What happens during a life coaching session?

by Mar 25, 2020Coaching

One of the most common questions my clients ask me when they first contact me is “what exactly are we going to do during our sessions?”
This may seem counter intuitive to you, but it’s actually a very good question and one I’m always glad to answer.

Being curious about what kind of work will be performed and how is a great starting point to understand whether this is the right approach for you or not.
Those who don’t ask this question (and some don’t, although very few) usually assume they already know how it works and then end up being surprised when they find out they were wrong! Luckily, their reaction is always positive, as they discover that reality exceeds expectations!

Now, there are literally millions of coaches out there, so I can’t speak for everyone, but I can share with you how I work with my own clients and what happens during my sessions with them.
First of I follow ICF (the International Coach Federation) ethical guidelines and standards, therefore my sessions are structured according to their method and requirements.

This means my sessions have the classic format where I ask questions and my clients answers them and not the other way around.

Surprised? Well, as I said, there are many coaches out there, some of which are actually consultants, trainers, or mentors, that means they’re basically experts in a specific field who teach and share their knowledge during so called “sessions”. Since they ‘re teaching, training or mentoring they’re obviously not asking questions, but rather answering them while sharing information with their clients.

So, why do I ask questions? Well, that’s because I don’t teach, I coach!

Questions are used as tools to promote reflection and personal growth, which is exactly what coaching is about. One of the core foundations of coaching is the belief that the client holds all the answers within him/herself and the coach merely acts as a facilitator.

This method is based on Socrates Maieutic and is considered more effective than providing answers and solutions to problems.

punto interrogativo come si svolge sessione di life coaching
Another surprising detail, according to my clients, is the fact that during the sessions your life coach (according to ICF standards) doesn’t share personal experiences or opinions. The main reason is to allow you to make up your own mind, rather than be influenced and therefore become responsible for your choices and actions.

This said, don’t be afraid, you won’t be hammered with nonstop questions throughout the call or appointment! As a matter of fact, the optimal ratio is 80% (of the session’s time) client talk versus 20% for the coach. During that 80% of time while your coach isn’t talking, he or she is listening to you, offering you the safe space you need to unravel your thoughts.

Each session has a specific agenda, a topic to focus on chosen by the client.
As you can see, as a client you are given a lot of freedom and choices. Coaching can only be effective when and if you’re fully committed to your own growth and progress.

tazza con scritta come si svolge sessione di life coaching
At the end of each session your coach will encourage you to create an action plan.

Simply put, you’ll be asked to choose at least one action, no matter how small, that can take you one step closer to your goal.

During the time in between sessions you’ll work on your action plan and the next session will start with looking at how things went, what worked or didn’t, which obstacles you met or not.

This is how progress is made, one step after the other!

Now that you know how it works, are you willing to give it a try?

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TESTIMONIALS

This is what some of my clients say about me. Thank you!

Paola Bianchi

I found Chiara by chance, surfing on internet. I still remember that day. I’ve always been intrigued by life coaching, but at the same time I was a bit sceptical about the results.
Anyway, as soon as I met Chiara during our discovery call, I realised she was an extraordinary coach and person too.

My (first) round of sessions with her has just come to an end: during these 5 months we’ve worked together on different matters. She’s guided me to ask myself the right questions to get clear on my goals; she’s helped me challenge some of my personal traits that often contribute to unvoluntarily sabotage my own plans and she’s supported me during the darkest moments of my life changing project.

Chiara is the perfect life coach: kind and sweet, yet motivating and energetic. With every word she said and  every piece of advice she gave me I felt the immense passion she has for her job,  her committment to satisfy her “clients” and a real desire to see them succeed.

I’m sure this will only be a break and that we’ll see each other again very soon.”

 

Paola Bianchi

Francesca Fatichenti

“Chiara supported me with kindness, listening and passion.She’s always been available, even in between sessions. Thank you for everything!”

Francesca Fatichenti

Actress

Linda Puglisi

Going on a coaching path with Chiara was incredibly stimulating and regenerating in a delicate phase of my professional life in which I had to question my work and redefine my future career goals. Chiara’s uniqueness as a coach, in addition to being extremely professional, lies in her extraordinary empathy and her ability to establish a relationship of trust with her clients. Chiara is a coach and an authentic professional and was able to transmit passion, courage and motivation to me thanks to a pragmatic approach, focused on practical steps that are never an end in themselves. Thanks to her, I had the opportunity to focus on my future professional goals and create a plan for their effective realization. Chiara has always been genuinely interested in my growth and has really helped me understand how to be a resource for myself and not an obstacle. His questions opened me to new ideas and perspectives and charged me with a new creative energy.
I would recommend Chiara as a coach to acquaintances and not just for the uniqueness of her approach, empathic and authentic, and her genuine interest in the personal fulfillment of her clients, qualities that are difficult to find in such fast professional contexts in which the human aspect is relational often takes a back seat. Heartfelt thanks Chiara for this journey and for opening my eyes.

Linda Puglisi

Human Resources Manager

Fedy Charlie

Chiara was crazy, an excellent professional and a person of heart. It helped me to make sense and above all to ask myself the right questions. I will definitely need her again in the future. Absolutely recommended!

Fedy Charlie

Ferruccio pastore

“Working with Chiara has been a revealing experience. I had the chance to uncover sides of myself I had never considered before and I also worked on my own potential, which I had been unable to recognize, because I was clouded by negative thoughts.

I never felt judged, and I could talk freely about what was making feel confused. Chiara was also very patient and available even in between sessions if I wanted to reach out to her. Something worth noting is her flexible approach, meaning that she was able to understand what I needed in each moment and therefore to adapt to it.

When I started the sessions, I was deeply confused about various aspects of my life. The first goal was getting some clarity, then we started working towards the goals that emerged during the sessions. I’m glad I manage to unravel those intricated thoughts that had been with me for a while and I also feel full of energy, because I have goals to achieve.

I definitely recommend Chiara, simply because I got so many benefits, some of which become evident even at the end of the program. “

Ferruccio pastore

Teacher and Trainer, London, UK

Alessandra Mudu

“Working with Chiara has been a stimulating and enriching experience. Chiara has been a valuable ally during a transition, fully present even in between sessions.

I really appreciated being able to work on what was coming up in the moment, without forcing things, yet remaining goal oriented.

As a result of working with Chiara I gained a clearer perspective over what I was going through and what I had to let go; I took a break, processed the end of a phase in my life and started over with renewed awareness.

Chiara is open and transparent, she helped me see things from a distance and explore what needed to be healed. Anyone would benefit from working with her and I highly recommend her to all those who tend to challenge themselves. Coaching is for you if you want to take your own personal development to a new level.”

Alessandra Mudu

Digital Marketer, Barcelona, Spain

Khuloud kalthoum

“Chiara is a truly exceptional coach!

Working with her feels like sitting with a good friend and having a heart- felt conversation.
She helped me prepare for my TEDx talk and better understand my “why”.
After each session, I not only got valuable takeaways, but also felt uplifted and motivated to take concrete actions.

Her questions opened my eyes to new possibilities and ideas and her guidance and feedbacks helped me structure my TEDx talk into an informative, inspiring and entertaining narrative.

I’ve already recommended Chiara to my friends, because even in this global economy world, it’s hard to find a good coach, who genuinely cares about you and seeks to provide values before
rewards.”

Khuloud kalthoum

Entrepreneur, TEDx Speaker - Braga, Portugal

Elle McPherson

“Chiara holds a warm, welcoming presence. She has a lovely smile and clean energy.
I appreciated how she was responsive to what came up for me in each session.

She always held up a supportive space for me to process my emotions and find my own answers, without pressuring me with an agenda or goals. This made feel safe and helped me open up.

Definitely recommend Chiara, she’s a lovely coach!”

Elle McPherson

Washington DC, Travel Coach at “Beyond the Itinerary”

Vanja Vojsk

“When I worked with Chiara I felt relaxed, open to talk, it felt as if we had known each other for
a long time!
I liked her energy, so friendly, so calm, so supportive and her voice and smile too!
Thanks to her coaching I solved some personal and professional issues, I gained a lot of insights
and above all, I feel like I gained a friend and coach I can go back to anytime in my life.
Of course I recommend her! Always and to everybody!”

Vanja Vojsk

Master Reiki - Serbia

Marcello Venezia

“Working with Chiara was very pleasant, she’s very kind and helpful.
I liked her professional style, the way she related to me, how she truly helps with your personal growth without being intrusive, the way she’s able to take you to your final goal by asking you the right questions.
Thanks to her coaching, I learnt to organize my workday more efficiently, optimizing the way I use the available time.
I’ve become more aware of my own professional skills and abilities, which led me to be more self-reliant and independent and I learnt to work in a goal-oriented way. Being coached by Chiara was really helpful to me, so I definitely recommend her because I know she can help anyone else reaching their goals.”

Marcello Venezia

Engineer - Carate Brianza (MB), Italy

Carole Henrar

“My experience with Chiara was great!

She’s able to create a very nice atmosphere where you feel so well and at ease!

She’s a very good listener and she asks you these very powerful questions that help you get unstuck and move on in a positive way.

Working with Chiara made me feel much better, I gained more clarity on what I had to do next and how I could do it, which led me to “feel” and then reach my goals.

I definitely recommend her!”

Carole Henrar

Founder & CEO at "Grow to Excellence" , Liège, Belgium

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