Coaching with NLP For Dummies®

Forwarding Awareness into Action

The SCORE and Logical Levels models help you release the creative thinking of your clients, taking them from a stuck place to some awareness of what's holding them back and what they'd like to be different.

Yet awareness of what's happening isn't enough to make change happen. Just knowing what's going on doesn't solve the issue, even though developing this knowledge is an essential part of the coaching cycle. Awareness needs to result in action, which means adopting new habits and behaviours.

Even the shortest coaching session is incomplete without a conclusion that reinforces the need to take action. Some simple questions to develop actions include:

• What happens now for you?
• What will you do now with this awareness?
• How would you like me to hold you accountable?
• What else do you need to take action?
• What is the first step? And when?

While I'm not a great fan of creating long action lists during a coaching session, you still need a safety mechanism so that clients don't revert back to old habits. As you work with people, you learn how much structure they benefit from and what formats works best for them. For many clients, having a coach who can hold them accountable to certain deadlines is a powerful motivator for action. Yet some people are more slippery than others – and often for good reason! The change they seek may be very uncomfortable to achieve; it may challenge the habits of a lifetime.

When clients says they'll do something, stop and ...