How to “Laser Coach” Your Life Coaching Clients

Do you know how to “laser coach” your life coaching clients instead of having rambling conversations that go nowhere?

As the founder of Brave Thinking Institute, I’ve met many life coaches who struggle to know what to say when they get on the phone with their clients.

They have lots of wisdom and knowledge to share, but they don’t know how to tap into it and communicate it in a way that truly transforms their clients’ lives.

As a result, their coaching conversations with their clients sometimes tend to wander aimlessly, without producing the big results that they wanted to help their clients create.

Laser coaching your clients to better results fast

Maintaining focus and direction will be key to progress.

Conversing and exchanging updates isn’t enough.

If you simply want your client to give you updates and talk about whatever comes to mind, the next thing you know your session will be over, and neither of you will have gotten what you needed from the conversation.

Don’t get me wrong  — hearing updates on your client’s progress is important!

But if you want to quickly create profound and lasting changes in your clients’ lives, it’s important to set an intention before the start of every coaching session.

To be clear, an “intention” is not the same as “attachment.”

Setting an intention is NOT you saying to yourself, before you hop on the phone with your client,

“I’m going to make sure this client reaches X goal by the end of the month.”

Setting that kind of intention means you’re attached to the outcome.

When you’re attached to an outcome, it can be challenging to be present with the client you’re speaking to and coaching, because you’re focused on your own agenda.

Instead, before each coaching call, set an intention that’s connected NOT to any particular outcome… but to the conversation itself.

How to set an intention that guides your conversations

The following are 5 strategic life coaching steps that will move your clients closer to their dreams.

Here are some steps you can take to set an intention that guides your conversations without turning them into agendas, and to turn that intention into action… so that each strategic life coaching session moves your clients closer to their dreams.

1. Be clear about what you want to accomplish in the session

Again, this isn’t the same as being fixated on an outcome.

For example, instead of saying,

“I’m going to get this client to take this particular action,”

you could say to yourself,

“I’m going to find out what this client truly wants for their life, how much action they’re willing to take, and what actions they CAN take that will bring them closer to their dreams.”

Can you feel the difference?

The first one attaches a specific result, while the second helps you to determine what you want to talk about, without setting a demand on the other person to respond in a specific way.

2. Share your intention with your client at the beginning of the call

While people generally don’t like to be controlled, many do appreciate being guided.

Begin each coaching call by letting your client know what your intention for the call is.

This helps to guide the conversation and, if it looks as though the two of you are veering off topic, it’s easy to go back to what the original intention for the call was simply by restating it.

Sharing a clear intention at the start of each call also makes your coaching seem more valuable and credible…

Because now your client knows that this isn’t simply an exercise in paying someone to listen to them talk, and they have a clear idea of the value they’ll get from your time together.

3. Support them in taking action toward their dreams

Once your client has created a clear vision of what they would love their life to look like, help them come up with some specific actions they can take that will move them closer to their dreams.

Once they’ve chosen their action steps, invite them to choose a specific time and date by when they will take those steps.

This way, they’re less likely to procrastinate or allow their other commitments to gobble up all of their time.

4. Hold them accountable

At the beginning of each new coaching session, check in with your client to see whether they took the action steps you discussed on the previous call — and if so, what the results were.

This will help you to track their progress and make any adjustments that are necessary to keep them moving forward.

It will also encourage them to keep their commitments, because they know that if they don’t, they’ll have to share that with you!

Learn how to highlight responsibility without shame.

5. Celebrate their wins with them

If your client took their action steps, made some progress toward their dreams, or experienced a breakthrough in their mindset, take a moment to acknowledge them for it… and encourage them to celebrate their accomplishment, no matter how small it was!

People are often quick to beat themselves up for the smallest failures, while reserving their self-congratulations for only the biggest wins.

This is exhausting and discouraging, and it can drain their motivation to keep working toward their dreams.

So anytime your client has even a small victory, encourage them to celebrate it without thinking about any of the things that could diminish or negate their accomplishment.

And now a free coaching resource for you

For more proven, step-by-step strategies on how to start or grow a successful life coaching business that makes a profound and lasting difference in your clients’ lives, click here to download a FREE copy of my ebook, Are You Meant to Be a Life Coach?