Frequently Asked Questions

Learn about Coaching

Below are just a few of the questions our clients and students are curious about. If you aren't finding what you are looking for, please consider reaching out to us either via phone and/or email to get the answers you seek. We enjoy sharing the art and science of coaching and always welcome inquires.

VISIT OUR VIRTUAL ADMISSIONS CENTER : COACH PROFESSION & TRAINING
(for those seeking to become a professional coach)

GENERAL QUESTIONS ABOUT COACHING

• International Coach Federation definition of coaching
• What is Whole Person Design Coaching
• What is Whole System Design Coaching
• How is coaching distinct from therapy and other service professions?
• What is the Baraka Institute coaching style?
• What happens in a coaching session?
• Where are coaching sessions held?
• How much does coaching cost?
• What are the rescheduling requirements?
• How does the coaching process begin?
• What sort of person employs a coach?
• What topics do people work on with their coach?
• What is NLP?
• What are qualities to look for in a coach?
• How is coaching delivered? What does the process look like?

ICF Definition of Coaching
The ICF defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.

Coaching honors the client as the expert in his/her life and work and believes that every client is creative, resourceful, and whole. Standing on this foundation, the coach's responsibility is to:

• Discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve;
• Encourage client self-discovery;
• Elicit client-generated solutions and strategies; and
• Hold the client responsible and accountable.

Professional coaches provide an ongoing partnership designed to help clients produce fulfilling results in their personal and professional lives. Coaches help people improve their performances and enhance the quality of their lives.

Coaches are trained to listen, to observe and to customize their approach to individual client needs. They seek to elicit solutions and strategies from the client; they believe the client is naturally creative and resourceful. The coach's job is to provide support to enhance the skills, resources, and creativity that the client already has

What is Whole Person Design coaching?

Whole Person Design coaching sees the client as an integrated whole, creates awareness of the interrelationship of various aspects of a client’s life, and delves into the deeper levels of human behaviors, capabilities and possibilities, motivations, beliefs, values, self and social identity. Whole person design coaching integrates the power of the mind with the inner knowing of the body. It is based on the philosophy that, when holistically balanced and living the life that suits their individuality, people are best able to achieve their soul's purpose.

The beauty of whole person design coaching is its support of clients’ efforts to attain their desired outcomes while providing the tools and techniques to not only realize their goals more rapidly but also sustain the changes for the rest of their lives.

A whole person design coach works in partnership with clients to explore goals, beliefs, resources, visions, values, attitudes, perceptions, life choices, habits and barriers. Whole person design coaches help their clients discover and access their unique talents, abilities, passions, desires and sense of purpose to manifest holistic wholeness, personal fulfillment and life success.

What is Whole System Design coaching?

Whole System coaching views a team, group or organization from a whole systems viewpoint, recognizing the numerous influencing factors on organizational effectiveness. It looks at the aspects of passion, motivation, empowerment, relationship to self and others, values, vision, and leadership, working on the premise that everyone possesses the capacity for leadership and can contribute to the whole if appropriately inspired and given a suitable environment and the tools to succeed.

This type of training is invaluable for promoting positive, sustainable change - a critical element for succeeding in today’s ever changing marketplace, one peopled by many reluctant or unwilling to change. Whole system coaching is a powerful tool for revealing human potential that may have otherwise been left dormant; a vehicle proven successful in teaching people to accept change more readily and to think and interact to greater effect.

A whole system design coach works with clients on strategic planning, visioning, meeting facilitation, communications paving, sustainable goal setting, board development, creative conflict, leadership development and other organizational challenges that affect the growth and sustainability of an organization from a coaching perspective to initiate change from within the systems through inquiry, accurate feedback and helping the individuals in the system to do the work for themselves.

 

How is coaching distinct from other service professions?
Professional coaching is a distinct service which focuses on an individual's life as it relates to goal setting, outcome creation and personal change management. In an effort to understand what a coach is, it can be helpful to distinguish coaching from other professions that provide personal or organizational support.

Therapy: Coaching can be distinguished from therapy in a number of ways. First, coaching is a profession that supports personal and professional growth and development based on individual-initiated change in pursuit of specific actionable outcomes. These outcomes are linked to personal or professional success. Coaching is forward moving and future focused. Therapy, on the other hand, deals with healing pain, dysfunction and conflict within an individual or a relationship between two or more individuals. The focus is often on resolving difficulties arising from the past which hamper an individual's emotional functioning in the present, improving overall psychological functioning, and dealing with present life and work circumstances in more emotionally healthy ways. Therapy outcomes often include improved emotional/feeling states. While positive feelings/emotions may be a natural outcome of coaching, the primary focus is on creating actionable strategies for achieving specific goals in one's work or personal life. The emphasis in a coaching relationship is on action, accountability and follow through.


Consulting: Consultants may be retained by individuals or organizations for the purpose of accessing specialized expertise. While consulting approaches vary widely, there is often an assumption that the consultant diagnoses problems and prescribes and sometimes implements solutions. In general, the assumption with coaching is that individuals or teams are capable of generating their own solutions, with the coach supplying supportive, discovery-based approaches and frameworks.

What is the Baraka Institute coaching style?
The Baraka Institute embarks on an exploratory journey with clients and works with each:

• Discovering what they really want in life
• Building strategies to achieve what they want
• Accessing inner resources, qualities and capabilities
• Designing a plan to make them successful in reaching their goals
• Providing guidance and inspiration
• Celebrating successes

The Baraka Institute employs coaches with NLP training experienced in tracking the assumptions and thinking processes of clients that are reflected in their use of language. Being able to track the client’s beliefs, behaviors and metaphors of life enable a coach to ask appropriate and pertinent questions of the client. This makes it easy for the client to perform a deep self-exploration that often leads to subtle shifts in the client’s awareness and can make all the difference in making significant progress toward desired outcomes.

The Baraka Institute believes in the power of communicative partnerships and uses a variety of tools and resources to foster encouragement, understanding and accountability. This enables clients to find happiness, fulfillment, and balance in their lives.

It is not uncommon for a client to be able to utilize what they’ve learned of the coaching process and be their own coach after a number of coaching sessions. Self-management, self-empowerment. Clients learn while they achieve and as an end result have their own, sometimes unique, tools to continue toward and beyond their dreams.

What happens in a coaching session?
The first meeting is an “discovery session” and lasts approximately 2 hours. After this initial session, client and coach agree on a regular coaching schedule for 3 sessions per month. Session length depends on the program chosen. Coaching commitments generally range from 3-12 months.

Prior to each session, clients are asked to prepare and submit a feedback form to the coach. This form lists what clients did during the past week, what they want to work on during the current session and how they are feeling at that time. Clients come to their sessions with an agenda of not only what they want to discuss but also what they would like from the coach during the session. The shape of each coaching session is determined by that day’s agenda. Toward the end of the session, coach and client insert accountability by deciding, together, what actions the client will take during the week based on that day’s topic(s).

In between the coaching sessions, clients work on completing their stated goals. Clients with questions, triumphs or disappointments during the week may contact the coach by email (anytime) or by telephone (by appointment). Clients may undertake as much homework/homeplay as they choose. Most of the learning/growth/action/results happen between the coaching sessions. Clients may spend as little or as much time as they like on the coaching process. However, the more time spent, the quicker the results.

Where are coaching sessions held?
Coaching sessions may be held in-person or over the phone (tele-coaching). Schedule, cost and convenience may dictate a client’s choice. Clients often prefer to have a combination of phone and in-person consultations.

Clients may choose to meet at their home, office or other designated area or at the Baraka Institute office. It is important that clients secure a private room not subject to disruption for sessions held outside of the coaching office.

How much does coaching cost?
Many individuals feel they can't afford a personal/professional coach. But, coaching is not as expensive as you might think it is. In fact, after considering the real life value they have gained from coaching, our clients often wonder what took them so long to participate in a coaching relationship. Before going directly to the pricing details, you might ask yourself what you’d be missing if you don't get a coach. What isn't working in your life right now? How might your life be different if the challenges were resolved and replaced with productive, meaningful things? Coaching is a perfect vehicle for moving toward your dreams and leaving the trash behind.

Coaching offers you a chance to “do” for yourself so you can, in turn, take care of all the things that are important in your life. It provides an opportunity to grow, to change, to thrive. It is all about learning how to empower yourself in incredible ways. You deserve that much, don't you?

Here are a few things we've heard...

"I have moved so much faster toward my goals and am now living in
a way that I thought not possible..."

"I've never been more inspired"

"I feel like someone is there for me, and that is a change I like!"

"I was able to shift out of my usual non-productive mental state and to dream/realize possibilities."

"I am opening my business 6 months ahead of my expected timeline."

"I feel good about myself and my future and am no longer operating out of fear."

Coaching costs between $350-$600/month depending on the program you choose. But don’t let the numbers scare you. The typical coach/client relationship lasts for 3 to 6 months. When you come out of the relationship with a joyful hold on life, you will feel this investment in yourself was a very smart move.

Sound interesting but not sure it’s for you? Find out by scheduling a FREE consultation - you might just learn that you can't afford NOT to get coached! Just call 503-241-2200 or 888-660-5588 to arrange for your obligation free appointment.

Find out what coaching is all about first hand by attending one of our FREE Coaching Seminars.

The coach explains the coaching agreement to ensure complete clarification prior to starting the coaching process. Clients agreeing to commit to the coaching process work collaboratively with the coach to define their working relationship and schedule the first month of meetings.

What sort of person employs a coach?
People who want to challenge and improve the quality of their life now are the best suited to employ a coach.

What topics do people work on with their coach?
People work on many different issues that affect their lives, including: self-esteem, motivation, relationships, work-life balance, improving business performance, career progression or change, starting a business, communication, time management, mind/body fitness, weight management and more.

(From the ICF) There is something at stake (a challenge, stretch goal or opportunity), and it is urgent, compelling or exciting or all of the above;

• There is a gap in knowledge, skills, confidence, or resources;
• There is a desire to accelerate results;
• There is a lack of clarity, and there are choices to be made;
• The individual is extremely successful, and success has started to become problematic;
• Work and life are out of balance, and this is creating unwanted consequences; or
• One has not identified his or her core strengths and how best to leverage them.
  
  What is NLP?
  NLP is the practical science of how we experience life. Psychology researchers Richard Bandler and Dr. John Grinder developed NLP in the 1970s as they studied some of the world’s top psychologists, looking for the keys to personal growth and success. In their research they discovered that we store our experiences in our nervous system as well as in our mental framework. This framework becomes a reference or lens through which we view life. Our current perception of life is seen through that lens, coloring our experiences of life with the patterns we have picked up along the way.

Bandler and Grinder found that there are certain keys to storing and accessing information in our mind, and learned the methods to change one’s internal framework. The techniques of NLP can be used to retrain or reprogram the mind to experience things in a new way and adopt new perspectives which in turn changes our experience. By learning to master one’s internal framework, a person becomes the master of himself expanding his awareness, choices, capabilities. NLP is a powerful approach to communication, change, and learning to navigate one’s “mental frames” to maximize any frame of mind, including motivation, productivity, learning, communication and creativity.

What are qualities to look for in a coach?
Before talking to any coaches, clients should have a good idea about what issues they wish to pursue and then identify coaches who have experience in those areas. The Baraka Institute suggests clients explore the background, coaching qualifications, membership in coaching organizations, testimonials, etc. of various coaches until one is selected.

It is very important that the coach and client are a good match with an easy rapport. Clients work closely with their coaches and will need to be very open and honest. Clients should be able to trust, be comfortable around and imagine working with their chosen coach.

 

How is coaching delivered? What does the process look like?
The Coaching Process-Coaching typically begins with a personal interview (either face-to-face or by teleconference call) to assess the individual's current opportunities and challenges, define the scope of the relationship, identify priorities for action, and establish specific desired outcomes. Subsequent coaching sessions may be conducted in person or over the telephone, with each session lasting a previously established length of time. Between scheduled coaching sessions, the individual may be asked to complete specific actions that support the achievement of one's personally prioritized goals. The coach may provide additional resources in the form of relevant articles, checklists, assessments, or models, to support the individual's thinking and actions. The duration of the coaching relationship varies depending on the individual's personal needs and preferences.

Assessments: A variety of assessments are available to support the coaching process, depending upon the needs and circumstances of the individual. Assessments provide objective information which can enhance the individual's self-awareness as well as awareness of others and their circumstances, provide a benchmark for creating coaching goals and actionable strategies, and offer a method for evaluating progress.

Concepts, models and principles: A variety of concepts, models and principles drawn from the behavioral sciences, management literature, spiritual traditions and/or the arts and humanities, may be incorporated into the coaching conversation in order to increase the individual's self-awareness and awareness of others, foster shifts in perspective, promote fresh insights, provide new frameworks for looking at opportunities and challenges, and energize and inspire the individual's forward actions.

Appreciative approach: Coaching incorporates an appreciative approach. The appreciative approach is grounded in what's right, what's working, what's wanted, and what's needed to get there. Using an appreciative approach, the coach models constructive communication skills and methods the individual or team can utilize to enhance personal communication effectiveness. The appreciative approach incorporates discovery-based inquiry, proactive (as opposed to reactive) ways of managing personal opportunities and challenges, constructive framing of observations and feedback in order to elicit the most positive responses from others, and envisioning success as contrasted with focusing on problems. The appreciative approach is simple to understand and employ, but its effects in harnessing possibility thinking and goal-oriented action can be profound.