The day began with a centering exercise paired with a moving poem about the sun—a reminder to embrace your presence.  Why is this important?  To me, it served as a reminder that key moments (and opportunities) in life, may also be fleeting moments. 

ARC

The session's ARC (Awareness, Reflection, Choice) guided participants through examining thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Throughout the day, many coaching conversations (conversations observed and conversations where I participated) explored internal and external factors that shape our goals, inviting my classmates and I to delve deeper into the dynamics of personal growth and achievement.  

Through powerful questions and keen observations, our facilitators helped us to see how we can uncover valuable insights. Each session opened with an intentional focus on a desired topic and outcome, concluding with reflective learnings, actionable follow-ups, and an assessment of progress made. One session that stood out underscored the importance of patiently exploring client interests, identifying key terms, and fostering awareness before transitioning toward the guided self-exploration. It highlighted the art of transitions, the value of patience, and the need to empower clients in capturing their own suggestions.

Highlighting not only the importance of awareness (truly noticing), but how to be more aware.  We worked through how to put intentionality in our reflections, and uncovered ways to empower ourselves (and evoke the same in others) to choose - choose how we spend our time, choose how we show up for ourselves and others, choose our paths.  

The Art of Setting Agreements in Coaching

Creating agreements forms the backbone of effective coaching sessions, establishing clear goals and desired outcomes for the engagement. This collaborative process between coach and client defines what the client hopes to achieve, how success will be measured, and, equally important, the significance of these aspirations. Coaches dive deep into what clients must address to reach their objectives, so that we can guide conversations that are aligned with the client’s desired direction.

Coaches must tread carefully to avoid imposing their own judgments or biases, focusing instead on facilitating the client’s learning journey. Challenges in agreement setting often involve navigating coach biases, excessive time spent determining focus, and managing the client’s overwhelming information dumps. Practicing these skills in triads—rotating roles as coach, client, and observer— helped to equip us with practical tools and insights to hone our craft.

Navigating Human Experience in Coaching Sessions

Coaching sessions unlock greater self-awareness by examining the client's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This is achieved through active listening, powerful questioning, and thoughtful observations. Sessions start by identifying a focal topic, its relevance to the client, and the steps necessary to accomplish the goal. Before a session wraps up, coaches partner with clients to reflect on learnings, define follow-up actions, and evaluate progress.

Human experience is explored across emotional, spiritual, and physical domains. Listening techniques are key to ensuring clients focus authentically, rather than trying to impress the coach. Emotions, moods, and feelings are framed within coaching contexts: emotions are intense and fleeting reactions to events; moods are subtler, lasting longer; feelings are unique interpretations shaped by personal history. Handling emotions—whether gladness, anger, sadness, or fear—calls for acknowledgment, expression, and purposeful action, including grieving losses, gathering information, and addressing fear courageously.  Coaches need to be attentive and recognize when these various human elements show up for a client during a session. 

Communication Mastery: Language in Coaching

Language drives the coaching dynamic through speech acts such as assessments, assertions, requests, promises, offers, commitments, and declarations. Assessments reflect subjective opinions, while assertions are rooted in facts. Grounded assessments—supported by compelling assertions—carry conviction, while master assessments are deeply ingrained self-perceptions influencing all areas of life. Navigating conflicts between assessments requires self-awareness to overcome self-doubt.

Effective requests must include four elements: the task, deadline, responsible party, and conditions of satisfaction. Responses can range from acceptance and counteroffers to promises or declines. In handling complaints, uncovering unmade requests and recognizing one’s role in the situation is vital. Questions, observations, and speech acts enable coaches to reframe perspectives, empowering clients to make decisions that align with both organizational priorities and individual concerns.

🧭Stay true.