ECCP PODCAST 1

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S1 00:00 Recording started.

S2 00:03 Well, hello and welcome back to your executive coach certification program. For those of you that aren't familiar with my voice, my name's Lisa Wandl. I'm the Managing Director and the Founder of Coaching Australia, and I personally designed your executive coach certification program. So I really hope you're thoroughly enjoying it to date, and I'm really looking forward being part of your journey across these podcasts. Joining me across the podcast will be the very fabulous Vashti Whitfield as well. We're going to be working with you across four podcasts that are going to average about 75 minutes each. Just at a high level too, I do want to remind you that the executive coach certification program is in full alignment with the International Coach Federation. So these are really important learning hours over these podcasts, and they're going to count towards your coach specific training hours as well.

S2 01:00 Just to let you know what's ahead, what to expect between your first face-to-face and your second lot of of face-to-face. You've heard me mention we have these four podcasts spread between. The intention of those podcasts is really just to support you around having structures, having knowledge and tools that are specifically going to support a formal coaching relationship. I know you've done the little bits of coachable moments in your practice so far in the first three days, but this next period is very focused about that formal coaching relationship. So that's one piece of what's ahead in this more virtual part of your training. The second piece will also be that you're going to have a chance to get together again as a group with your other fabulous participants. And there'll be four 30-minute (now 1hr) learning forum calls. So they're going to be run by your usual facilitators, whoever you spent your first three days with will supporting you through these particular calls as well. And they are a great chance to cross-pollinate your learning, your experience. We're hoping you're going to come onto the call with what's come out of your coaching experience so far, what insights you've had, and also to give you a chance to answer any questions-- or to ask any questions so hopefully, we can support you with as well. Importantly, those calls also count towards your overall coach training hours that we can credit you with.

S2 02:33 So moving on, just to look a bit more closely at the next four calls and what to expect in terms of content in these four calls, now they're essentially broken down. Podcasts one and two is very much about our Goal Setting Sessions, an incredibly important part of the whole formal coaching relationship. So lots and lots of focus around podcast one and two there. Then we're going to move to podcast three and four. We're going to take you into Momentum Sessions and giving you structures for those as well. So just to help you get your sense of what this formal relationship might look like I'm going to get you to pick up a pen right now, so you've got a sense where we're going, and draw just a straight line across your page. Then I would like you to draw

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equal - equidistant apart 12 dots across that line. So starting dot 1 on end and finishing dot 12 on the other. I'll give you a chance just to dot that out. So once you have your 12 dots across your horizontal line there let's get you to put a circle around the first dot. And if we just call that your Goal Setting Session around dot one. And then session – sorry then points 2 to 11 if you can somehow maybe bracket those, either put a circle around the whole thing, 2 to 11 dots, or a bracket, whatever you prefer. And I want you to label those Momentum Sessions. And because we're here we'll get you to put a circle around the last dot and we're going to call that Programme Wrap.

S2 04:39 So just for you to understand what's ahead in these podcasts, that first circle that's a Goal Setting Session, that's where we're going to spend the first two podcasts, giving you structures around that. Then in the podcasts three and four, that whole area you'll see there, I'm going to give you structure for momentum sessions. So by the end of our podcasts you'll have a very clear idea of how to run the vast majority of your program in terms of structure. Okay. So hopefully, that gives you a bit of clarity as to what's ahead across the podcasts. I'm going to hand you over to Vashti now, and she's going to run through a little bit more of what's expected of you during these podcasts, a few things around housekeeping, and also a bit more about the International Coach Federation, or the ICF, as we'll refer to it throughout the program. Thanks Vashti.

S3 05:33 Thanks Lisa and I’d love to formally welcome you, if I haven’t yet met you onto the first podcast. So Lisa talked a bit about housekeeping. Well, before we talk about the logistics of it what I’d like to do is really speak to you. So, whilst you're listening to this any particular time in your day or even your evening I’d like you to hear my voice and really experience as speaking to you..and reaching out to you. Now, here's some of the things you can’t do when you're really listening to a podcast and giving it your full attention. And here's something you really can’t do, as much as I don’t like to use this word, if you really want to get the most out of your executive coach certificate program and really step into one of the most specific qualities of being a coach, which is really being present, you cannot send emails at the same time listening to this. It's unlikely you can cook a three-course-meal whilst you're listening to this. And you can’t also run a meeting or take your kids to the supermarket whilst you're listening to this unless you are a super hero. But what you can do is commit 100% to giving yourself the best opportunity to learn and grow from participating on this program.

S3 06:46 So what I really invite you to do in terms of housekeeping is structure your time, manage your time, and commit to having just the right amount of time to fulfil your obligations to really get the most out of this program. So when you are listening to this podcast you will need very specific resources to get the most out of it. The first thing you will need is your manual. And we've talked about this. So please so if it's a little repetitive just bear with us. From the live day we have talked about the fact that you will always need your manual on the podcast. You will also need the specific worksheets provided for your podcast which I'm going to ask you to pull out now if you haven't already. The other thing that you will need is to make sure that you have completed the actions requested of you by the specific time so that you really get the

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most value out of your podcast. It's kind of like homework at school. If you turn up to a lesson and you haven't read the homework you're going to find yourself often a little bit confused. And the other thing that's requested of you to working with your coaching buddy is that you really support each other by managing the homework so you find yourself often at exactly the same place as opposed to running behind. So you'll need your workshop manual, you'll need your specific podcast worksheet, and you'll need to know the page numbers, which will have been sent previously in the email with the homework. But I'm going to run through those with you now.

S3 08:08 So could you all please take out your first worksheet. What you'll see in front of you is at the top it says, “Telecalls”. So this is our first podcast part one. The key focus points today in learning outcomes that we're going to look at - and I'm going to get you to fill these in - the first one is about looking at the overall structure of the entire coaching program. So Lisa just asked you to draw a horizontal line, one with a starting point, session 12 the wrap-up end point, and then everything in between sessions 2 to 11 being about the momentum. So what we're going to have a look in in a moment - a look at, sorry - when I pass back to Lisa is the overall structure of the coaching program and just pick through some of the details there to support you having a much greater awareness, understanding and I guess feeling really empowered that you're not only sometimes accidentally out there coaching as leader, but now you actually have the capacity and by the end of the end podcasts you'll have the capacity to understand the whole outline and structure for running a coaching program with a coachee. The second key part that I'd like you to write down on your worksheet is where we go into a little more detail and what I really find some of the juiciest parts of that first session, where we clarify the goal setting structure in that first session. So what is the session structure, how does it take place, what do you need to do, what do you need to ask, and what do you need to bring to the table to have your coachee really clear what takes place in that first session or that first meeting.

S3 09:40 Now, I'd like you to also write down on your worksheet - you'll see key coaching model. Every time we work together there'll be a specific model, sometimes a couple, that we use if you like as a foundation or as tools for you in terms of communication, or listening, or a process to work with, and today's model is going to be the CHOICES model. So I'll get you to write that down. And you'll see that that's also on page 114 of your manuals. Now, Lisa also mentioned that I'd be talking a little bit more about the International Coaching Federation. One of the things that's incredibly important, without being something that we need to discuss every time, is that you understand the specific competency that has been designed by the Coaching Federation to the level of work we're focusing on. So today what we're going to be focusing on in the background is the competency designed by the ICF, which is called Code of Ethics. And we did touch on this at the end of day three. But in page 140 to 142, which you've already read through in your homework, that will allow you to just go back and revisit the Code of Ethics, the core competency that's going to be, I guess, underlining and underpinning everything that we work on in this first podcast.

S3 10:56 So here's the things that I'd like you to think about as well. Lisa brilliantly also outlined, as part of the expectations of you to be eligible for the certification at the

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end of this program, is also not only attending the podcast but being there for the learning forum. And to attend the learning forum, what's absolutely critical is you've got great value and learning to share with your group. You're also going to be emailing these specific insights and learning through as part of the required homework of you after this podcast. So you'll also look down at your coaching worksheet and you'll see specific space for writing down the notes, what am I noticing, what am I hearing, what really stood out for me today in this particular podcast that I want to jot down along the way so I'm not draining my brain trying to recall it at the end of the podcast. So please also make sure that by the end of the podcast you've got lots of notes written down and that you're able to go back and pull out the three most useful, effective, and juicy insights from the learning. Now, in terms of being ready to hand back to Lisa to go back into our first key focus point, which is to have a real kind of top view of the overall coaching session structures of a coaching program, I just want to say, again, remember that being present, really present, giving your absolute listening and self to your learning and stepping into your potential is really one of the key qualities of a coach ready to facilitate somebody else. So I'll ask you to put everything else aside and give us your first full attention as we move into the first part of podcast number one. So back to you, Lisa.

S2 12:34 Thank you Vashti, and thanks for doing such a great job in really setting the scene around expectations, or what's really going to make this a powerful interaction for you. And the reality is if we do spend that time and spend it really effectively that's when you're going to reap the most benefits. So just going on with Vashti mentioned there too, she was explaining to us there's going to be a focus with each podcast in terms of learning outcomes and also around models and also ICF competencies. So I'd like to add, with the ICF competencies, often there will be a weave of a few different competencies. So in addition to the code of ethics what I would also suggest we're going to be touching on there, ICF competency wise, is also around Establishing a Coaching Agreement, one of the competencies, competency number two. But also competency number 10 as far as going to Planning and Goal Setting with the coachee as well. So as I mentioned, there's going to be a weave of competencies going through all the learning that you do across the whole programme. Okay--

S3 13:38 And then-- can I just-- Lisa, may I just add something to that? Just to really invite you guys to not become overwhelmed, when we often read through the vast array of competencies required it can be a tad overwhelming. What I found incredibly useful is that when we've actually gone through a huge kind of learning block, as we will today, just to go back over those three competencies that Lisa clarified there in terms of Ethics, Establishing the Coaching Agreement, and the third one she mentioned, is all about just giving yourself, I guess, a heads up and, "Okay. That's what I covered." Reminding yourself, "Okay. That's what we did today." So rather than being overwhelmed by them go towards them as, I guess, an additional learning tool.

S2 14:24 No. Thanks, Vashti. And that's tweaked some thinking for me as well. You hear Vashti and I talk about the ICF. Now, that is really very much an optional thing from this programme. Some people may like to go and get an ICF credential personally. So it's certainly not a requirement. It's just something that often we have participants say

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that they'd like to investigate. So we wanted to, I guess, provide you and a supporting tool that will help you if you do choose to go down that particular path. Okay. So let's switch gear. What I'd like to do now is put our heads towards that big picture. If you think about-- if you look back at your page we've got your horizontal line there, and think about this overall program structure that you would have if you're having a formal coaching partnership. Now, that particular formal partnership might take place, most very likely, as an external executive coach. I would suggest this is what you would use whenever you're working with a coachee, but also as relevant internally as a leader.

S2 15:29 So for instance, a lot of leaders that we work with use this around appraisal time and setting goals for the next 12 months, but also then having a structured approach that they can take their team member through over the following 12 months as well. So yeah, that should fit a much more formal approach to the overall coaching partnership. So in terms of this, there's, I guess, a standardized approach that we would take in terms of the program structure. And Vashti and I are just going to bounce it around a little bit and talk about what's the structures that we would recommend, and of course this is all up to you and also up to-- and within the constraints of what the coachee can do as well. So Vashti what kind of things would you like to bounce around that you think would be helpful for the participants to hear?

S3 16:26 Well, Lisa, the first thing that comes to mind is often when people have used coaching as a performance-based tool for advancing potential or as part of their sort of leadership management approach one of the things that's missing is how do we then make that more structured? How do we manage momentum moving forward and how do we take it out of our everyday coachable moments into something? So what I'd like to hear from you for the audience and for the participants to really harness in their learning really is why is a 12 sessions, 9 to 12 sessions say, the usual amount of coaching sessions that it takes to facilitate a programme?

S2 17:04 Okay. So in terms of that question around-- why would we have 9 to 12 in a busy world where we want everything now why would we take this approach? So for me, coaching is about creating sustainable behavioral change, and there's a real integrity to our intention to make sure that we do do that. So I've just found that 9 to 12 sessions over possibly that 9 to 12 months, sometimes people might want it shorter maybe six months, that that gives people a chance not only to get really clear about what their goals are, what their vision is for that period but also, importantly, have the time to stop and look at where they're at, which I find can be a great catalyst because often people will go, "I'm not really comfortable with how things are at the moment and the impact of that." But there's also how you examine their thinking, examine their habits and beliefs, and also look at maybe reshaping those in a way that will serve them better. So all of that of course takes time. But then the really important part, I used that word integrity, is about being able to then embed that so that ideally, by the time you finish that coaching relationship over those 9 to 12 sessions, people have these new neural pathways about their thinking around their behavior, that they have identified, it's going to serve them best and get them most

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efficiently towards their goals as well.

S3 18:35 So when you say they've formed new neural pathways, let's just say they've been working with you for sort of 6 to 12 months potentially, they start one way. And when you say they form new neural pathways, what would you say that meant in terms of behaviour? Like when you talked about sessions being about momentum, what would they be doing differently that they weren't before?

S2 18:57 Yeah. I think Vashti, what they might be doing differently is whatever they identify is going to best serve them. So say, for instance, they become aware that they're not a very good listener as a leader or in their personal life as well. So they might identify from that and start to understand the impact of that and recognise it's having a detrimental effect in many areas. So I think what it gives them is a chance to examine that, to then start to practice to listen more effectively. And I kind of think of a visual of a path through the forest. So we tend to go to that path that's very clear. And if they can get clear through our coaching and through the consistency of back and forth, looking at how well they listen, and looking at the impact of how they listen, and creating new beliefs around what's important around listening, and we're holding them back and forth over that new belief that becomes that clear path through the forest. So what we will be able to do is eventually be automatically taking on and going through that clear path that actually serves them best, and reshaping literally, neurologically, physiologically what's happening in their brain. And therefore their automatic behavior as well.

S3 20:16 Great. That is such a fantastic example. I love that kind of image of wandering through the forest and then having the clarity of the direction you want to lead. So Lisa, you just sort of mentioned that our role as a coach is to hold them on path, to kind of say you want to walk that way or you said you want to walk through the woods that way. In terms of momentum and I guess accountability, what is the appropriate time between each of the sessions? If you're saying between 9 to 12 sessions, 6 to 12 months, how long is best left between each session? Do we do weekly? Monthly?

S2 20:54 Okay. So I get in terms of, I guess, of what I've found to be really beneficial in that rhythm, as such, I would suggest between one and four weeks, depending on the individual. I've been coaching for about 14 years, and I've seen now that probably between two and four weeks seems to be the most regular when you're working with executives. I think that's a combination of a few things. One of those things is just the reality of their diary. So a weekly session may be too much of a commitment for their already busy diary. But also because so much benefit comes in what they go and notice, how they experiment as well. So that two to four week rhythm, as I mentioned, seems to work well. And it depends on you as a coach. You might say you want to be very structured and you will hold sessions every four weeks. I tend to be very fluid. I'm very much coachee driven, and what I've found that a lot of coachees want is sessions maybe a couple of weeks apart to start with. As they get clear about their goals they start to get some traction and get some momentum through those early sessions. And then they can potentially, maybe, stretch to no more than four weeks apart later in the program as we may be working more on embedding the learning and being, I guess, held accountable to their new thinking and their new way

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of being as well.

S3 22:22 So, Lisa, there's something I really want to come back to when we move into second part, which is focusing really on the overall structure of that first session, going into a little bit more detail about managing expectations. I loved your description of it being coachee driven in terms of how frequently or infrequently you meet. And I'd love to come back to how we set that up in terms of accountability and alignment so that it doesn't get a bit gray. Once it's sort of two weeks apart, and then maybe it's four weeks, how we really make sure that between coach and coachee there's a commitment and alignment. So can we come back to that a little bit later?

S2 22:57 Yeah. Most definitely.

S3 22:59 So my last question is just about the actual session. So we've got between 9 to 12 sessions, approximately over 6 to 12 months. And we're seeing each other or communicating with each other between two, maximum four weeks apart. How long are the sessions? How long do they need to be? And are they all the same length?

S2 23:16 Okay. So I would suggest your sessions would last one and a half hours approximately. So what I do notice at times is the goal setting session may take a little bit longer. I would suggest we never go beyond two hours. I find that probably exhausting for the coachee. And also for the coach's focus. But also, it's become so much information that I think it can get lost. So it's a plan on one and a half hours. But knowing that the goal setting and the programme wrap session, so the first and the last session, has the potential to go maybe a little bit longer. But you can also, if you're getting into your goal setting session and you don't get it finished you can also arrange with the coachee that you would be picking that up into the next session as well rather than trying to go beyond two hours of that.

S3 24:09 Okay. So I feel like I'm really clear in terms of the overall structure. I guess there's one question for me that I have for the group. What happens when you get someone really clear that turns up in that sort of first session, and knows exactly what they want to do, and they want to achieve their goals really, really quickly? What's the general way of handling that leader in terms of managing the overall structure of the coaching programme?

S2 24:34 Okay. So Vashti, I think I hear you asking that if they already feel like they know their goals and they want to get there really quickly. Is that the question?

S3 24:42 Yes. Yeah, that sort of thing where you feel like they already know what they want, and they want to do it much quicker. How do you facilitate that if you think about the learning journey and finding new ways of doing things being paramount to the coaching overall structure? How do we facilitate something like that?

S2 24:59 Yeah, I guess I guess I invite the coachee into the fact that they have this opportunity to maybe look at things differently than they've looked at them before. They've got this opportunity to get off the treadmill and to take a deep breath, and ask them if they're open to sitting back and maybe checking out other possibilities about what they really might like to achieve and think a bit more deeply about that. And likewise, if they want it quickly, and often organizations want it quickly, and we want to have

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successes and we want a huge change, I think it's kind of back to that conversation that you and I had a little while ago, to be able to explain that what we're really looking to do is to create lasting behavioral change here so that really this return on investment, whether it's for the organisation, for the individual, from all those aspects as well. So really explaining what coaching's about. And I find the neuroscience thing quite helpful in that regard in that you ask people, "Have you ever been to a training program and you thought it was fabulous and you learned a lot in those three days, but have you had the experience of then losing that learning?" And we've all been there. So I think reminding them of that we really want to create, as I said, long term behavioral change. And from experience and from also what we know about neuroscience this is what it will look like. Are you open to us going through and trying that particular approach? That would be me. What about you? What's your thinking there?

S3 26:36 Well, I'm thinking that you are segwaying very elegantly and organically into the key points of today's telecall, which is about really clarifying the goal-setting session structure, and going into that first session really clearly, and I guess, setting up an alignment with the coachee around the expectations and the opportunities and the possibilities of the coaching program and relationship together. So I'm thinking we maybe press pause there and actually come back to that in a little bit more detail about how to handle those conversations in setting up the coaching relationship and managing expectation.

S2 27:13 Yeah, I look forward to..

S3 27:14 Yeah.

S2 27:15 I'd like to just add one little thing in there Vashti, and I think that it's great that we will come back to that. But one thing I just want to bring everyone's attention at this point in time, just for that overall structure, it's just a probably a little bit more understanding high level about what the other sessions are about, just so that when you go out and do a goal-sitting session that when you're explaining the overall structure you can talk about goal-sitting sessions, and talk about momentum sessions, and talk about a programme wrap. I wouldn't mind just maybe giving our participants a bit of understanding what's involved in the momentum session and a wrap session.

S3 27:50 Great. Great. So let's get clear on that. So we've started off in the goal-setting session, which is clarifying where we want to go. All the way down that horizontal line that Lisa's drawn. There's that wrap session, which is the closure session. And again, like that first session, is a little bit longer in duration. And then in the middle there is sessions 2, 3, all the way to 11, the momentum, the moving along that line, finding your way through the woods. So Lisa, talk to us about-- how do we as coaches best facilitate momentum moving forward, accountability, ingraining the learning?

S2 28:27 Thanks, Vashti. So to move through those momentum sessions, I think what's important is that the coaching understands, I guess, what's involved in the momentum session. And as coaches we understand what our intention is in there. So, at this stage, if we can just let our coachees know that those momentum sessions are very much about that, about momentum. They'll be about checking in to make sure

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the goal is still relevant because people will shift their goals and absolutely they're allowed to move and shift their goals as they have more insights about what's important for them. But the other key part in those momentum sessions is about checking in on what they said they were going to be doing to take themselves forward, so reviewing their actions as such and definitely from that setting some more actions to continue momentum. But importantly, very importantly, there's also on the template worksheets we'll be giving our coachees there's room there for insights and awareness. So we're looking to capture what's the learning been along the way because that's so much of where this behavioral shift will come from as well. So very much accountability, checking on what they said they were going to do, making sure it's very solution focused, as we know you is a key foundation of coaching, and keeping them moving with ongoing actions by the next specific agreed session date as you and I were talking about before Vashti, is what's going to work best for their coachees two weeks from now and setting actions accordingly.

S3 30:02 That's great Lisa, and look, we do need to move on shortly to really give value to the participants so they're ready to go and enhance their delivery of that first session, but before we do I'd like to finish by saying this, please don't misunderstand the word momentum. Momentum often sort of eludes to force and travelling forward with speed. Remember that the coaching process, the coaching programme, executive coaching, is all about uncovering, as Lisa said, the insight and the learning. If we move too quickly and we don't ask the right questions we don't expose the juicy insights that come out of the coaching relationship, which is unique and like no other. So be mindful it's not just only action orientated, some of those actions that we create to honour that momentum are about really tweaking and exposing the learning. Lisa gave reference to if there was issue and you uncovered the fact that you really weren't a very good listener and this is becoming an issue with your team, with your board. Until we acknowledge that and we create specific momentum about how to transition that and change that we don't have any momentum. We just keep moving forward in the same direction, which is not necessarily towards the desired outcome. So just remembering that momentum is not just about force moving forward but moving forward with open eyes and the ability to really step into the potential.

S3 31:28 So Lisa, what we're going to do now is we are going to move in shortly to the next key focus learning area in our telecall which is about the goal setting session structure. But before we do that I want to ask each of you to just press pause and clarify the learning. So what have you learned so far from the call about the overall coaching program? What do you know about the importance of stretching out a programme, potentially up to 12 months? Why do we do that? What's important about having a significant amount of time to work with your coachee? Why is it important that the first session and potentially the last session go up to nearly two hours but not the other sessions? What's the best way to handle the duration between each session? Is it for you to set that or to invite your coachee to clarify that? So I'm just going to ask you to jot down, what are the key insights and learnings that you've gotten out of the call so far? Okay. So please, press pause now. We're going to end this specific call, and you're going to have the opportunity to just clarify your insights further. And then when you're ready we invite you to come back for the second part of this podcast or

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sometimes I'm calling it a telecall, but we're talking about the same thing, and come back with your manuals, page 76, section 7, open where we're going to go into Clarify the Goal Setting Session Structure, session number one. Thanks for your listening, for your patience, and your being present and we'll catch up with you very soon. Okay.

S1 33:45 Recording started.

S3 33:48 So welcome back to part two of our first telecall. And we're going to go now back to your worksheet specifically for your telecalls, where we're going to go to point number two, where we're going to focus now in on clarifying the goal setting session structure. What takes place in that first session? How do we break it down? And I'm not going to talk too much about that. But what I do want to remind you of, in terms of accountability and learning, that this is where you really want to open up your manual on the appropriate page, which Lisa is going to point you to in a moment, have your worksheet and maybe even a fresh worksheet where you can list down any specific insights or even actions for yourself - reminder points to have you really elegantly take yourself through this first session shortly. So Lisa, I'm going to hand over to you to really get into and dive a little bit deeper into the session structure of the goal setting session.

S2 34:43 Great. Okay. So thanks, Vashti. So this goal setting session. You've heard both Vashti and I talk about how incredibly important it is. It really is the anchor point for the whole relationship. So there's a focus for this individual for the next up to maybe 12 months. So very intentionally we are going to be looking at the goal setting session over these two podcasts. So with this one but also podcast number two as well. So you may remember of the goal setting process itself we did that together on day three. You've got to work with your coachee. And you talk them through the goal setting process itself. So what I want to do is I'm going to take you to your manual so you can see where that fits in this whole goal setting session. So I'm going to ask everybody please to turn to page 68 of your manual. You'll see it headed up there with goal setting session overview. And about a third of the way down the page you'll see points one, two, three. And it says there's three stages to the goal setting session. One is the Coaching Compatibility Meeting, if not previously completed. We'll talk about that. Two is the Goal Setting Process. And three is Commitment.

S2 36:05 Now, we're going to look at points one and two today. Now, the goal setting process point two is the piece that you've already done. So we're just going to very high level go across that. But a lot of focus really on point one, the Coaching Compatibility meeting. So hand-in-hand with that we want to get practical. You have got templates that I would really invite you to use that will help you hold to your structure. In this case, it's the Coach's Goal Setting notes. So if you flick the page to page 70 you'll see page 70 and 71 there are your Coach's Goal Setting notes. And if you look at that you'll see that it ties quite closely to page 68. So you'll see there's Coaching Compatibility down the Coach's Goal Setting notes and that flicks over to this format, and likewise goal setting process just follows the point two on your notes on page 68.

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So those goal setting notes are very much designed as a cheat sheet for you, and I'd suggest that you always use them when you actually are going to a goal setting session. It will help you hold your structure and provide some real clarity for your coachee as well. So, again, just to remind you this is a goal setting session we would use as an external coach, setting up a formal coaching relationship, or you may well do this with your team members, sort of helping them get clear about their goals for the coming 12 months as well. So what you're going to be looking at as I mentioned is really putting all the focus into this coaching compatibility meeting, and I'm just going to cover off ahead what are the key concerns in here. I know Vashti and I are going to start bouncing around each piece and doing a bit of modelling for you as well.

S3 37:56 Lisa before--

S2 37:56 So--

S3 37:57 Before you go into-- sorry, Lisa. Before you go into breaking that down what I just want to add here is that the wonderful thing about coaching structures and the structured approach is you can take this out of a structured coaching session and utilize them in the work place. Just to remember that the coaching compatibility meeting that Lisa is about to breakdown brilliantly for you now, this could be something where you are literally sitting in potentially a booked first session with your coachee. You book this session and it's highly likely that you may go on and work together but it could also be an introductory meeting. And what's so useful and highly effective about this is you follow the coaching compatibility structure. It really gives you, I guess, almost like an effortless kind of structure to give clarity, information, and get alignment where the coaching and indeed coaching together in a relationship is on track for the person you're having that meet-up coffee with. So just remember what Lisa is about to take you through can be in a very formal potentially booked coaching session and/or just in an introductory meeting coffee catch-up before. So these sessions are applicable sorry. So these structures are really useful everywhere. Lisa back to you. Thanks for letting me interrupt [laughter]

S2 39:13 No, I love your interruption, Vashti. Perfect. So just reinforcing that the great point that Vashti makes what I've noticed often organizations is that they might set up for a coachee a meeting with a few different coaches so that coachee can get a sense of the different coaches and just say, "Can you just go have a coffee with this person?" Vashti, so this is a great way to rather than just kind of be shooting the breeze, to have something that really gives them value in terms of understanding who you are as a coach, what they want to get out of coaching, making sure that we're actually on the same page as to what coaching is as well, and also sharing about your structure. So it can either take place individually like that or it can be as Vashti said, running to the whole coaching session. So actually as we've shared through that, I just dot point through these, and as I mentioned then Vashti and I will go through and discuss each point then and model it a bit more.

S2 40:13 So we go back-- number one, Coaching Compatibility meeting. We're on page 68, and you can flick your eyes to page 70, your Coach’s Goal Setting notes where you'll see

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it's outlined the same. So you'll see “Setting the Scene”, go through introduction, defining the coachee's desired outcomes, defining the coachee-- what coaching is, the structure and the responsibilities, and then also were checking in as to whether the coachee actually even wants to proceed beyond that point. Because they might actually be thinking they're looking for a mentor and realize, "This is actually not really what I want to be doing." So before we go taking them through an hour and a half of a goal setting session we want to make sure that once we've had that conversation, that it might be appropriate to continue to partner. So I'm going to hand you over to Vashti at this point, and we're going to just look at that first piece around setting the scene. Thanks, Vashti.

S3 41:10 Just so that you don't all feel like you're sort of listening here to two fabulous ladies droning on I just, again, I'd like you to kind of listen to this as if I'm speaking to you. So what's your experience of this? How might you do it differently? So again, having that pen and paper to hand to notice the insights and making sure you really grab any learning that you'd like to share later on. And then just setting the scene where we looked at what setting the scene means, and how important it is over the three days. And so do that [three visits?]. So we're going to set the scene. Why do we set the scene? It's all about making that person feel really comfortable. It's about establishing the trust, and really managing their expectations. So when I'm setting the scene I'm going to say, "Look. What we're going to do is we're going to have a conversation about what coaching is all about. Who I am as a coach? What's my offering? What's my approach? What's my intention as a coach, as an executive coach?"

S3 42:08 We're going to really get clear on what it is you'd most like moving forward, whether coaching is something you have specifically in mind, what are the key kind of aspirations you have moving forward, or some very specific things that you'd like to change? We're going to get clear on how does a coaching structure work? What's expected if we do go on to work together, in terms of a coaching structure how often will we see each other, where will we see each other, what's required of you, how long will it be that we work together? And then most significantly we really need to get clear that there is alignment between the two of us. And lastly, as Lisa said, we're going to go back into a little bit more detail in how to break these down further in a moment, really getting clear on what are the next steps. So as I've kind of gone into talking to you guys and talking to you as coachees I want to make sure that everything is covered so that the person I'm speaking with is not only excited to go further into the conversation but is absolutely clear what's about to unfold in front of them. So Lisa, is there anything you'd like to add as I kind of flip between being facilitator and coach there?

S2 43:21 Look, I think really clearly demonstrated for the participants the sort of things they're going to go through when we're setting the scene. But what I'd like to invite you all to do is to think about, as Vashti talked about, these are things we're going to be covering and we're going to be introducing myself, giving you a feel for me, finding out what you want to have the coaching, explaining and understanding more about what coaching is, and the structure, etc, and the responsibilities. I'd like you to think about - and look to your worksheet - and think about what would make it important

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that we do this? What's it going to bring to the coaching when we take the time to set the scene? What will it give the coachee and also what might it give you as the coach. I would suggest that it really helps to settle the coachee I have noticed when I've worked with people. I think it really helps to set their brain and helps them settle, has them feel more comfortable, and also gives us a chance to make sure we're both on the same page. Maybe the opportunity for anything else you'd like to cover in the session as well. So we get that mutual agreement which I think is also-- there's something about building trust, and building respect, and having someone feel taken care of in there as well. What do think Vashti? Is there other things that you see as beneficial in this setting the scene piece?

S3 44:56 Establishing trust is one of the key things in any relationship. It is most paramount. So if somebody has a sense of what's about to unfold in front of them they're also being off, as you said, that there's an alignment and that that's what's going to take place. What you're already doing is establishing great trust. The other thing that you're doing which is kind of almost, again, an effortless way of establishing the relationship is you are making them feel safe. Because they know what's going to happen. So they're not having to suddenly share absolutely every single thing about themself especially if they're meeting you as a request that coaching is a necessary part of their performance review. Especially if they're there and they're not necessarily 100% committed or short of being there. When you set this up and there's a sort of sense of the relationship and who you are as a coach and your willingness to kind of share little pieces about yourself all of a sudden what it does is it invites that coachee to realize that this is something that's really there for them. It's not something that's necessarily to do with the organization. It's not something where they have to feel uncomfortable or nervous about sharing information. It's all for them. And so making sure that you share enough and you explain enough is a critical-- I guess critical piece in establishing that trust. Back to you Lisa.

S2 46:24 Okay. All right. So yeah. So hopefully you’ve heard the passion and enthusiasm that Vashti and I hold for setting the scene, really critical piece there. And again, you've got cheat sheet there in front of you so that when you're working through it's nice and simple. You can be glancing down like, "I'm just going to introduce myself-- " And of course that's going to vary. If you're external coach it might be very different to how you might introduce yourself if you're working internally. So speaking of that the next piece is Coach Introduction. So in this instance it really is going again to that tailoring to your audience, as is always the case with I guess any sort of effective communication. So what I might do here is maybe just model what I might say when I'm introducing myself to a potential new coachee, and then I'm going to flick over to Vashti and she can maybe debrief a little bit about what she believes is important in that coach's introduction. Okay. So I'll just step into that now.

S2 47:28 So just to give you a bit of background about myself, because we could potentially be working together for the next 9 to t12 months, I'm a professionally certified coach with the International Coach Federation. I've been in the coaching game for probably over 14 years now which is a bit frightening [laughter] when I think about that amount of time. I've been incredibly lucky in that I've managed to work in a lot of top

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tier organizations like Macquarie Bank and PricewaterhouseCoopers, and the Reserve Bank of Australia, etc, as well Manly Rugby League, which was lots of fun. And also a testament I guess that coaching is very much about facilitating. You can imagine it's quite different working with an executive to a footballer, but interestingly, the coaching process remains the same. So it's been a very organic, I guess, pathway for me through coaching. Whilst I do a lot of one-to-one coaching. I also do a lot of coach training. I'm very passionate about coaching and the idea of helping more people to understand about coaching really lights me up. So I do spend a lot of my time now training other people in coaching, coaching skills, and coaching mindsets as well. Before that, my previous life was corporate. I was been in the banking world for 18 years. I was one of Westpac's first female bank managers. So yeah. For me it was a bit of a values check in there after about 18 years and my key values are usually a contribution, authenticity, and family, being successful, and when I looked at coaching it ticked all those boxes, and it still does. So I feel very, very lucky to be in the place I'm at, and I'm really enjoying what I'm doing. So that's probably enough about me, and I'll go on shortly just to explain to you a little bit more about the coaching program. So Vashti, over to you.

S3 49:23 So I'd like you to just again go down to your podcast worksheet and to think about, in terms of relevant information and introducing yourself to your potential coachee, what did Lisa do that you really noticed? What information did she share about herself? Her professional background? Her personal values? What stood out the most for you that really resonated in the way she introduced herself as a coach? So I'm just going to pause for a second. I'd like you to ask-- sorry. I'd like you to write down three specific things that stood out for you. And keep writing as I'm chattering on here. What I really noticed, Lisa, was a really fantastic balance of bringing your professional experience and your kind of personal value system, from family being important to you, but also very clearly you having come from a corporate structure and taking all that learning into it. I also got that you're passionate about sports.

S3 50:22 So I learnt a lot about you from a very small amount of information. What I'd like to say to everyone at this point, before I hand back to Lisa, it's very easy for people to potentially when they're moving into the world of coaching be overwhelmed by the fact that they don't have that incredible resume that Lisa comes to the table with. So just to remember that your coaching introduction introduces you. What makes you unique in terms of your personal and professional offerings and bring to the table. So as you practice this in terms of homework and moving forward just to bring authenticity to it, just to have integrity in bringing yourself to the table, and to remember not to try and sound like something you're not, which Lisa did such a beautiful job of. So back to you, Lisa, as you continue on in breaking down the goal setting session structure.

S2 51:17 Great. Thanks, Vashti. And just a point that comes to mind as you said about what you're sharing there. And again, this is very much from the external coach's introduction, and internally it's going to be really quite different. But really thinking about internally still the outcomes we're looking for there is about creating trust, creating more understanding of each other, helping someone sort of settle into

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feeling like you're sharing a bit more about yourself. So please don't discount this section if you're working as an internal coach or just a leader that's going to take on a more of a coaching approach. But it could be more of about “not sure how much you know about me but this is a couple little snippets and whilst I usually wear my managers hat I really want to take a coaching approach, and what I love about coaching is this”. It could be anything like that but just please yeah, don't discount the importance of just sharing a bit about yourself as well, maybe professionally and personally.

S3 52:18 Okay. So just that so we can all get ourselves clear about where we're at. I'm going to get you again cast your eyes back to page 74. So the key there-- Coaching Compatibility Meetings is where we're at. We've looked at the dot point Set The Scene. We've looked at the dot point Coach Introduction. Now, the next piece that we've got in here is that you'll see that we're going to define the Coachee's Desired Outcomes. But I want to throw in another little piece in here that's called the focusing exercise. Now, we're going to run through this. And what I'm going to ask you to do-- actually, I might hand over to Vashti. She's can give us a little bit of the introduction to it. And then we can play with it ourselves. Is that all right with you, Vashti? If you just--

S3 53:00 Yeah. 100%.

S2 53:00 --kind of speak to the focusing exercise a bit?

S3 53:03 Yeah. I'd love to. And I'm happy to lead into it if that's useful. One of the things that's so important-- so we've already talked about the fact that somebody is coming to this meeting pretty unclear about what to expect. So we've set the scene. And as Lisa beautifully did then we've shared a fair amount of personal and professional information about ourselves. One of the next key components to establishing trust is finding ourselves across the table in a similar place. And so the focusing exercise that Lisa is actually going to run through with you in a moment is all about, I guess, putting aside what's floating around and distracting you. Putting it to the side so you can get maximum value from what's straight in front of you. It's also about introducing, I guess, that next level awareness in terms of neuroscience or mindfulness. And actually supporting your coachee and enabling you as a coach to be clear about what's going on in your head that actually may be distracting you and having you feel a different way, that's going to get in the way out of getting maximum value from this coaching conversation or the goal setting process.

S3 54:10 So this focusing exercise is all about facilitating the ability to understand what you're thinking about, put it clearly to the side like an act of will, and bring presence and focus to the table. The other thing that I'll just say about it before I hand straight back to Lisa is in your willingness to model that and participate in the exercise, the focusing exercise, as a coach, you're not only teaching and facilitating how to do the exercise, which hopefully will become habitual for your coachee, but you're showing that you're bringing it to the table also, making it safe and trustworthy for your coachee to the do the same. So Lisa, back to you to demonstrate the focusing exercise.

S2 54:52 Yeah. Great. Thanks, Vashti. All right. So I'm going to just click straight in this focusing

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exercise. And I'd just like you to listen for what it will bring? What are the elements? And what does it bring into the coaching relationship as well? Okay. So what we're going to do now, I'll invite you to go into a little exercise with me, and we call it a focusing exercise. And I guess maybe a question that comes up for me straightaway is have you ever been in a meeting and had your mind wander off-focus, off-task? [Yes?]. It tends to be the case. I think nearly all of us have, or I'm sure all of us have done that, where we're not necessarily totally focused in the moment. So the idea of this particular exercise is just to know what is top of mind, and then very important-- and share that with each other very succinctly. Then very importantly notice what's the emotion attached to it, because it's the emotion that holds things in our mind. If we don't really have any emotional connection to it tends to slip straight past. So it might be that you're anxious about something, or it could be that you're excited about something, or you're anticipating something, or something is quite stressful for you. So it's noticing that emotion and then literally telling our brain to put that to the side, or to leave it at the door, or whatever your language might be for yourself. So what I might do, if it's alright Vashti, is I might just demonstrate and model this with yourself. Is that okay?

S3 56:27 100%

S2 56:29 All right. So I might go first just so you can get a bit of an idea of the rhythm of it. Gosh. What's top of mind for me today is that we're actually having renovations going on around the office as I know you're aware of, Vashti So it's probably-- just mildly feeling I guess slight frustration. Because the renovations have gone on for quite a long time. So we're just going to put that frustration to the side and actually, with that goes the knowledge that it's almost finished. So there's also anticipation. So I'll put that to the side as well. So frustration and anticipation, I'll set those free. What else is in the back of mind, or actually on the top of my mind, is a project that I'm working on at the moment. Got to work some timelines around that are starting to close in. So, I guess, there's not overwhelmingly, but I guess I'm feeling a little bit pressured. So I'll put that to the side. And I cannot deny that I am going to Queenstown tomorrow. So anticipation is there as well. I'm going to put that to the side as well. So what about you? Are you okay to step into that and give that a go? So what's top of mind, what's the emotion, and putting it the side.

S3 57:48 Okay. There's a lot going on right now. What's in the background is I've got this really sore back and I'm sort of a bit uncomfortable and I haven't got time to go and get it sorted out and I haven't had time-- there's lots of stuff. I guess what's in the background is not having a lot of time at the moment. So I want to put to the side. Is that what I say?

S2 58:14 Put to the side, yeah. Could you tell me what's the emotion with not having enough time?

S3 58:22 I actually feel a bit agitated to be honest. I feel agitated, like I'm uncomfortable and I'm kind of a bit grumpy that I haven't got time to do these things that are important. So I feel agitated. So I'm going to take feeling agitated and bit grr, and put agitated over there because I do really want to get a lot of this conversation. I've been excited

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about meeting you.

S2 58:46 Great.

S3 58:46 What else is in the background there? The other thing that's in the background is I've got a huge project that deadline is looming, and I'm probably not sleeping as well because I'm thinking about it all the time. So I'm a bit anxious and maybe a bit tired. So I'm feeling anxious probably. So I would like to put anxious to the side and probably want to talk about actually this thing that's in the background for me as well in our conversation. So I'm putting anxious to the side. And anything else? I'm going overseas very soon. So I'm sort of excited, and impatient, and kind of everything else is a bit of a pain [laughter]. So I'm going to take excitement, I think, and impatient is the other key thing and put those to the side. So again, I can get some good stuff out of our meeting. That's it.

S2 59:46 Thanks, Vashti. And I'm hearing some really lovely emotional intelligence there that you're able to really clearly name what those emotions are. So I thank you for stepping into the exercise. And I do get that it may feel a little bit odd. It's probably not something you're used to doing, this exercise, basically a little bit out there. But if you're okay, it's something I really like for us to continue with throughout the programme for both you and I at the beginning of the session. Is that okay with you?

S3 60:15 Yeah. And you know what I'd love to add to that? Is what I really got out of that exercise is I caught myself wanting to get into the whole drama and the story of it. And by you asking me to just define how I felt about it you kind of nipped in the bud me getting caught up in the drama of it all and brought me back to focusing to what's available in front of me. So yeah. I just actually think it's a great exercise.

Thank you.

S2 60:39 Okay. Great. As I said we will be using it through all of our future sessions as well. Okay. So when we actually sit back and listen to that, again, I would like to look to your worksheet and think about what do you see is the benefit in that particular exercise? What do you think it would bring to the relationship? And maybe what are the key aspects of that focusing exercise? So as you take time to jot that down I'm going to go to you, Vashti. What's your experience of the benefits of doing that particular focusing exercise?

S2 61:24 This particular exercise has very, very specific outcomes for anyone and everyone that makes it a consistent habit of practice.The first thing is to be able to facilitate to somebody an awareness that an emotion or the way that they are feeling is actually being heard because of the what they are thinking. And so to facilitate for somebody the ability to be able to say, "Look, I'm thinking about this thing and therefore I'm feeling agitated when, actually, I can't do anything about that thing right now and I've got this opportunity to sit here and be coached right now," is brilliant. So to empower somebody with that awareness, not only starts to kind of unfold that journey to the neuroscience of understanding thinking, but it gives them an empowered sense of how to not let their emotions rule them. So that would be the first key thing.

S3 62:16 The second thing is it's an incredible tool especially for people that after going to high TranscribeMe 17

performance meetings, presenting, anything where they can go into that fight or flight, that very nervous or agitated or anxious state. It's a wonderful exercise for giving people a great tool that allows them to kind of calm themselves, focus themselves, and really ground themselves in a capacity to lead and be their best self. And I guess the third and final thing about the focusing exercise it is a great exercise that brings two people that may have had three weeks in-between seeing each other or speaking to each other to not only establish the trust, but to come to the table, having a great sense of where each person is at. And that again is a fabulous tool for establishing, re-establishing the trusting relationship between two people. That's it for me, Lisa,

S2 63:12 Good. Thanks so much, Vashti. So I think it gives some real clarity there about the importance of this focusing exercise. And again, I would invite you, even if it's something that doesn't feel comfortable, to try it and check the benefits of it. And we consistently hear of people that when they do go past maybe that little bit, perhaps outside your comfort zone kind of an exercise it's a very consistent outcome is that we hear that people really love it and see a huge benefit in it. Okay.

S3 63:40 And don't be afraid-- sorry, Lisa. One important thing. You will always find yourself with a number of people that want to tell you the whole story about their morning, and what took place, and the dog ate my homework, and this person said this. Be mindful that when the body starts to go into the experience all of those agitated, frustrated feelings come back up. So remember when you introduce this exercise to set up an expectation that with permission you may interrupt them if they're getting too into the story. Keep it just very focused. What's the thing floating around? What will be the one or two key emotions? Just holding them on track and being mindful that you are facilitating teaching this exercise. So it's important not to let it go too big and too wild.

S2 64:24 Yeah. Thanks so much, Vashti. All right. So we're going to move away now from that whole focusing exercise. And then really, if we're looking to our dot points there on page 74 on the coaching compatibility we've got that area there that about defining the coachee's desired outcome. So within this it's really-- that's just a very simple stage of just checking in with them. It might sound something like, "Apart from what I've already outlined when I set the scene with you, is there anything else you would like to get from this session?" So just allowing that space in case there is something beyond what we would normally have in that particular coaching session structure. So moving on to the next point there, defining the coaching program structure and responsibilities, I think the best thing to do here might be just go straight into modeling this. So I might just model this with Vashti. And we can just then break it down from that point at all. So Vashti, just want to-- you heard me mention when I was setting up what would be involved in this session. I really want to take some time to, I guess, clarify what coaching is and understand how you see coaching being or what it might be like. But also then sharing a bit more about the programme structure and the responsibilities within the session and within the programme, as well. Are you okay if we step into that space now?

S3 65:55 Yeah. No, I'd love to know a bit more.

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S2 65:58 Okay. So a great place for me to start is to really get an understanding from you about how you define coaching because there's so many different definitions out there. Such a buzzword these days. So it would be great to understand how you see coaching and then also, I guess, to make sure that we're on the same page in that regard. So, yeah. How would you define coaching?

S3 66:21 Well, I'm quite aware of executive coaching because I've worked with one before. But the thing is is I've found that it was more of a mentoring relationship. I felt like I was being told or suggested to an idea that would be good. In my understanding, having done a lot of reading and coming to this meeting, coaching is very much about supporting me, to get clear about where I want to go, and giving me, I guess, the support structure for doing it. I'm very good at saying I'm going to do things but then not following through, so having a bit of support. But I guess the difference is I don't want to be told what to do. That feels kind of school-like. I want to work with somebody, and this is more what I understand coaching is about, it's about really facilitating somebody, I guess, determining their own learning outcomes but giving them the support structure. That's kind of all I know about it.

S2 67:15 Great to hear you using words like facilitating and I guess support and structure. And also, I don't think you used the actual word, but that accountability of really having someone be following you up on what you say you're going to be doing, holding you to your commitments as well. So it sounds like we're quite aligned in what coaching is. It also sounds like you've had that experience of someone who's been more in a mentoring space where they might be giving you more advice and be a bit more directive than what coaching is. So coaching really is honoring that ultimately the coachee holds their own best answer. So lots of questioning, allowing people to get off the treadmill, really think through what they want, how they think, what the impact of those things are, etc. So good. That's a good starting point. We're on the same page [laughter].

S2 68:06 Look, so beyond that, knowing now that we're aligned as to what coaching is I just wanted to take some time just to explain what the whole programme might look like. So today's session is quite unique. It will be a goal-setting session and it's a process that I'll just take you through. You don't need to come to the table necessarily with anything too much done beforehand. It's just about me taking you through, helping you get clear about what you'd like to achieve in the next 12 months. Then you'll see that we have-- the overall program is actually 12 sessions. So goal setting is number one. Then what we have we call momentum sessions. And they're about helping, obviously, to take you forward, give you momentum towards that goal. And we'll spend quite a bit of time checking in, following up about what you said you were going to do, and creating further action, but also, really importantly, helping you get clear about what you're learning along the way, what's serving you and holding that for you through the program, keeping you on focus with that.

S2 69:08 And then the last session is what we call a programme wrap session. So the idea of that is being able to support you with structures, or you working out what structures you need to continue your momentum and your growth as well. So it's got its own unique structure. So one structure for the goal setting, one structure that we use

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repeatedly through the momentum and then another structure for the programme wrap session. So how clear is that for you in terms of just structure overall?

S3 69:40 I think I'm clear. So basically what you're saying is we're going to kick off with a kind of where we're going. We'll wrap up with what we learned. And then there's going to be regular sessions together to keep me moving forward. And I like the idea that I'm going to have someone to sort of brainstorm with because a lot of this stuff I'm doing by myself. So yeah, I think I'm with you.

S2 70:03 Okay. Very good. And so I guess just in part in terms of the structure is that the sessions would normally run for about an hour and a half. Sometimes the goal setting might be a bit longer. Sometimes the programme wrap might be a slightly longer if you can have as a background idea that it'd be about an hour and a half per session. And we'll agree on what the rhythm might be between sessions. It might be two weeks, four weeks. We can set it up to be every two weeks, Wednesday afternoon, for instance, at 2 o'clock. Or if you'd like we can be a bit more fluid. I often find that people like to get together a bit more frequently to start with, maybe every couple of weeks, and then maybe space it out to monthly. But I'm very happy to be driven by what's best for you there. And we'll just agree on that at each stage.

S3 70:52 And are they always in person, the sessions, because I do quite a lot of interstate travel?

S2 70:57 Okay. Okay. So yeah, great question. So we've got flexibility. Again, it's really, I love that word, coachee driven. So it really is about what's going to work best for you. Now, it can be FaceTime. It could be Skype. It could be over the phone. You might like some email support from time to time. So really it comes down to what's going to work best for you. I like a bit of face-to-face if we can-- having this session together and connecting is fabulous face-to-face. And really ultimately it comes down to what's going to work best for yourself. And I've found all methods around Skype, phone, and face-to-face all really effective. So don't hesitate to feel like you're not going to be getting the same benefit we're on the Skype call or face-to-face. I do a lot of international coaching as well.

S3 71:47 Okay. Great. Now, I think I'm all clear. I guess there's any-- one of the questions, so just in terms of-- my workload is already huge. I just want to make sure I'm not signing up for having even more work and being even more overwhelmed.

S2 72:03 Sure. Sure. Okay. So again, it really comes down to coachee driven. So when we decide that you've got-- for instance, we might decide that we're going to meet in two weeks time. The actions that you'll decide that you want to take on I'll be checking in with you, "Is that achievable in that period of time?" So we'll always decide firstly when are we next going to connect, and then I'll ask you to create actions that you can actually cope with, can actually achieve within that period. And we'll also check in at the end of this session because sometimes you can get quite excited and be saying rather lots of actions to yourself, and we can check in and see how that sounds when we look at the whole picture. And if you need to we might be able to tune that up to make it achievable in that period. So how does that sound for you?

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S3 72:49 Yeah, it sounds great. Can we start now [laughter]?

S2 72:54 I'm loving your enthusiasm. We certainly can. What I would like to do though when we start now absolutely start as far as getting into the goal setting itself. But also what I want to do is have you know that at the end of the goal setting session, end of the session one, I want to check-- I'm going to check in with you just to make sure that you do feel like it's something that you do want to go ahead with, that you do feel aligned. And I'm not attached if you don't feel like it's the right modality for you, if you don't feel we're necessarily a great fit, please know that that's okay. I just like you to be able to relax into the session. How does that sound?

S3 73:32 It sounds good, and I'd also like to check if it's possible that my organization would like to pay for this as well. So I'd like to just check in with that. I would like to go probably ahead whatever, but I also just want to check the logistics of it all.

S2 73:50 Okay. Yeah. Absolutely. That's not a problem at all. So we can get to, I guess, that point of understanding where we decide we'd like to partner, and then, obviously, we need to manage that whole process, and it goes from there.

S3 74:02 Lovely. Okay, great.

S2 74:04 Good. Okay. All right. So we might just wrap up that piece of modeling there. So, again, if you can cast your eye to your worksheet, what did you notice? What were the key inclusions there, and what did you think the benefit of those might be? What did you like about the approach for yourself? So Vashti, for you as the coachee in that instance, what did that give you?

S3 74:48 Well, I think what it did was it filled in the gaps for me. I had an expectation of what I wanted as coaching, but I actually really had the full picture. So there wasn't any stones left unturned. I had a real sense of what was going to roll out, what was expected of me, I guess the flexibility of it, being able to Skype, phone, do it in person. I also had this great sense-- and I threw in a little bit of a red herring for you all listening in, our lovely participants, when I sort of mentioned maybe the organisation would like to pay for this coaching program because there are going to be people that are coming to you for executive coaching and feel it's something that's going to really add value to them in the workplace and just listening to you, Lisa, I kind of thought, "Wow, everything I'm getting here is not only going to add to my personal health and well being but it's also going to have me perform even better." So I've really kind of got a sense of how it was going to serve me personally and professionally.

S2 75:51 Great. Yeah. So hopefully but we're getting that broader context and I think it's also-- and probably something I didn't model but just that opportunity to say, "What other questions do you have at this point in time?" And I loved that Vashti popped in with her own question but just allowing that space, if there's anything else that they do want to investigate on how this might all fit together, this is a great time to be doing it.Okay.

S3 76:16 And Lisa, I'd love to-- Lisa, can I just add to the participants? There's a lot of listening going on here. I really acknowledge you for taking in all this information and remember that what we're doing now is breaking it down, almost labouriously we're

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breaking it down into sections. There's going to be a lot more kind of authentic flow when you're delivering this yourself, but the absolute necessity to really explaining everything, make sure that there are no broken expectations. I once had somebody come work with me a long time many years ago, and I didn't place very clearly. I didn't set the scene very clearly in terms of how often I would be working with them. And they wanted to touch base with me literally every day, and that's actually a very different relationship. So all of those little details and the invitation to ask questions is really important, even if it can feel like a little bit of a long-winded approach listening to it broken down like this. Back to you, Lisa.

S2 77:10 That's very true. As we actually deliver it, as you said, Vashti, if you could think about all the modelling pieces they actually don't take that long. Each of these pieces are probably only a few minute conversations, two to five minutes maybe. Okay. So if we again cast our way back to page 74, Coaching Compatibility Meeting, we've just had a look at defining coaching, the programme structure, and responsibilities, checking alignment, just checking in now with what you know about coaching and about how I define it and how I approach it. Before we head on could I just make sure that you do want to proceed to going into the actual goal setting process, so just allowing space at that point in time. If you've set it up to be a full goal setting session I would still check in at this point in time. Make sure because they might be looking for a mentor, for instance. Okay.

S2 78:04 The other thing, too, is if you're having that coffee meeting that Vashti talked about, so we're doing this piece separately, just checking in then. Is it what you've expecting it might be? And allowing that space for your potential coachee to maybe articulate that they might be looking for something different, because you might need to help them clarify that as well. Okay. So all of that is that coaching compatibility meeting. We've got to establish their ongoing action as appropriate. If it's a coffee meeting they say, "Yes, that's fine. Let's maybe look to meet up and do a goal setting session." Or if you're in the big session it'd be a great lead in for them with the goal setting process itself. So we've really gone through all these new pieces as coaching compatibility meeting, and our second point then is our goal setting process, and you've already done that. So that's what you did face-to-face in day three, the goal setting process itself.

S2 79:09 Now, I'm not going to take you through at length the whole goal setting process, but I do want just to remind you of the structure of the process. So if you can go to your goal setting notes, and again, I'll just keep asking you to use your goal setting notes. It will help you hold the structure. So on page 70 you can see there in the dark print, about a third of the way down, it says Goal Setting Process. And it gives you the outline of the elements you're going to be including. Now, we've already done that focusing exercise. So in the goal setting you may remember that we ask the coachees to start with is there anything particularly they already know that they might want to work on. So they might say, "I want to work on my listening skills and my delegation skills," for instance. And we just record those two things there. Then we're looking at the present situation, so getting them to tell us about where they're at with those areas. In this instance where they're at with their listening skills, where they're at with

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their delegation, and then expanding it out. What else can you tell me about your workplace? What else will be important for me to know about you professionally?

S2 80:25 Also part of that present situation, I'm a big fan of getting to understand their personal side as well. So once they've gone through this professional side using permission, are you okay if I ask you a bit more, Vashti, about life outside work? What could you share that you'd be happy for me to know about? I've heard you mention, for instance, that you were juggling the children before. I heard you talk about going overseas. So those aspects and getting them to expand them. So that's that first page. Then going over to page 71, once they've done that and they've had a chance to hear themselves go all through the current reality, asking them what is it-- now, is it still about listening and delegation? And sometimes it will be the same and other times it may go, "Oh, I think there might be something in there about patience for me as well," or, "I think there might be something in there about time management," for instance. Maybe it's not about delegation so much”. So they've got the opportunity to switch and change and decide what the key areas that they want to focus on and set goals around. Then you'll see what's on page 71, vision to reach goal area. Make sure we get clear about the date to which they're looking for their vision so their brain can get refocused on what that space will look like by that time and we're asking them what will be happening when you're feeling really satisfied and proud around “listening”. Tell me what's happening, tell me who you are, and of course, then we’re going to work also to tie down that goal at the end as well. We'll have that in a short sentence. So Vashti, any important points do you think that come up for you as you hear me talk through that goal setting process that you would like to highlight?

S2 82:15 I just think, guys, you've been listening to an awful lot of information, and what occurred to me when Lisa was speaking then in terms of highlighting specific important factors when clarifying and setting the goals and I guess facilitating the vision, what does it look like, what does it feel if you imagine yourself there. Remember this is really your responsibility to kind of hold the space of what's possible. And so just to be mindful of the way you are articulating it, the way you're setting the scene for them, the way you're giving it back to them. There's a lot of info that's been given to you. You've kind of rote learning almost today in establishing compatibility, but when we get to that goal setting process it's a lot about you holding a space of what is possible and really articulately clarifying what you hear them saying. So I guess what I'm saying in terms of that goal setting process bring it to life. Really make sure that you're listening clearly and that you use your language and I guess your vibrancy to bring to life what's possible, because this is a key, key session in the overall coaching structure. This is what we're going towards potentially for the next 12 months. So really remember that you are there not just as a-- not just as somebody to facilitate the conversation but to really see their potential. So ask questions accordingly.

S2 83:39 Yeah. Thank you, Vashti. I couldn't reinforce anymore with what Vashti said about how critical this is. So take the time if you get that people, for instance, aren't really invested in the vision they've I've created-- and check in with them. Is this inspiring for you? And if you get that, "Oh, yeah," answer which tells you, "Not really," reflect that.

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Say, "I'm not hearing conviction in your yes there about being inspiring. So, what would make it inspiring? What do you really want at the end?" Remembering that when the-- for a goal to be really powerful it needs to be meaningful for that coachee. It needs to give them something, give them-- it needs to be connected to them personally. So really working towards, "What will be different for you? What's this going to give you that you don't have now?" And I often say, "There's a lot of work in this vision. Why would you bother? What will it mean for you when you've got this?" And let them tell you…. “and what else, and what else, and what else?”. So they can start to really see the power of that goal.

S3 84:51 And Lisa just to add to that-- Lisa, sorry, just to add because you brought in so much great, kind of, neuroscience introductory conversations here. Just remember that to be inspired to work towards something, to have our brains in the towards motivation part of it, where it's actually exciting to go towards something, it has to be something you want. If it's something your frightened or feel you have to do you automatically go into that part of your brain where you worry about all the things that are going to get in the way of it not happening. So what Lisa's also talking about is you've got to find that want. Elicit that want so that you actually can go to that place of potential and innate knowing, and I say innate knowing of how to move towards it. So that's all I want to add, Lisa, and I will be quiet now [laughter].

S3 85:39 Oh, you promise that now Vashti [laughter]. So a lovely segway therefore is too though is about what do they really want. And I want to just remind us we did talk about-- or you would've talked with your trainer if it wasn't Vashti and I about CHOICES goal setting model. So I just want to just bring that back to focus. We're not going to spend lots of time but just remind you of it so that you've got it in the background for yourself when you're setting goals. So if you could turn to page 114. And you'll see there the CHOICES Model. Now, when I created this model the word choice to me is critical in coaching. I think it's really important for a coachee to realize that once they've defined their goal and they've defined what they need to do to move forward ultimately, the achievement of that goal is up to them. Everything they do is a choice. It will either take them closer to their goal, or it will take them further away. So I think holding that accountability with them and reminding them of that. So if they don't do actions, for instance, it's not about getting attached as a coach that they haven't done what they said they'd do and you're not getting them where you wanted, but more, "Is this still what you want? Then it's so-- the fact that you haven't done that action for a couple of weeks, or a couple of sessions what's that going to mean for you? What will it mean for your goal?" And letting their accountability sit squarely with them.

S2 87:14 Okay. So this high level-- I was going to take you through that CHOICES model just hopefully to help you clarify. So the challenging part-- so it needs to be a stretch, not something they're going to achieve by themselves. But it does still need to be achievable. So it doesn't matter how big this goal is. I've had amazing goals set and always checking with people, is that achievable? And as soon as they say yes, they've got me. I absolutely believe they have the potential to do that. So be very careful you don't bring in your own judgment say, "Wow. Really? Wow. That's a big goal." And

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maybe sounding like we're not sitting in belief with them. So a really important aspect. Honest, this goes back to what Vashti said. They really need to want it. Needs to be their goal. Not that what their father would like them to do, not necessarily what the boss seems to want them to particularly do here. We'll talk about managing stakeholders at another time, but they really need to want this goal. So you need to be very intuitive and make sure you're hearing that. So it's going to be created by them, not the manager, not you as the coach. You'll know that innately when you're in the process whether you've been involved or not. And the inspiring one, so making sure that you get their energy from them, a little bit like our models before, to always check in. Ask them simply, "Is this inspiring for you?" And really listening to the way they respond. So control, I'm a big fan of making sure they can control their goal. So rather than say, "I will be promoted in 12 months time," Vashti can we control whether we're going to be promoted?

S3 88:53 No. Absolutely not. We can't control it, but we can do everything in our power and our intention to work towards it.

S2 89:01 Yes. Yeah, absolutely. So just those words that Vashti used rather than your goal to be promoted it might be, "I've done all I can or put myself in the best position to be promoted."

S3 89:15 And to add on to that, if we really want to have an empowering goal we ask them, "What would life look like if you were promoted? What would it feel like? Where would you be at in your personal professional life?" And they might say something like, "To be stepping into my new professional chapter." And that way it leaves it a little bit broader for a far greater kind of professional adventure or chapter to unfold.

S2 89:43 Yes. And they can hear the inspiration in that again as well. So, importantly, the final wording in a way that they can control. Evaluate. So they need to be able to evaluate their progress or achievement. It doesn't have to be in that when you actually tie the goal down, but as Vashti said, stepping into my next professional stage, I think her words were. But it doesn't have to be in naming of the goal, but it could be then you'd work with your coachee to go, "Okay. What would have to be in place? What will you need to be able to see to know that you've got there so that we can actually then benchmark those things?" And ultimately, tying it down. One short sentence. So stepping into my new next professional phase, for instance, could be the end goal. So, just again, a very high level revisit to that aspect. When I set a goal with someone I don't say, "Is that challenging? Is this honest? Do you own this?" etc. Because you'll know many of those things innately. You'll know whether they have set the goal rather than you. But I would tend to check in with them. I tend to ask them, "Is it achievable? Is it inspiring? Is it challenging for you?" Those kinds of questions just to make sure that we've got a really robust goal. Don't worry too much about this. Have it in the background, be aware of it, and just use it to help strengthen your goal-setting process would be my invitation to you.

S2 91:16 So that's our last piece of the actual, I guess, theory component as Vashti said it sounds like lots of pieces in there. But they're all very critical to what can be a really amazing first session with your coachee. So I'm going to hand it over to Vashti now for

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her to wrap us up to have you knowing what's ahead as well, and I'll just take the opportunity to say thank you so much for giving this podcast your attention. I really hope that you've gained insight from it and can continue and go and practice these things much sooner rather than later. So I'll hand over to you. Thanks, Vashti, and I'll talk to you all in the next podcast. Bye for now.

S3 91:57 So Lisa, thank you for such a great sort of explanation for that first and most juicy goal setting session structure. Guys, before I talk about expectations, logistics, and what's expected of you as a support structure for your ongoing learning moving away from this podcast, I'd like to just grab some key insights for you. So I'm just going to give you a couple of minutes. What did you take away from that revisit and refresh of the goal setting process? What stood out for you most there? On your worksheets for the podcast I'd just like you to write what did it remind me of? What do I need to focus on when I'm setting goals? Who do I want to be as a coach when I'm setting goals?

S2 92:39 And Vashti as you ask those questions feel free to pause the podcast at any time to take the time you need to take so that you can get the most out of this reflection because that's where so much of your learning will happen as well.

S2 92:53 And there are two people on this call and one flies by the seat that [inaudible] a little too often and one likes to over prepare and write notes about everything, and you can work out who you think those people are, but I really gainfully invite you to collect the learning here whether you're either of those two personality types, collecting the learning documenting is really key. So take some time. What did you learn that was most significant about the goal setting process as it is such a tremendously important vehicle in the journey of their development over the coaching structure? Okay. Let's start to wrap this up. So what you need to know. Firstly, I acknowledge you all for staying focused, staying present, and if you weren't able to I invite you to go back over the listening and review the podcast, and clarify the learning. The second thing I would like you very much to do is consolidate your learning from today's podcasts, one and two, and collect it into three very significant insights. I'd like you to grab those. So three very specific, key learning points and insights that you gained. One, two, and three. And what will be required of you, which will be in the email concerning your homework to be done between now and the next podcast, is to make sure you email those, not only back to your head facilitator but to the group email so that you're sharing your learning. Please also look out for a specific email detailing your homework, what you'll need to carry out with your coaching buddy, and be committed to scheduling it so you know you can follow through and you have that accountability to not only your ongoing learning, but supporting your coaching buddy to do the same.

S3 94:35 Please make sure you gather all your notes from today's podcast, keep them in your manual, and bring a fresh sheet to the next podcast. And if you have any questions or are just bursting with insights that you want to share, please make sure that you email your facilitator, which could be Lisa and I or the appropriate ones who are working with you. So that's all for now. We really hope that you've gotten absolute value out of today's call where the key focus points of learning were a general overall structure to the entire coaching program, to clarifying the structure of the goal setting

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session, and to really focusing on those coaching competencies, code of ethics, and establishing the coaching agreement. And there was a third one Lisa, what was it?

S2 95:19 Sorry. The ICF competencies?

S2 95:22 Yes, the third one--

S2 95:24 Yeah. So planning and goal setting, establishing the coaching agreement, and code of ethics.

S3 95:28 Wonderful. So everybody, thank you so much for attending. We look forward to joining you soon on the next podcast, and have a wonderful day, night, life and we'll talk to you very soon.

S2 95:40 Thanks everybody. Talk to you next time. Bye for now.

S3 95:45 Bye bye.

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