Laura L from Miami, Florida asks:
I’m about to start working with a client who is a musician. He is asking for support while he starts his crowdfunding campaign for his new album. He has done this before and though it was successful, the process was incredibly stressful for him. He would love for it to be a different experience this time around.
This is a huge challenge for me, as my ‘comfort zone’ is working with artists and writers. These are the worlds I understand. So, my question is, do you have any tips, articles, or helpful advice to support someone who is going through a self-funding campaign? Anything that would point me (and him) in the right direction would be gratefully received.
Hello, Laura:
Thanks for your question!
This is a good example of a situation where the coach may have no personal knowledge of how to accomplish the task the client has set himself. This happens all the time. And that is no problem! We are not expert resources on every subject. How could we be? We are helping professionals, not subject matter experts.
There is no reason why coaches should know all of these many things (which also change all the time), nor can they know all these things. I would say to a client who is doing something about which I know little or nothing, “Okay, talk me through what you are going to need to do.”
The client might then realize that he needs to research the challenge at hand and report back. Maybe he’ll report that he has learned that there are seven important things he needs to do in order to meet the challenge. Then I might ask, “Okay, which task comes first?” or “Which of these tasks looks like it’s going to be the hardest for you?”
In this “simple” way, a coach can keep a client focused and motivated without personally knowing anything about the task at hand or having had any experience with the task. We can’t become experts on everything, nor should we try. But we can help our clients become their own experts about the things they need to know.
Presuming that you know nothing about the following worlds, how might you respond in each scenario?
Your client says, “I’m wanting to get a divorce, but I think it might be possible to get an annulment. Do you have any insights into that?”
Your client says, “I think there’s an app I can use to complement our coaching and that would help me schedule things each week. Do you know anything about that?”
Your client says, “I can’t figure out which audition monologue I should commit to memorizing. Can I try a couple of them out on you?”
Your client says, “You’ve had a few books published. What tips can you give me about landing a literary agent?”
Your client says, “The coaching is going great. But I’d also like to talk to someone about my ADHD. Are there any therapists you might recommend?”
Hello, Laura:
Thanks for your question!
This is a good example of a situation where the coach may have no personal knowledge of how to accomplish the task the client has set himself. This happens all the time. And that is no problem! We are not expert resources on every subject. How could we be? We are helping professionals, not subject matter experts.
There is no reason why coaches should know all of these many things (which also change all the time), nor can they know all these things. I would say to a client who is doing something about which I know little or nothing, “Okay, talk me through what you are going to need to do.”
The client might then realize that he needs to research the challenge at hand and report back. Maybe he’ll report that he has learned that there are seven important things he needs to do in order to meet the challenge. Then I might ask, “Okay, which task comes first?” or “Which of these tasks looks like it’s going to be the hardest for you?”
In this “simple” way, a coach can keep a client focused and motivated without personally knowing anything about the task at hand or having had any experience with the task. We can’t become experts on everything, nor should we try. But we can help our clients become their own experts about the things they need to know.
Presuming that you know nothing about the following worlds, how might you respond in each scenario?
Your client says, “I’m wanting to get a divorce, but I think it might be possible to get an annulment. Do you have any insights into that?”
Your client says, “I think there’s an app I can use to complement our coaching and that would help me schedule things each week. Do you know anything about that?”
Your client says, “I can’t figure out which audition monologue I should commit to memorizing. Can I try a couple of them out on you?”
Your client says, “You’ve had a few books published. What tips can you give me about landing a literary agent?”
Your client says, “The coaching is going great. But I’d also like to talk to someone about my ADHD. Are there any therapists you might recommend?”
Coaches often get wound up believing that they are supposed to be able to answer such questions and that they are even obliged to answer such questions. They somehow think they have a duty to answer. We absolutely do not. We support our clients by helping them find their own answers, not by supplying answers. Unlike a lawyer, a doctor, or a plumber, a coach is not tasked with supplying information or answers.
Every so often, we may well know something related to our client’s predicament, information that we might decide to share with our client. That is fine. There is no prohibition on sharing what we know. If we know about a certain women’s shelter, a certain on-point online course, a certain way of doing something that has netted good results, we are free to share that information. But most usually, we will not know. And that, too, is fine.
Be expert at helping. That’s our expertise!
We absolutely do not. We support our clients by helping them find their own answers, not by supplying answers. Unlike a lawyer, a doctor, or a plumber, a coach is not tasked with supplying information or answers.
Every so often, we may well know something related to our client’s predicament, information that we might decide to share with our client. That is fine. There is no prohibition on sharing what we know. If we know about a certain women’s shelter, a certain on-point online course, a certain way of doing something that has netted good results, we are free to share that information. But most usually, we will not know. And that, too, is fine.
Be expert at helping. That’s our expertise!
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