Phase 6: Deepen and Enrich your Coaching Process

The first step has been taken! After a successful first appointment, the coachee will start the coaching process – hopefully – full of courage and confidence. 

Of course, we would like to hold on to these moods. Depending on your coaching niche and the type of trajectory, there can be quite some time between appointments. How can you ensure that the coachee remains involved and works on what you have discussed? 

In this article we dive into various extras that you can easily implement to deepen and enrich your coaching process.

6.1 Reflection: anchoring insights

You've probably experienced it yourself: you've made an appointment with someone and the next day you've completely forgotten what you talked about. Reflection can be a powerful tool to bring the discussed topics and insights back to the surface, to actively think about them and to apply them in practice.

For coachees, reflection is a means to deepen new insights and give meaning to actions. It not only helps them to understand what has been discussed, but also to apply it in their daily lives. As a coach, this offers you valuable information and a glimpse into the worldview of your coachee. This enriches the coaching process.

With Trackler you can easily send out reflections automatically after a session. This ensures that reflection becomes a fixed part of the trajectory, without you having to think about it yourself. Coachees receive a targeted reflection question or a short questionnaire, which they can fill in via their personal Track. This creates a routine of reflection that further deepens and structures the trajectory.

In Trackler you will find several templates for reflection forms (or you can create one yourself). In these you will find questions such as "What insights did you get from the last session?", "How are you going to apply this in practice?" and "What are beliefs that you encountered?".

By standardizing reflection, you increase coachee involvement and build a solid foundation for lasting change.

6.2 Microlearning: small steps for big results

You can achieve a lot in the coaching sessions, but it may happen that you want to give the coachee extra knowledge or techniques that you do not want to make room for in the session. You can then offer this in the form of microlearning: small, manageable pieces of knowledge and/or assignments that tie in with the themes in the trajectory. Think of models such as the GROW model, core qualities or neurological levels.

The knowledge can be offered in different ways:

• Information and knowledge: articles, videos or models in the form of documents, forms or an online course or learning environment
• Practical exercises: short assignments that help the coachee to develop a specific skill or gain insights
• Self-reflection exercises: questions or assignments that help the coachee gain more insight into their behavior or habits

With Trackler you can easily offer all these methods to your coachee. You can share documents, create questionnaires, create an online learning environment or of course you can use the many templates that are available. Everything can be personalized and automated, so that it represents your unique journey.

6.3 Check-ins: Interim involvement

Coaching is a process that not only happens in the sessions, but also outside of them. When experiencing, implementing and experimenting, a lot can come up for the coachee. As a coach, you may want to be there on time. By checking in with the coachee in the meantime, you can monitor progress and offer support where necessary. 

How can you design check-ins?

• Forms: Create a questionnaire to measure progress. The coachee can fill this out weekly, for example. Ask questions like: “What challenges did you encounter and how did you tackle them?” 
• Habit Tracker: the coachee checks off which daily tasks or habits he or she has implemented
• Personal messages: You can send a message to ask how things are going or to provide additional support
• Live contact moments: schedule a short telephone appointment or video meeting to provide additional guidance if the coachee gets stuck.

The advantage of forms is that you have a clear overview of the progress and how someone feels (depending on the questions in the form). A personal message on the other hand is as the word says: more personal. 

A combination is also possible. Does someone score low on the check-in form? Then they automatically receive a personal message. The coach is notified and can communicate with the coachee, live or not. 

With Trackler, you can set up automated check-ins that remind your coachee to share their progress. This way, the coachee is reminded and you get insight into the coachee’s consistency, engagement and progress.

Check-ins can also create added value in your trajectories. Not many coaches actively use this, neither in the operation nor in the offer. Enrich your coaching trajectory with this!

6.4 Monitor and evaluate progress

An essential part of this phase is monitoring the progress of the coachee. Enrich your coaching trajectory through the reflection moments, microlearnings and check-ins you get a good overview of this progress. It helps to determine whether you are on track and whether adjustments are needed in the trajectory.

Trackler offers the possibility to generate and share progress reports with the coachee. These reports make it easy to provide insight into the results achieved and provide a basis for further discussions.

6.5 Reminders and planning

A busy schedule can cause coachees to forget what needs to be done between sessions or they can leave important assignments undone. It is therefore important to regularly remind them of their tasks and appointments.

With Trackler you can set automatic reminders for assignments, reflection forms, check-ins and sessions. This keeps the coachee involved and he or she does not forget important steps. In addition, you can give coachees the opportunity to easily schedule new appointments themselves via the platform.

Conclusion

Deepening and enriching the coaching process is what can set you apart from other coaches and make the difference in the degree of progress of your coachee. By means of the above tips, you ensure that the coachee remains active and anchors new insights.

Trackler also offers the possibility to shape this phase efficiently and effectively. By using automated reflection forms, learning assignments and progress reports, you create a streamlined process in which both you and the coachee can focus on personal growth and results.

Want to read more about the other steps in the coaching process? Click here here.