March Practice Group - The Wheel of Life with VAKOG

The Wheel of Life exercise is a commonly used coaching tool for assessing a clients present position or balance of life.  The wheel is used to look at each individual area of life and forms the basis for an explorative information gathering exercise whereby the client scores his level of satisfaction on a scale for each life area.

Using the wheel on a regular basis helps us to identify which life areas are working well; giving them energy, and which areas are not working well, which may be draining energy and creating stress.  The idea being that we can get a clearer picture of the client’s life and the areas which he may wish to focus on as a priority. It is also an opportunity for he client to fully appreciate and draw strength from the areas which are working well.

We will be using this technique today in pairs to help one another establish three life goals that will significantly improve our life. We will then use the VAGOK to elicit our partners preferred system, ie, Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic, Olfactory and Gustatory, and get our partner to create a visualization of what it will be like to have achieved their goal and to evoke full enthusiasm and motivation to ensure our partner takes immediate action.

1.    Draw a circle on a plain piece of paper

2.    Be mindful from the moment you start conversing with your client to listen out for clues as to which submodality they use the most.

3.    Ask your client to list every important aspect of their life, such as family, relationship, career, hobbies, etc. As your client lists them, divide your circle into triangles to represent each life area.

4.    By use very subtle mirroring of your clients body language, vocal tones, language etc, start to get into rapport with your client.  When you are both relaxed, ask your client to give you a brief summary of each individual life area, working around the wheel.  Ask your client to give each area a percentage score for their current level of satisfaction with each area. 

5.    Once you have worked around the wheel ask the client which life area, if improved, would have the greatest positive impact on their life as a whole.

6.    Ask the client to come up with life changing goals that would take the clients satisfaction score right up to 100% if achieved.

7.    Ask your clients to imagine what it would be like to achieve each goal. Ask them to explain in full detail how they would know when the goal has been achieved. 

"Imagine a miracle is about to happen and tomorrow morning your goal will has been fully achieved.  What will be different about your day?  How will you look? What will you see? What will you be doing? How will you feel?"  Explore this in full detail and set an anchor for your client if you know how.

8.    Paraphrase back to your client using his/her preferred system for emphasis, how amazing it will be to achieve his set goals.

9.    Ask the client what the first step towards his goal is (his first action step) and when he intends to take it. Record his answer.  If you have fully calibrated with the client, then he should be almost leaping out of his chair to take the first step.  If not, explore how he is feeling and move back to the wheel for a further review of the chosen goal. 

Introducing The Coaches Lounge - A Meeting Place for Coaching Professionals

Dear NLP friends,


I would like to introduce you to an exciting new coaching forum that I have recently set up.

The Coaches Lounge – A Meeting Place for Coaching Professionals. 

The site is for Coaches however I have included an area specifically for NLP practitioners.
As you will know, running a coaching business (or NLP practice) is predominantly an individual activity and I personally feel that we can miss out on the social aspect of working as part of a large department or organisation. I'm sure you will agree, Coaches/Practitioners tend to be gregarious, sociable people who enjoy the company of other positive, forward thinking individuals. Which is exactly why I have set up the Coaches Lounge.

The lounge intends to be a vibrant, sociable and informative community where we can meet fellow coaches and chat about all things relevant to having a career as a coach today.


Here you can:-

· join/start a niche group
· start a discussion
· ask questions
· offer your services
· share ideas
· recommend/sell/share coaching books, training and resources
· arrange to meet coaches in your area
· organise events/walks/social get togethers
· find/be a co-coaching friend
· find/be a mentor
· find/be a supervisor
.  join the ‘Tuesday Club’ to chat live every Tuesday
· chat about any topics in the social lounge
. Tweet till your hearts content using out Twitter feature



Please following link to the website and join the group!

www.thecoacheslounge.ning.com

Once registration you will receive an email welcoming you to the site. Once you have registered to the site, I would encourage you to set up a personal page from the vibrant designs, upload your a photo of yourself and introduce yourself to the many coaches waiting to meet you. Please don’t be put off by the low level of activity at this early launch stage – many other will be coming to join you very soon!


My vision for The Coaches Lounge is to create a community for coaches where we can appreciate the diversity of the industry and appreciate our common goal:-


For coaching to thrive; be a well respected, well utilised and highly visible resource for people wanting greater success and happiness in every area of their life.



Please help me spread the word about ‘The Coaches Lounge’ by forwarding this email to any groups or individuals who would enjoy being involved.

http://www.thecoacheslounge.ning.com/

I look forward to welcoming you to the site.

Very best wishes,

Sandie

High Peak Life Coach

http://www.highpeaklifecoach.wordpress.com/

Using 'Scaling' with Clients

Below you will find an example of  'Scaling questions' and how you can use scaling to help clients get perspective on a current situation during a coaching/nlp session.

 

There are various ways, which you can use and adapt this question and here are a few quick examples.  (For 'visual' clients it may be useful to draw a scale on a piece of paper whilst asking these questions.) 

  

• On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest (where you want to be), where would you place yourself on the scale right now to reflect your position with current situation?

• What could you do today to move up the scale to the next number?

• Have you ever been higher on the scale? What were you doing different when you were higher up the scale?

• How did you know you were higher up the scale?

•  Have you ever been lower on the scale? What did you do to move yourself higher up the scale, to where you are now?

 

These simple and effective examples of 'Scaling questions' which work well for clients whislt they are grasping to understand their current situation and the options available them. You often find scaling questions useful during the 'discovery' stage of a coaching relationship along side the  'The Wheel of Life' exercise.

Februarys' Practice  Group Exercise - The P.O.S.E.R.S. model.

The P.O.S.E.R.S. model can me used alone or with commonly used goal setting models such as SMART to further explore and understand your clients ‘desired outcome’. The more precisely you can define what you want and why you want it, the more you programme your brain to seek out and notice possibilities and consequently, the more likely you are to get what you want.


Using the P.O.S.E.R.S. model we can help our client create highly detailed images, sounds, feelings and words related to the outcome. These internal representations will enhance our abilities, resources and skills for achieving the outcome. We also become aware of our surroundings, and can identify and gather further resources in order to achieve our aim.



1. P – Positive

Think of something you want; a personal goal or something you would rather have than what you currently have. Make sure that you desired outcome is stated in the positive and in the present tense.



2. O – Own Part

Think of what you will actively do that is within your control. How will you personally take ownership of the activity and move forward with it?

• How will you start it?


• How will you maintain it (the activity)?


• If anything, how might you stop the good work?


• What could you do instead to continue making good progress?



3. S – Specific

Now imagine the activity as specifically as you can.

• Where, when, and how?


• What will you specifically be doing? What will you see, feel, hear, think during the activity? How will it look to others?



4. E – Evidence

Now consider the outcome of the activity. Think of the sensory-based evidence that will let you know that you have got what you wanted.

• How will you know that the activity/activities have been successful?


• What will you see, feel, hear, be thinking when you have achieved your outcome?


• How specifically will you know for sure that you have achieved your desired outcome?



5. R – Resources

Do you have adequate resource and choices to get your outcome?

• What resources do you have available that will help you to reach your goal?


• Who do you know that may be able to help, support and encourage you?


• What books, information, state of mind may help you?


• Who do you know that has achieved the same outcome?



6. S – Size

Is the outcome the right size?

• Does the outcome seem realistic and achievable


• Does it represent enough of a challenge to keep you interested without it being so big that it feels overwhelming?


• Is the outcome look, sound, feel exciting enough to keep you motivated?





Finish by doing an ecology check of the P.O.S.E.R.S. outcome.

• What would be the consequence in your life and relationships if you got your outcome?


• Who else would the outcome effect?



And the last step – Take the first step! Take action