In January, I read a great response to an issue on the New Coach Connection Yahoo Group by Marion Franklin.  I asked Marion, also a moderator of the group, if she would share her insights as a guest author.   She kindly agreed. I do want to remind the readers that this is not edited as an article per se. Marion does have her own ezine full of great stuff. Her contact information is below.

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Laser Coaching – Get to the root quickly

by Marion Franklin, MCC

Image via Wikipedia

Let’s begin by defining laser coaching.  By definition it is getting to the root of the problem quickly. As a result, a session might be shorter because you aren’t going on a ‘fishing expedition’ trying to figure out what’s really going on.  Unfortunately, when people hear laser coaching, they immediately think that it means short, quick sessions.  It CAN be so, but only because the coach is adept at cutting through the words and ascertaining the real issue.  That is a learned skill. Sometimes laser coaching is confused with ‘solving a problem’ by telling the client what to do.  That is consulting and does not help the client in the long term.

Because we identified LOSS as the theme, by coaching around that, she felt great relief before having to get into any specifics.  It’s also a matter of discerning what is /what is not in her control.

The key is to figure out what makes determining the next step important – why now? It’s important to figure out what is true for this client (not the coach). Unless these are aligned, conflict shows up:

• What is the underlying emotion?
• What does the client want for the future?
• What is the client’s purpose?

YES – steps can be taken and clients feel great relief with one session. It doesn’t mean that the client is ‘good to go’ and now has a total plan. It could easily be that the client feels clear and certain about where to begin to tackle his/her plan and has a better understanding of his/her situation, and consequently knows a first step thus relieving the anxiety/restlessness. And, the ‘how’ is usually about 3 minutes at the end of a 30 minute session because it automatically evolves out of the conversation.

Typically, single sessions resolve what is termed “situational challenges’ – such as ‘make a decision.’ Laser coaching is still ongoing coaching when it’s a broad scope such as a next step in life. The difference is that laser coaching ‘cuts to the chase’ and allows the client to move forward faster.

Marion Franklin, MS, MCC
http://www.lifecoachinggroup.com
ICF approved Laser Coaching Intensive 12 week program
ICF approved Mentor Coaching Groups

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