In this in-depth look at the 9th CHC Core Coaching Competency, we would answer three important questions:
- What do we mean by raising awareness and insights in coaching?
- Why is raising awareness and insights an important coaching competency?
- How can a coach effectively enable a client to raise awareness and get insights?
What does the coaching competency of Raising Awareness and Insights mean?
Have you noticed how sometimes a solution may suddenly hit you like a bolt of lightning when you are looking for an answer to a problem? These sudden, Eureka! moments can be referred to as insights. Insights are also known by other names – an epiphany, eureka moments or (for crossword solvers) the penny drop.
The term ‘Insight’ refers to a deep understanding or realization. It can be an idea or perspective that is new and suddenly pops into your awareness.
Now the real question is how to get insights especially because they are not always a result of conscious analysis and thinking.
Insights often come from our unconscious mind.
For now, think of the Unconscious as that part of the mind, which is working in the background, almost on autopilot.
While insights are one thing that clients need to be aware of, there are also other things they need awareness about. This awareness is not only of what is around but also of what is hidden from the conscious mind. And this awareness will ultimately help them in their coaching sessions.
Let’s understand why insights and awareness are important in coaching,
Importance of Raising awareness and insights in Coaching
Both awareness (of observable things) and insights (unconscious) play a very important role in coaching.
Clients may need to become aware of information that they are currently not aware of. It could be a piece of unexplored information.
Generally, in a coaching session, we begin by helping clients identify where they are and what they want to achieve and create a plan of action to achieve it. So, awareness also represents those aspects of the client’s current reality that they may not be aware of. This becomes the first level of awareness. This can be achieved by asking them effective questions to help them expand their awareness of reality.
Sometimes, a client wants to achieve a goal but is not sure what that outcome will help them do or be. Coaches can help them explore the reasons behind having a specific outcome by asking them the right questions, by listening to them, by observing the things that they are saying and doing.
It is also extremely important for the coach to help the client create ecological goals that create a positive impact on all areas of their lives. This can be achieved by helping the client describe a sensory-specific, detailed future that they would live when they achieve their outcome. This is the second level of awareness.
Another important step is to create a plan of action. Clients may be aware of certain actions but not other ways of reaching the outcome. By asking effective questions to help them explore alternative ways of reaching the outcome, we can enhance their awareness of new options.
Even when one has a plan of action, there are automatic thoughts and emotions which may prevent them from taking those actions. The coach can help the client become aware of those hindering thoughts and emotions before they can take the required action and make the desired changes.
Further, there is another level of awareness and insights. In some cases, the automatic behaviours, thoughts and emotions are themselves being driven by underlying beliefs, values and positive intentions. An insight into these can help the client change them into more empowering ones, in order to act more naturally and effortlessly towards their plan of action and achieve their outcomes.
How does the Cognitive Hypnotic Coaching Program help you develop this coaching competency of raising awareness and insights in clients?
Unlike other coaching programs, Cognitive hypnotic coaching does not just focus on working with the client’s conscious mind but also with the client’s unconscious mind.
Since the Cognitive Hypnotic Coaching program is a seamless integration of the SOFT SEA® framework, along with major psychological approaches along with Hypnosis, NLP, mindfulness and metaphors, it enables coaches to help clients enhance their awareness and get access to deeper insights.
Various techniques covered under the Cognitive Hypnotic Coaching model, like corrective therapy, meta-model, revelation and introspection metaphors, and reframing help clients –
- define their current situation or reality
- define the outcome precisely
- describe a sensory-specific, observable future
- design an actionable, chunked down plan to achieve the outcome
- identify the different layers of hindrances that are preventing them from taking the desired action
- automatic thoughts
- emotions
- behaviours
- beliefs
- values
- positive intentions
- resolve all the above layers
ICHARS’ proprietary SOFT SEA® coaching framework, which focuses extensively on the outcome, future and plan of action, itself can create a lot of insights for the clients. These insights help clients understand their reasons for achieving a particular outcome as well as the possible hindrances to that outcome. These insights then act as learnings for them.
In addition to all this, while you are undergoing your Cognitive Hypnotic Coaching training, you also learn to develop and sustain positive resourceful states for yourself, as a coach. This further leads to insights and increased awareness for self as well as your clients.
In short, if you are a coach or aspiring to be one, we would really recommend that you explore and understand the Cognitive Hypnotic Coaching framework.
If you are already convinced and want to just know how can you become a Cognitive Hypnotic Coach, check out our Comprehensive Coaching Diploma.
