Types Of Coaching: Characteristics And Differences
As we already know, coaching is increasingly on the rise and at the same time, its meaning and the specific connotation of the profession are increasingly being distorted.
When we explore in detail, we come across a variety of terms that can cause confusion. How many modalities exist? What is the distinction between the different forms of coaching?, etc. Agustín Piedrabuena, director of Innerkey Coaching, will answer these questions in detail, so that you can make an informed decision if you are considering training as a coach.
I had the honor of receiving training from one of the pioneers of coaching, Sir John Whitmore, who was knighted by British royalty for his contribution to the world with his methodology known as coaching. However, John always expressed that he had made a mistake with the name, since the word “coaching” easily leads to misinterpretation. ‘Coach’ in English means trainer. And what does a coach usually do? Give instructions to the athlete to improve a skill. And that is, in fact, the complete opposite of good coaching!
Coaching is a technique that, when used in depth, helps people AWAKEN UP. What does this imply? It involves becoming aware of who they are, what type of life they want, how they want to relate to others, how they want to achieve their life purposes, how to evolve personally throughout their existence, and be happier with each step.
But all this can only be discovered by oneself. Therefore, a good coach will never tell you who you are or what you should do, but will ask you challenging questions so that you become aware and discover your own reality. In this sense, coaching and consulting are opposite approaches. The coach will help you discover for yourself, while the consultant or advisor helps you or gives you specific guidelines so that you learn or implement what he specifically tells you.
Consulting disguised as coaching
The word coaching is often more attractive than the word consulting. Previously, being a consultant was something that many people aspired to be, now it is being a coach. Therefore, there are many consultancies that have adopted the new name, but still perform the same function: telling you what you should do. Terms such as aesthetic coach, nutritional or dietary coach, relational coach, communication coach, leadership coach, strategic coach… are terms that in theory could refer to authentic coaching, but unfortunately often cover up consulting under a new name.
These so-called coaches will provide you with instructions, advice and techniques to improve your appearance, lose weight, improve your diet, lead… which is exactly what a consultant or advisor does: share your supposed wisdom with those who supposedly do not possess it. A good coach would never take this approach, as he understands that all the wisdom you need already resides within you. The good coach will help you, accompany you to discover it and apply it in your life for yourself.
Authentic coaching modalities
Within what we could call real coaching, there are 6 different types, depending on who they are aimed at.
1. Personal coaching or life coaching
Personal coaching or life coaching is aimed at people who want to improve specific aspects of their life, hence its name. Given the greatness of life, this type of coach can cover any personal, professional, emotional, relational, family, spiritual, financial, communicative, sexual, aesthetic, etc. aspect.
The person who starts a process decides what aspect of their life they want to improve and will work on it with their coach. Some examples could be: I want to improve my relationship. I want to change jobs. I want to get a promotion. I want to improve my finances. I want to discover my true identity. I want to strengthen my faith in something higher. I want to lose weight. I want to increase my attractiveness. I want to transform my life… Regardless of the issue, no matter how challenging it may seem, good coaching with sufficient depth will be extremely transformative.
For Innerkey, the transpersonal coaching that we teach undoubtedly fulfills everything necessary to be able to deeply accompany anyone who wants to transform any part of their life.
2. Executive coaching
Executive coaching focuses on directors, managers and leaders in business environments. The work methodology is similar to that of personal coaching, but the topics addressed during the process focus on enhancing leadership skills, unleashing the team’s potential, driving the company’s success, etc. A difference to keep in mind is that, in executive coaching, generally the company is the one who pays for the process and not the worker.
Therefore, There are multiple interests in this type of processes. On the one hand, there are the expectations of the person participating in the process, but there are also the expectations of his superior, whose budget finances the entire process.
If we want to enter the world of coaching professionally, we must skillfully handle these two modalities, since they are the most in demand.
3. Sports coaching
Authentic sports coaching, that is, coaching that addresses self-discovery, is a type of support that usually focuses on Help athletes cultivate mental and emotional states that are more conducive to achieving their sporting goals.
It is important to clearly distinguish between the figure of the sports coach and that of the trainer. A professional athlete usually has his coach, who guides him and teaches him techniques and methods to improve. In addition, he can count on an additional sports coach, who will help him with powerful questions to overcome his mental and emotional obstacles to increase his potential. In sports coaching, it may be the athlete themselves who pays for the process, or the sports club to which they belong.
4. Educational coaching
Educational coaching usually focuses on children or students, with the goal of enhancing their self-esteem, enthusiasm and desire to learn, and becoming wiser individuals with each experience. It also seeks to give them clarity about their purposes, their future aspirations, their gifts and talents, etc. This type of coaching can be used by professionals, parents and teachers who have received training in educational coaching.
5. Group coaching
This type of coaching, unlike the previous ones, is not aimed at individuals but at a group of people. The coach will present a tool, and all the people present in the session will work individually with it. In other words, even if there are a hundred people in the room, each participant will be working with himself/herself to enhance some aspect of his/her own life. The coach will facilitate the session supporting all participants sometimes with general questions and other times with individual questions for those who need it.
6. Team coaching
The distinction between group coaching and team coaching is that, in the second case, all the people who participate must form a true work team.
The fundamental difference between a team and a group of people lies in sharing a common goal and needing each other to achieve it. In these cases, the team will jointly define what they want to achieve with the process and all questions and tools used by the coach will be directed at the team as a whole, and not at individuals.
Everyone will work towards the same goal. In other words, if the team is made up of six members, the coach will not work with each of them individually, but rather his client will be an entity made up of six people, which will see itself as a single unit. This is the reason why this type of coaching is the one that differs the most from all the previous ones.
The important thing is the degree of depth
And once we have seen the types of coaching, we have to mention the fact that the important thing to be able to help people achieve their goals, regardless of the coaching they hire, is If you will do deep and not superficial coaching.
Deep accompaniment like transpersonal coaching requires great courage on the part of the coach. That’s why there is so much superficial coaching; It is easier and more comfortable, both for the coach and the client. However, superficial work rarely produces results. Let’s look at the differences between truly profound accompaniment and one that is not.
If someone really wants to achieve a great transformation in their life, they must transcend the character with which they have identified.
Hence the word transpersonal: transcend the person you think you are. That character is the result of your past, your education, your instilled and learned desires and fears, your childhood and adolescent experiences, your experiences with figures who had authority in your life, family patterns…
That character is a collection of mental and emotional memories. The power of will and creation is infinitely greater. But to embrace your true potential, you must transcend what you have identified with and is limiting you. And that can only be achieved by working very deeply.
At InnerKey we are experts in transpersonal, executive and team coaching, do not hesitate to contact us so we can explain each program in detail.
