Released on: December 5, 2007, 4:40 am

Press Release Author: Developing People

Industry: Human Resources

Press Release Summary: When I first meet with a prospective coachee or with the line
management or HR sponsor for this work, the conversation inevitably gets round to
the coaching approach that I will take.

Press Release Body: My response to this question is based on my preference to coach
people face to face in a number of coaching sessions 4 - 6, spread out over time 4 -
12 months. This gives me and the coachee adequate time to establish the necessary
relationship, rapport and understanding for them to do the necessary thinking that
in turn leads to them ACTING in a new, more confident, focused and decisive way in
the areas of work and life that are really important to them.

In my experience that can be done best through this series of face to face meetings,
possibly supplemented by e mails or telephone conversations, rather than by
telephone coaching conversations alone.

This face to face approach is the way that I learned to coach people 15 years ago
and I think that it offers all of the communication benefits of this type of
relationship that are not available over the telephone. However I have to recognise
that in recent years telephone coaching has risen rapidly in popularity and that it
forms the cornerstone of the life coaching industry and of the training courses
offered to people who are new to coaching and learning about how to do it.

The potential benefits of telephone coaching are these:-
- no travel time or cost
- it can take place anywhere in the world, day or night
- it provides a concentrated, focused approach
- it avoids other visual distractions
- it provides for a level of personal safety and security.
The drawbacks to telephone coaching are these:-
- it may provide a shield for a person
- all of the body language signals are absent and therefore more than 50% of the
meaning & understanding may not be available and transmitted to you as a coach
- some of the key signals between coach and coachee are missed
- the rapport established is different at best and much less effective at worst.
So when I hold these initial, preparatory conversations with prospective coachees, I
explain what I do and how I coach i.e. face to face, and I describe how I think that
telephone coaching differs from and compares to my approach and I let the
prospective coachee or sponsor decide. I do not overtly criticise telephone coaching
- but it is not the sole coaching experience that I am prepared to provide

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