[Newsletter] The Smartest Coach in the Room

Six kinds of effective coach talk Every Saturday, The Smartest Coach in the Room delivers helpful takeaways on the hottest nutrition and health topics and the world’s most effective coaching techniques. (Did some amazing friend forward this to you? [Subscribe here]( Language is powerful. This is true for all humans—and it’s especially true for coaches. When you can say the right things in the right ways at the right times, you have an opportunity to spark change. [A GIF of a woman gesturing and saying, "Life-affirming, deep conversation."] But those “right things” might not be the ones that immediately come to mind. For example: While it can be tempting to tell clients what to do, often it can be more effective to ask questions, rather than supply answers. In fact, when you can help clients identify their own limiting factors and propose their own solutions, they’ll be more likely to embrace those solutions and make progress. But if you’re not just giving clients instructions or recommendations, what DO you say to help them move forward? 6 types of effective coach talk Here are some examples of communication strategies that our PN coaches have found effective. (Word of advice: Context matters. Adapt these scripts or prompts to match the person and situation in front of you.) 1️⃣ Exploring questions Ask open-ended questions that explore options, values, and possible outcomes, without judgment. ▶ “What things are most important to you? How do exercise and nutrition play a role?” ▶ “What sorts of things would you like to accomplish in your life?” ▶ “If things were better with your eating/exercise, what would be different?” ▶ “What have you already tried? What worked/didn’t work?” 2️⃣ Imaginative prompts Help clients visualize new possibilities by thinking creatively. ▶ “Imagine you can…” ▶ “Imagine you are already…” ▶ “Imagine you have the body and health you desire. What did it take for you to achieve it?” 3️⃣ Success-oriented questions Help your client learn and build on previous successes. ▶ “In the past, when were you successful with this, even just a little bit?” ▶ “How could we do more of that?” 4️⃣ Observations Share your reflections and intuitions to clarify what you’re hearing, and help clients refine their thoughts. ▶ “I get the sense that…” ▶ “It seems to me like…” 5️⃣ Speculations Use open-ended, speculative statements to help your client consider different options. ▶ “I wonder what it would be like if you…” ▶ “I wonder if we could try…” 6️⃣ Change-sparkers Get clients talking about change on their own terms. ▶ “In what ways does this concern you?” ▶ “If you decided to make a change, what makes you think you could do it?” ▶ “How would you like things to be different?” ▶ “How would things be better if you changed?” ▶ “What concerns you now about your current exercise and eating patterns?” Want more strategies to help clients make lasting change? Check out our [Level 1 Nutrition Coaching Certification]( where you’ll learn both the art of coaching, with the science of nutrition. [Become a Certified Nutrition Coach - Join the presale list for the #1 rated PN Level 1 Nutrition Certification]( Cheers, Camille --------------------------------------------------------------- Camille DePutter Co-author of PN’s Level 1 Certification textbook Precision Nutrition (Home of the World’s Top Nutrition Coaches) --------------------------------------------------------------- What did you think of this email? Precision Nutrition Business Insider's #1 Choice for Nutrition Certifications in 2022 --- To view this email as a web page, click [here.]( Precision Nutrition Inc. 18 King Street East, Suite 1400 Toronto, ON, M5C 1C4, Canada Finally, nutrition makes sense. Visit us at [www.precisionnutrition.com]( today. Follow us on [Unsubscribe or Manage Preferences](