How to Choose the Most Effective Way to Work with Your Coaching Clients
Choosing the most effective way to work your coaching clients will help your clients to be successful.
Not every type of coaching program will work for all coaching clients. Each individual learns differently, so tailoring your coaching method to each client’s needs will help make their learning more effective and the results of your coaching far greater.
Follow these three steps to determine the best coaching method for your clients.
Step 1. Determine the learning style of your coaching clients.
There are three key learning styles – visual, auditory and physical. Visual learners need to see something in action, such as a demonstration, slides, text or diagrams. Auditory learners like to hear what you’re talking about, such as on recordings or webinars. Physical learners do best when they actually write something down or act it out.
Ask your clients what they like best. What type of training have they done in the past that they enjoyed most? Why? If possible, have them give you an example of a program they learned a lot from. What were the key elements of that training?
Step 2. Design a program that will work best for different styles
Learning results are most effective when you use more than one approach. Each one builds on the other and reinforces what was learned. For example, a video series should always be accompanied by the audio files and transcripts for people who would rather read the content or listen at their leisure.
In addition, since you’re probably not creating a new coaching program for each person, you’ll need to cater to several learning styles at once. Make sure you have something for everyone.
Everyone’s results will be the most effective if they actually apply what they’ve learning in the real world. Find opportunities for your clients to put what they learn into practice themselves, even if it is a case study or hypothetical scenario.
Step 3. Check in with your coaching clients regularly and adjust as needed
The first coaching program you design will probably not be ideal, but getting regular feedback and making adjustments will help you continuously improve. Check in with clients regularly and ask them what is and isn’t working. What would they like to see more of? What aspects have not been helpful?
If revisions to your coaching program are outside the scope of what you originally promised, you might need to adjust the price. You could give an additional price quote for extra services, or refer people to additional resources if necessary. You might even offer different levels of coaching for those with varying needs. This is easy to do if you have set clear expectations.
Don’t be afraid to get feedback from your clients just because it might be negative. Forcing your own method of coaching onto a client won’t work if they have a different way of learning. You’ll have to uncover their learning styles, find out what is and isn’t working, and adjust your own method to get the best results.
Do you have other effective ways to work with your coaching clients? Please share them below.
