Category: Blog

On the issue of taking notes during a coaching session...

This is a question that often surfaces in coaching training. Is it ok for the coach to write while conducting a coaching session? What are the pros and cons of taking notes in coaching?

When it comes to coaching, I usually try to stay away from “black and white” answers.
Coaching is a human-to-human interaction, and as so, full of gray areas.

Writing while coaching is possibly one of them.

Oh, the Back to School ads are dreadful,
But the summer is so delightful,
Since we’re coaches in-the-know,
Feed your soul, feed your soul, feed your soul.

Corny yes, but also true. As coaches and coaches-in-training, we are learning how we need to coach, what we need to do as a coach, and who do we have to be as a coach.

As summer comes to an end and we reflect back on a fruitful season, ask yourself three questions:

How did you use your white space this summer?
Did you get in your state of flow?
How did you feed your soul?

We get focused on our daily schedule, family life, and career goals and sometimes forget about taking care of ourselves.

That’s the big question. Whether you’re starting your coach training, are in the midst of it or you’ve completed your training, What’s next? is a big question that’s probably on your mind. What’s right in front of you? Using your new coaching skills in your current role? Adding a side gig? Or starting your new path as a credentialed coach and offering your services? Two out of three of these options are bigger than the other. Let’s talk about that.

Where to start? Personally, I’m very task-oriented, however, in the mindset of coaching the term task can be translated to everything from assignment, burden, responsibility, calling, or headache to mission. Let’s stick with tasks for the sake of ease and positivity. In the first of this series of blog posts, let’s talk first tasks. Below is a list of some (but not all) tasks to be considered when starting to promote yourself as a coach. The list is by no means complete and will also be altered to suit your needs. Some tasks will be easier than others depending on your experience and who’s in your network that you can call on (a key point to remember!).

You are taking a coach training program and part of this is tons of practice, this is all great but what happens when you can no longer think of a topic to use with your coaching partner. This should be easy, shouldn’t it? Enter coaching topic fatigue. What DO I want to talk about? How do I share something without revealing too much? How do I come up with yet another topic?

We asked our panel of coach facilitator experts to weigh in and here’s what they had to say:
“Sometimes I think of whatever has come across my desk that day that I might need help with. Or even what do I make for dinner? These are all great ways to come up with new coaching topics.” — Merv Rogers, MCC, Chief Coaching Officer, COTBx

“I keep an ongoing list of topics and I've even come to sessions without having a clear topic I want to take action around, but rather ideas/feelings/concepts that I simply want to explore further.  In fact, this is where I've been a lot lately with my own coach, and I find that those sessions are often the most meaningful as they really help connect me to myself and my thinking/feeling/being.” — Joanne Peck, PCC, Coach Facilitator/Mentor Coach, COTBx