Life coaching, or personal coaching, is a structured way of helping people who want to change particular areas of their life.

It is focused and goal orientated so you can decide what you want to achieve and your coach will help you work out how and when to make this happen.

A life coach listens, motivates, challenges, offers positive feedback and encourages you to plan and take action to make changes.

People enlist the services of a coach because they want to improve their situations and achieve goals. They want to learn new ways of thinking and approaching situations, in order to get better results. Common goals might be being more organised and effective at work, gaining confidence in certain situations, or simply relating to other people more effectively.

A skilled coach uses a combination of observation, questioning, listening and feedback to create a conversation rich in insight and learning. For the coachee, they will experience a focus and attention that enable them to develop a greater awareness and appreciation of their own circumstances.

• Improved sense of direction & focus
• Increased knowledge of self/self-awareness
• Improved ability to relate to and influence others
• Increased motivation
• Improved personal effectiveness, e.g. focussed effort
• Increased resourcefulness/resilience, e.g. ability to handle change

The role of coach provides a kind of support distinct from any other. Your coach will focus solely on your situations with the kind of attention and commitment that you rarely experience anywhere.

Your coach will listen to you, with a genuine curiosity to understand who you are, what you think and generally how you experience the world. Your coach will reflect back to you, with the kind of objective assessment that creates real clarity.

During conversations, your coach will encourage you to rise to challenges, overcome obstacles and get into action. A coaching relationship is like no other, simply because of its combination of objective detachment and commitment to the goals of the individual. Because the relationship is based on trust and openness, the contents of your discussions will be confidential.

• Clarify your goals in any area of life
• Build confidence in your decision-making skills
• Achieve personal and professional development goals
• Plan career changes or setting up in business
• Manage your work-life balance
• Complete new projects and sharpen time management skills
• Handle a personal or professional crisis effectively
• Feel motivated and supported to make positive changes

Your coach will encourage you to stay committed to the coaching process. That means showing up for sessions, taking your own notes where appropriate, and keeping any agreements you make during sessions.

In addition, your coach needs you to be open to the potential of coaching. That means contributing to conversations honestly and openly. For example, if something isn't working, your coach needs to know.

If you have concerns or problems, voice them. If you know why a problem is occurring, say so. The strength and power of coaching relates strongly to the level of openness and trust between the coach and the coachee.