I wanted to put together a series of blogs as reference points for coaches of the future or those working within the area of health and wellbeing. It’s my thoughts after being in private practice for 14 years, an opportunity to write and share. Other coaches or professionals may of course find some of the content helpful and are welcome to pass it on.
So what do I mean by a natural coach?
A natural coach doesn’t learn the core skills of listening and language, they have this naturally and instinctively and are ready to develop on this foundation. A natural coach loves to explore and search, seeking more and more information and loves to spend their time letting others speak and truly be heard. Natural coaches have to guard their time, a lesson I’ll be sharing later on in this series.
They are also natural counsellors and often find that people gravitate towards them, very quickly feeling at ease and ready to speak about deeper issues. Believe me this happens in the supermarket, on holiday and sitting on a train. Anywhere that people are you’ll notice this happening. Empathy oozes from the natural coach and if this sounds like you then you could well be a coach of the future.
So if you’re a natural coach it’s about building on this and you can do that in many ways. Accredited courses being one of them or perhaps seeking a mentor to work with you in a specific area of expertise. A professional that you admire and share common interests and values with is ideal. If you do plan to go into a health/wellbeing setting I think a counselling skills course is a great starting point and then ongoing additions to your skills bag. We never reach a point of complete knowledge, it’s important that we know this and seek opportunities to keep on progressing and improving, for ourselves and our clients. If you are a natural coach I think you’ll also develop an understanding that much like learning to drive, when you pass is when you really learn.
My next blog will look at your why, why you choose this path.
Look forward to hearing your thoughts on natural coaching… These blogs will be shared on twitter with #NaturalCoach
Jayne x
Further resources
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Hi Jayne, many years ago I met other coaches and personal development facilitators who told me I was a natural coach. It was an idea that terrified me because I regard coaching as a responsibility. Vulnerable people come to you and I believe you have to hold their space with love. At the time I didn’t believe I was equipped. Fortunately, one day I noticed my resistance and the rest is, as they say, history.
I love your blogs on this subject!