Coaching in action A new chapter

In their final session together, the award-winning coach Kim Morgan helps her client Heather* rewrite her story, with a novel new approach...

- Kim Morgan

Session three...

It is common for clients to experience more change between coaching sessions than in the sessions themselves. The gap between sessions allows any newfound awareness to ‘percolate’, and can lead clients to have positive shifts in thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.

The gap between sessions can serve the same purpose for coaches. I woke early one morning with Heather on my mind. I was troubled. She hadn’t fully engaged with the exercises that I had given her.

I suddenly remembered that Heather talked a lot about books. She always made notes. She preferred to write the answers to my questions than say them. I remembered her saying to me, ‘You can’t tell a book by its cover’. I now wondered if she was trying to tell me something then, which I had missed?

I had ignored Heather’s cues and continued to give her exercises involving pictures and visualisation, which hadn’t worked! I kicked myself and resolved to focus more on Heather’s language and the way she liked to work.

Heather arrived for her next coaching session clutching her notebook, as usual. I decided to ask her if she had made any notes since our last session. Bingo! Her eyes lit up. Heather opened the book and asked if she could read to me. I said I would be delighted to listen to her.