Effective Communication in Coaching

24-GG-Blog-La-Comunicazione-Efficace-nel-Coaching

The Coach can transmit to the Client a content such as to generate awareness in him

Premise

Starting from the assumption that within the Coaching Session, Coach and Coachee communicate continuously with each other, exchanging thoughts, emotions and sensations and sending Feed-back (return information), it is not always easy for the Coach to do so in a way that “Effective”, in order to strengthen the Alliance established with the Coachee. The “Effective Communication” is in fact aimed at satisfying the Customer’s “need” for an “Effective Relationship”, allowing him to enter a process of awareness, aimed at recognizing and developing his own potential.

The different function of communication between Coach and Client in the Coaching Session

During the Session Coach and Coachee communicate with each other using all Levels of Communication:

  1. Verbal: Mostly the Coach is in “Active Listening” mode, but uses the “Verbal” level when asking questions or when formulating sentences to clarify understanding or receive feedback. The Client, on the other hand, being the “protagonist” of the Coaching Session, makes extensive use of language and words.
  2. Paraverbal: the Coach uses it to align on the Coachee; in addition to the Timbre and the Rhythm of the Voice he wisely uses Silence. The customer uses it especially when he comes into contact with his emotions.
  3. Non-verbal: the Coach uses it continuously: not only in Proxemics, but also in posture and in establishing eye contact with the Client, who can “communicate” a lot of information not revealed with words.

The Categories of Interference in Communication between Coach and Coachee

Although the Coach’s intention is always to want to communicate in an “effective” way with his Client, some types of “Interference” may arise within the Session, such as:

  • Disturbances: for example the poor video or audio quality of the connection in the “on line” Coaching Sessions.
  • Barriers: think about when the Coach uses a specialized term (eg: “Potential”), not understood by the Client.
  • Filters: originating from “prejudices” or “false interpretations” that the Coach may have to stereotype the Client

Conclusions

The Coach is “Responsible” for the Effectiveness of Communication with the Coachee in the Coaching Session and therefore will try to do it clearly (avoiding using terms that this may not understand) and direct (without making use of redundancies and repetitions), using tools consistent with his way of expressing himself (integrating with “authenticity” thoughts, emotions and sensations in respect of his own and of others) and committing to transmit to the Client a content that generates awareness and is suitable to support him in his evolutionary learning process.