarios prove that used correctly, storytelling holds weight as an effective life coaching tool.

Lupe Colangelo is a certified holistic health coach, life coach, and writer for Life Coach Path. She specializes in behavioral psychology and her background includes coaching for various startups as well as in her private practice. From career coaching to helping people maximize their potential in life and health, Lupe uses motivational interviewing and proven behavior change techniques to empower people to find their own success.

Coaching as a Digital Nomad

Coaching as a Digital Nomad

In today’s world, coaches are free to use advanced technology to become location free or, so-called digital nomads. It is technically possible to connect with our clients via video calls and perform our other tasks online. However, is it a realistic option when it comes specifically to coaching?

When leaving Europe to start my digital nomad adventure in Southeast Asia, I got bombarded with questions from my fellow coaches. Was it going to be possible to sustain my coaching business while working remotely? How was I going to get new clients? How could I make sure I have a stable internet connection everywhere? To be honest, it was overwhelming at the time. I had a plan, but was I sure it was going to work out? Not really.

Just like my colleagues, I had some limiting beliefs about running a coaching business while traveling. The nomadic lifestyle looked great on Instagram. But what was the reality going to be like? I did not know, but I chose to trust that I will be able to deal with the challenges this journey was about to bring.

Did I succeed? If success means have I been learning a lot? Has this experience expanded my range? Have I sustained my business, happy clients and my mental sanity? Then my answer is YES!

Would I recommend such an adventure to everyone? Yes and no. The truth is, once you are on the road, your business is not going to be the same. So, if you are considering running your coaching business while traveling, the main question is: Are you ready to embrace change?

And what changes can you expect?

1. Your environment will be different, and you will be the same person.

By saying yes to your dreams, you are not automatically saying no to your responsibilities. If you are a responsible person in your “real” life, it is not going to change once you become a digital nomad, not without your permission. However, if you are fighting an endless battle with your procrastination, working from a tropical island might not help you to focus on work.

What is your real motivation to change your lifestyle?

2. You might start attracting different clients.

Yes, there are people out there who think remote working makes you an irresponsible hippie. If you let your potential clients know about your lifestyle, what people will be excited to work with you? There is a chance that your clientele is going to change. This can impact the way you think about your business and your ideal clients.

Who are your ideal clients?

3. You are the one choosing your perspective on your challenges.

Working with clients in different time zones can be a challenge or an opportunity to redesign your idea of what your working day could look like.

Can you embrace change and explore the opportunities the transformation of your daily routine might bring?

4. You will let go of some of your standards.

Perhaps you are used to working with your clients in a meeting room, wearing freshly ironed shirts. As a digital nomad, you might be forced to coach from your phone, sitting on a trash bin, with lizards running on the wall behind you.

After eight months on the road, my imaginary list of must-haves to perform my work got reduced to three things: stable internet connection, (relative) silence and privacy. But even these simple things have a different definition in other parts of the world. So, it becomes essential to always have a plan B (and C and sometimes D).

This is an opportunity to boost your creativity and problem-solving skills and amaze yourself with your ability to stay grounded, 100% focused on your client, no matter what your working conditions are.

Are you ready to expand your coaching comfort zone?

5. Just like traveling, remote working is a journey, not a destination.

Each destination brings a new set of challenges. And that can be amazing and/or stressful. Staying in the present moment is the only way to enjoy your journey because you never know what will come next.

How are you dealing with uncertainty?

Final Words

Once you become physically distant from your clients and your environment, your fancy gear and pretty clothes, all that is left is you, your skills and your ability to be fully present for your clients.

Coaching as a digital nomad can be an intense boot camp of one’s own flexibility, self-management and resilience. It enables you to expand as a person and as a coach in many unexpected ways. At the end of the day, all you need to be a great coach is yourself. And the more you expand your own range, the more space you can offer your clients.

This is a share from Coach Federation.org, all content is their original content. The original post can be found here: https://coachfederation.org/blog/coaching-as-a-digital-nomad

About the Author: Anna Kmetova, ACC, CPCC, is a Life and Career Coach who empowers open-minded individuals to lead authentic and fulfilling lives through guided one-to-one sessions. When she is not supporting personal transformation, she helps companies implement a coaching culture. Anna is based in Amsterdam. From November 2018–August 2019, she has supported her clients remotely from Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Taiwan. 

https://www.annakmetova.com/