Questions such as building trust, fostering a psychological safe space in which clients are able to discuss difficult topics, often related to highly personal content and creating a productive coach-client relationship, are of central significance for successful collaboration with clients. The importance of these questions is even more relevant in the context of virtual coaching. 

Coaches can work with a range of individuals managing complexity. Their role is to offer clients safe, professional, and independent support.  This provides them an opportunity to explore thoughts, feelings, attitudes and beliefs regarding their professional and personal roles, relationships, and wellbeing. This is common for both Executives and those impacted by cancer.

This blog is based on a series of conversations had by a group of Institute Fellows following a wonderful discussion led by Alison Whitmire, President of Learning in Action (and a Fellow herself) and Jeff Hull, Director of Education, Institute of Coaching, on Coaching for Blind Spots - In Ourselves and Our Clients.  Encouraged by Allison and Jeff, we began to explore a new concept, Presencing, that we share here.  Whitmire’s focus on self-awareness  and working on the ”edge” of our blind spots to become facile and effective at helping our clients uncover and work through their own, adds a new dimension for us as coaches.  

Presenting my tricky case involved sharing a summary of the client engagement (maintaining client confidentiality) that was particularly challenging for me – I felt stuck in doubt about the effectiveness of my coaching. I persistently wondered if another coach  could have served the client better. The process of sharing was validating. My fellow coaches shared their views that indeed, this was a tricky case.