I’d like to share a short story with you. It’s an experience I had with a particular client of mine and our online life coaching relationship.
Initially when he contacted me he lived in the UK. We worked together for well over a year and enjoyed a good coaching relationship. He was one of the clients we all wish to coach, punctual, honest, transparent, hard working and authentic. On being relocated to South Africa and working close to where I reside our coaching unexpectedly ground to a halt. Not intentionally but rather it petered out. Perhaps this was only a natural transgression and the coaching intervention had come to its own conclusion, I’m sure this did partly play a role. However I also feel that the shift between online coaching and direct one on one coaching may have also had something to do with it. There is a particular safety surrounding online life coaching, especially if that is what you have become accustomed to. In some ways it is not so intimate and affords the client a certain safer perceived sanctuary. You are not physically in their space, they are surrounded by familiarity and not sitting in what can sometimes be a foreign and new environment.
It really is great when a new client signs up and they are open to online life coaching even if logistically they are relatively close. From a selfish perspective it offers me the chance to save time, not to travel, not to get stuck in traffic or get lost as I am very prone to doing (even with a GPS). To me online coaching is a no brainer. I appreciate it may not be for everyone, just as online shopping doesn’t suit us all. But what I would say to you, is if you are looking at finding a coach and interested in online life coaching, then take yourself out of your comfort zone and give it a go. What’s the worst that can happen?
read more……Sally Ann Burgess – Executive Life Coach