Chapter 3

Being present: lift-off

A woman named Shilpa wears a uniform and hat. She salutes and smiles.

When your body is here but your mind is elsewhere

In coaching, the concept of maintaining attention and awareness on your coachee is a fundamental skill. We call it having presence or being present. It is critical because it enables and enhances so many of the other skills that we address in this book:

  • your ability to ask the best questions to evoke progress relies on presence (see Chapter 7 and Chapter 14).
  • your ability to listen effectively relies on presence (see Chapter 8).
  • your ability to build trust and rapport with your coachee will improve almost immeasurably with strong presence (see Chapter 5

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