Solution Focused

As a coach, I take a solution-focused approach to the work I do. Solution-focused coaching is incredibly effective and it draws on some specific tools, which you can adopt yourself, to enhance your own goal-striving.

+ Solutions not problems

Clients often come to coaching full of problem talk, but as a solution-focused coach, I don’t get caught up in it. I am much more interested in solution construction rather than problem analysis.

To do this yourself, you might like to try and catch yourself asking Why Questions: Why can’t I escape this job that I hate so much? Why can’t I save money? Why can’t I make new friends?

And when you do? Shift into solution mode by replacing the Whys with Hows: How can I move into a job I really enjoy? How can I build my wealth? How can I meet like-minded people?

+ Exceptions

In the work I do as a coach, I am always on the listen out for exceptions to the limiting story being told.

Say someone tells me that they lack confidence and then gives heaps of examples of times they’ve struggled. But then they describe volunteering at a women’s shelter, where they’re absolutely in their element and don’t question themselves at all. My ears prick up! I’m curious about the factors that allow for this exception and I ask: how can we replicate the circumstances to boost your confidence in other areas?

In your own life, when you’re keen to shift your behaviour, try noticing exceptions and examining them, in detail.

+ Scaling

As a coach, it is important to gauge my clients’ sense of capacity. I need to get a sense of how convinced they are in their own ability to implement the goal-focused strategies we’ve designed together.

A quick way to do that is through scaling. On a scale of 1-10, how confident do you feel to take this first step?

This approach is easy to implement at home. When you’re trying something challenging ask yourself the question: on a scale of 1-10 how confident do I feel? And then follow it up with this: so I’m at a 6, what can I do right now, to get myself to a 7?

+Highlight resources

Another thing I listen out for in a coaching session is resources. When you’re keen to make positive change, you need to work out what you want to do. It is also important to identify the resources you can draw on, to help you get there.

Resources can be internal [things like strengths, knowledge, confidence] or external [things like time, money, materials, people to help].

It can be life-altering to get into the habit of listening out for your own resources and then finding creative ways to leverage them.

+ Reframing

In coaching, one of the quickest and most effective ways for a client to make a positive shift is to reframe their experience.

Say someone says to me that they’ve been trying for a year to achieve something and still haven’t reached their goal. The client might see this as an abject failure and a waste of time and energy. I might see it as a demonstration of persistence and a gathering of essential skills and insight. One view suggests a problem, the other approach highlights resources and identifies possibility.

You can get into the habit of reframing by simply asking yourself: how else could I view this experience?

+ Client is Expert

As a solution-focused coach, I come from a position of assuming that my client is the expert in their life. My job is to help them decide, based on what they know of themselves, what they want to do and how they’re going to get there.

If you tend to over-consult on big decisions, to the point of being overwhelmed by noise and conflicting opinions, remind yourself that you are the expert in your life. Consider keeping the asking to a minimum, perhaps limiting your questions to just one or two trusted people.

Tags: life-coaching, Melbourne