1. There is a psychological contract between client & coach
(Contract = choice to be/not to be involved. The emotional unwritten contract between coach and client. Awareness of each others’ roles & expectations. Willingness to join into the coaching agreement. Showing up for sessions. Answering questions honestly. Taking actions agreed)
2. The client is incongruent, vulnerable or anxious
(If they don’t recognise they have a gap between what they want and how to get there, then they have no drive … Wheel of life is a good tool to extract this. Refers to the client’s “state”. Client needs awareness of an incongruence – Eg wanting a goal but inactive towards achieving it Current behaviour is incongruent with their self-concept – Eg knowing they’re capable, but sabotaging their success – Creates a level of anxiety which is desired to be reduced. A client in denial or unaware of incongruency has not willingly joined a coaching contract – Eg someone who has been nominated for coaching and has not accepted WIIFM).
3. The coach is genuine in the coaching relationship
(The Coach needs to be a congruent, genuine integrated person Eg not presenting a facade, either knowingly or unknowingly. Coach needs to be aware of his own feelings during the coaching conversation, but Coach shouldn’t be expressing his own feelings during the coaching session. Coach should explore any feelings that get in the way of empathy or unconditional positive regard in a peer or supervision discussion, Eg feeling personal rejection when a client appears uncommitted to the coaching).
4. The coach experiences unconditional positive regard for the client
(Coach needs to become aware of one’s own judgemental connotations and put these to one side and not to use ‘leading’ questions due to own experiences, knowledge, reasons etc. A warm acceptance of each aspect of the client’s experience as being part of that client No conditions of acceptance – Eg I lose patience with clients if they don’t do their agreed actions. Involves accepting a client’s expressions of negativity, fear etc – Eg allowing clients to talk about barriers, obstacles, challenges, irritations).
5. The coach experiences an empathetic understanding of the client’s world and endeavours to communicate this understanding to their client
(To sense the client’s world as if it were the coach’s own, but without ever losing the “as if” quality. To sense the client’s anger, fear or confusion as if it were the coach’s own, but without the coach’s own anger, fear or confusion getting bound up in it. Only then can the coach comment and add clarity and possible alternative meanings)
6. The client perceives that the coach understands what’s going on for the client.
