Using visuals for coaching
I had the pleasure of speaking at the NW Coaches Association meeting recently. As is true in so many of these quick speaking opportunities, there were a number of questions left unanswered due to lack of time. This post offers some answers to some of them.
Setting up a VisualsSpeak session
The first thing I do anytime I use VisualsSpeak is to think about who my audience is and what is their desired outcome. NW Coaches is a professional association who comes together for networking and professional development. The individual members serve a range of niche areas. This meeting included coaches that focus on life, health, career, small business, organizational, and executive coaching.
People were seated in small groups at round tables, at my request. I decided to use the framing question, “Who are you as a coach?”, since coaching was the thread that tied the group together. Because people come to these meetings to network, I asked them to share the story of their images with their individual small groups. This gave them the opportunity to learn more about their colleagues beyond the verbal introductions they had done earlier in the meeting.
Each person had a piece of paper to construct their image on top of. You can read more about Why should I use a background? here.
How does the framing question change working with clients?
When working with an individual client, you can focus the question more directly on the goals your client wishes to work on. So, if a health coach wanted to help a client get clearer about creating a healthy lifestyle, you might start with “What is a healthy lifestyle?”.
The most common framework I use in initial coaching sessions, whether working with an individual or group, is to have people make an image of the present and the future. I do this by offering two pieces of background paper, and suggest the space between them is the transition.
The present/future framework is particularly effective with people who were born and raised in the dominant US culture. Here in the US, we learn to construct our lives around working for a better future. Many of the coaching, education, counseling, and organizational models focus on identifying goals and the action steps to achieving them. Using this frame is familiar to many people.
Oftentimes, a client will come with an idea of what they want. For example a new job. And they will have a story about the new job they are looking for, say with a company of a particular type. Yet, when they make an image of present and future, the story that emerges may be quite different. The verbal stories in our head, may not match our unconscious goals. Using VisualsSpeak will help you uncover the desires your clients’ have that even they may not be aware of. The picture of the future may not include a job at all, or it might include types of work your client has never mentioned. This process provides a very rich opportunity for looking at values and ideas about what is really wanted. Also, see Why use visuals to spark conversation?
What if you are not finding the right images?
VisualsSpeak isn’t collage. It isn’t about finding exactly the right images to represent every part of your life. It’s about sparking a different kind of insight. Oftentimes the insights are deeper when you don’t find the exact image you want because you are forced to think more about what it is you aren’t finding. The insights emerge from a combination of the images and the stories they evoke. I wrote another post, Why I am thrilled when you can’t find the image you want?.
Any other questions?
It was great to see a room full of enthusiastic coaches using images to deepen their conversations and spark new insights. I’m happy to answer any other questions you have, just drop me an email christine(@)visualsspeak.com or leave it here in the comments.
