What are effective strategies for understanding your coachee's perspective?

1 Listen actively

Listening is more than just hearing what your coachee says. It involves paying attention to their verbal and non-verbal cues, such as tone, body language, and emotions. It also means asking open-ended questions, summarizing key points, and reflecting back what you hear. By listening actively, you can show your coachee that you are interested, curious, and respectful of their perspective, and that you want to understand them better.

2 Use the E.A.R. model

The E.A.R. model is a simple framework that can help you empathize with your coachee's perspective. It stands for Explore, Acknowledge, and Respond. Explore means asking questions that invite your coachee to share more about their situation, feelings, thoughts, and beliefs. Acknowledge means validating and affirming your coachee's experience, without judging or agreeing with it. Respond means offering feedback, insights, or suggestions that are relevant, supportive, and constructive for your coachee.

3 Adopt a beginner's mind

A beginner's mind is a mindset that allows you to approach your coachee's perspective with openness, curiosity, and humility. It means letting go of your assumptions, expectations, and biases, and being willing to learn from your coachee. It also means acknowledging that you don't have all the answers, and that your coachee is the expert of their own life. By adopting a beginner's mind, you can avoid imposing your own agenda or solutions on your coachee, and instead help them discover their own potential and resources.

4 Use metaphors and analogies

Metaphors and analogies are powerful tools that can help you understand your coachee's perspective more deeply and creatively. They can help you uncover the hidden meanings, emotions, and patterns behind your coachee's words and actions. They can also help you communicate your own perspective more clearly and vividly, and create a common language with your coachee. For example, you can ask your coachee to describe their current situation or goal as a metaphor, such as a journey, a puzzle, or a game. Then you can explore what that metaphor implies for them, and how they can use it to achieve their desired outcome.

5 Seek feedback

Feedback is essential for improving your coaching skills and understanding your coachee's perspective. You can seek feedback from your coachee by asking them how they feel about the coaching process, what they find helpful or challenging, and what they would like to change or improve. You can also seek feedback from other sources, such as your peers, mentors, or supervisors, who can offer you different perspectives, insights, and tips. By seeking feedback, you can demonstrate your commitment to learning and growth, and adjust your coaching approach accordingly.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?