193: How to Avoid and Fix Aimless Coaching Sessions - with Laurie Cameron

Rhonda Hess: Hey coaches, I've got something special for you today. Find the full transcript plus helpful links and specific words to say in coaching sessions at prosperouscoach.com/193. Also, there’s a link to a free downloadable infographic that you’ll want to click to on that page.I don't know if you got to listen to the previous session that I did with my good friend and amazing coach, Laurie Cameron, where we talked about Powerful Questions (Episode 139 – The Art of Crafting Powerful Coaching Questions.) If you have not heard that one, go get it because it's really, really good. And this one's also going to be really, really good. We are going to talk about something different having to do with coaching skills today. So let me first introduce you to Laurie. The world that Laurie Cameron wants to leave our children is one where we feel safe, valued, and connected because that's when we can accomplish meaningful work together. Her part in creating that world is to help people communicate with kindness, respect, and compassion. Laurie's been coaching and training since 1998 and her company WAKE UP! Enterprises helps leaders integrate the coaching mindset and heart into their everyday communications in order to build a sustainable coaching culture from the inside out. She's also a senior faculty member of one of the oldest coach training organizations in the world — that's Coach Training Alliance, and she has trained over 1200 coaches through CTA. Laurie also works with coaches applying for their ACC credential with the ICF to get their 10 hours of mentor coaching. Visit her at wakeupenterprises.com or ACCmentorcoach.com. Laurie, thank you so much for doing this again, and it's always so fun to collaborate with you on anything.Laurie Cameron: Oh, I feel exactly the same. I'm really thrilled. Thank you so much for inviting me.Rhonda Hess: My absolute pleasure.And so, we are going to talk today about aimless coaching sessions. Everybody's had one, probably everybody's experienced one. We are going to take a look at it from all angles and uncover the best way to recover from <laugh> an aimless coaching session as a coach. So first let's just start with this. I thought about this: bWhat do you think, Laurie, is a single word that describes the best coaching sessions with clients?Laurie Cameron: I think FOCUSED is a good word — because you know … there's purpose, there's meaning, there's safety — all of that. And yet, if I were to pick one, it would be focused — not just focused on what the client wants to take away, but really focused on the client. Fully focused on the client for the entire session because coaching is client-driven.Rhonda Hess: It also means that it has an aim. So I really like that one. I think that's really good. What does an aimless coaching session look and feel like to the coach?Laurie Cameron: In the classes that I teach at Coach Training Alliance, we come up with this a lot — an aimless session. I have an analogy for that, Rhonda, and it's kind of like watching a dog, chase a family of squirrels.Read the tips and short scripts Laurie has about avoiding and fixing aimless coaching sessions.