How long is a coaching session
How many coaching sessions do I need
What is coaching?
In essence, coaching is a reflective conversation that helps you think — clearly, calmly, creatively, and fearlessly.
Coaching is different for everyone, tailored to your individual needs and circumstances. In that sense, coaching is like a lighthouse. It provides illumination and guidance, but you are the captain of your boat. You do the thinking, you make the decisions, you take the actions. It’s your very own journey.
Through coaching you will discover new insights, resources, ideas and solutions that work uniquely for you and your context. A good coach treats you as the expert in your own life, recognising that you have the power and resources to move forward under your own steam. To truly understand the power of coaching you need to experience it.
Coaching is not training, teaching, consulting or counselling, even though there are overlaps in the approach. As a coach I support you in finding your own answers in a solution-focused way. This includes evidence-based approaches that are proven to be more effective than advice-giving. That doesn’t mean I never offer advice, but I will always first help you think things through for yourself.
Still confused? This video (by a third party, no affiliation) explains a bit more:
How beneficial is coaching?
Research has shown that coaching, done right, consistently generates results. The return on investment (ROI) from various studies is usually quoted to be in the range of 200% to 1000% at an organisational level. In my experience it can be much higher than that, especially at the individual level. And that’s not counting qualitative benefits like having more clarity, purpose, motivation, productivity, fulfilment or wellbeing.
Another study showed that coaching, when coupled with training, increased productivity by 88% versus 22% for training alone. Even if you’ve been lucky enough to receive training at work, coaching is like a booster rocket that will get you to the next level.
Why work with a coach?
In many endeavours it is accepted wisdom that you should have a coach — take sport or music, for example. Beginners and elite performers all have coaches. Strangely the same is still not true in business, although things are gradually changing.
When we leave school or university it is somehow expected that we should know how to live and work. But how is trigonometry going to help us deal with a tricky customer? How is medieval history going to help our team be more collaborative? At work we might be lucky enough to get further training, but then how do we apply the learnings in day-to-day, real-world situations?
In your business or career there may be countless reasons why you should work with a coach, none of which could ever be neatly wrapped into a training course or generic development program — because they are unique to you and your circumstances. Coaching is entirely tailored to you, helping you answer your question.
When is coaching useful?
Some people work with a coach because they want to develop their professional careers. Others want to grow as leaders or move their business forward.
Some people want to achieve something completely new. Others want to work through complex challenges that are facing them right now.
Some people know exactly what they want. Others just want some headspace to think and bounce off issues and ideas with someone who is on their side.
What they all have in common is a desire for meaningful change and progress. Whether it’s getting clear on priorities, achieving more impact, developing strategy, improving teamwork, preparing for a big meeting or job interview, or anything else that is important in your world right now, coaching gives you the clarity you need to take intentional steps forward.
How long is a coaching session?
Coaching sessions are usually scheduled for 1 hour over Zoom. I also do other formats, such as in-person coaching and extended ‘whiteboard’ sessions.
For group and team workshops check out my training and development page.
For more details or to discuss your requirements just contact me.
How many coaching sessions do I need?
This differs from person to person. Some of my clients had a transformative insight in their very first session and decided that was all they needed. Others want a longer term engagement to grow and develop or deal with the issues of the day.
In my experience, people who have come to coaching to address a career issue typically achieve their goals after 2-3 sessions. Most leaders and entrepreneurs I work with tend to prefer a longer-term engagement, enabling them to bounce off regularly, prioritise issues, and make progress on strategic goals.
I’m a solution-focused coach, which means that you are in control. Our engagement ends when you decide that you have reached your desired outcome or made enough progress to continue your journey on your own. It would serve neither you nor me if we carried on for ten sessions if you reached that point after three. This is why I offer pay-as-you-go flexibility in addition to longer-term engagements.
In terms of frequency, sessions are typically held on a biweekly or monthly basis, but it depends on your requirements.
What about group and team workshops?
I provide development workshops for groups and teams, including coaching training and facilitation for strategy, innovation, team building and more.
Whether you want to develop, reboot or energise your team, we will get everyone together in a way that is fun and inspiring. Check out my training and development page for further information.
How much does it cost?
Coaching is an investment in your personal development. The return on investment (ROI) from coaching can be 10x or more. And like all good coaches I eat my own dogfood and invest in working with coaches for myself, including formal coaching supervision and continuous professional development. You reap what you sow.
Like many coaching businesses I use differential pricing. This maximises accessibility and viability for everyone, keeping rates affordable while participating in your success and ROI on a fair basis. As such I have three price bands:
- Corporate
- Small Business/SME
- Private Individual
For 1-1 coaching I don’t insist on a minimum number of sessions, unlike many other coaches. Some people just need to resolve a single question; others prefer to bounce off regularly. It’s up to you. Depending on your requirements, you can choose between:
- Pay as you go (PAYG) per session.
- Multi-session programme (6 or more)
PAYG tends to be popular for career coaching, or for people who want to work on a short-term issue. An upfront commitment to multiple sessions (in return for a discount) tends to be favoured by leaders and entrepreneurs who want to check in regularly to support their journey. Enquire to discuss your rate or book a trial session.
Team coaching and group workshops usually require bespoke delivery and pricing. Enquire for details.
Trial session
I can no longer provide free introductory sessions but you can book a full-length trial session for the discounted rate of £100 incl. all taxes and fees (roughly $125 or €115). In this first session we will explore your world and challenges, create some clarity and achieve your first insights. What comes next is up to you. If we decide to continue working together, we’ll take it from there.
Pro bono work
If money is a problem for you, or you consider yourself to come from an underprivileged or underrepresented background, enquire about my pro bono programme which offers free coaching to select individuals (subject to availability).
I sometimes also work on a pro bono basis with non-profit organisations (e.g. I’m an active supporter/mentor of Women in Geospatial and Geovation).
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