Coaching “Safety Net” Questions – For When Your Mind Goes Blank

Barbra — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:43:27 +0000

Have you ever had the experience of “going blank” while coaching? You know, it’s your turn to speak and your mind freezes?

It happens to all of us from time to time, particularly if we are coaching under challenging circumstances (such as being evaluated in an exam or training class). When it happens to me, I fall back on what I call my “safety net” questions. These are questions that work in pretty much any circumstance.

Using a safety net question helps the flow of the coaching conversation, takes the pressure off the coach and puts the focus back where it belongs – on the client (as opposed to on the c0ach and “what do I say next?”)

Here are my favorite safety net questions:

1. Tell me more about that.
2. I hear ______ in your voice.
3. Why is that important to you?

Listen to this audio that demonstrates the safety net technique in action – I think you’ll agree that these coaching questions really work!

20 Great Self-Care Resources

Barbra — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 19:57:11 +0000

These self-care resources come from the Hollyhock Leadership Institute.

The Urgency Index
Many people find that despite their best efforts, even in work they love and feel good about, they have trouble feeling grounded and on top of things at work. Work is often filled with a sense of urgency—and this, as we all know, can lead to stress, fatigue, and eventually, burn-out. Despite endless good intentions, do you frequently feel like a hamster spinning its little wheel? If so, you must read this article.

Stressed Out? The Tell-tale Signs
Art of Leadership Instructor, Robert Gass, offers a list of ways to let go of some of that tension and avoid burnout. Learn to identify, handle and prevent stress.

The Four Agreements
The four agreements are simple agreements we can make with ourselves and with others in our organizations and communities, that guide how we act – and react in the world around us.

Yoga at Your Desk
If you’re at a desk for a lot of your day, focused and working hard, you might not notice right away when the tension is getting to you. But it will catch up with your body, sooner or later, and can lead to chronic discomfort and even more serious conditions.

Journaling
Journal writing is a way to capture your story and your perspective. Journals also make room for writing that is emotional, personal and tentative — not the kind of writing that most of us engage in in our work lives! This is adapted from Claudia Horowitz’s book “The Spiritual Activist.”

Recipe for a Sacred Hula-Hoop
From the inspirational coffers of Darcy Riddell.

Need More Sleep?
Do you wake up refreshed in the morning without the use of an alarm clock and feel energetic all day? If not, you may find some good tips in this article.

Creating the Life you Want and Loving the Process
Wisdom from the inimitable Judith Ansara Gass, MSW

Proper Breathing 101
“Breathing? I know how to breathe!” Is that what you’re thinking? :)

Loving-Kindness Meditation
Summarized from ‘A Path with Heart’, by Jack Kornfield.

Exercises to Reconnect to Life and Nature
Take a few minutes every day to do the exercises below. They can deepen your connection to all life and your senses in a surprisingly powerful way.

Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude
“The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings” – Eric Hoffer The practice of gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful personal habits that you can cultivate.

The 40-day practice: Bring something new into your life!
To set an intent for something new you want to bring into your life, a positive behavior you want to adopt or a habit you want to break, our suggestion is this…

Ground & Reconnect to the Purpose of Your Work
This exercise can be done with your colleagues, family, friends or volunteer committees as a way of grounding you in the purpose of your work.

Feeling Overwhelmed? A Practice for Making Conscious Choices
How often do you feel overwhelmed by things you simply “have to do”? You feel that there is no choice and everything has somehow just piled up to become utterly unmanageable. If you know what we’re talking about, then try this practice adapted from the teachings of Robert Gass just for you:

Resources to Revive, Replenish & Revitalize!
A treasure chest of articles, exercises and video casts from the Hollyhock Leadership Institute’s programs and conferences.

The Importance of Retreat
You’ve got a workload better suited to two people than one, you are tackling the urgent issues of our time, you have family, friends, bills, your health and your home to take care of. How can you possibly put aside time to retreat in the face of all this?

Feeling Overwhelmed? A Practice for Making Conscious Choices
We don’t always have choice about the events that show up in our lives. It’s a big world and much as we might like, we don’t control it. Yet we always have some choice about how we respond to events.

Is your life in balance?
A practical tool to help you start moving your life from stressed to serene.

Reconnecting To Nature: Finding Our Natural Self
Even if most of our days are spent linked up to a lap top, breathing forced air and commuting through steel cities, most of us carry in our imaginations and memories moments spent in nature that have calmed, inspired and helped us realize our connection to the natural world.

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Coaching “Safety Net” Questions – For When Your Mind Goes Blank

20 Great Self-Care Resources