Would you recommend coaching to others?
The answer to this question is one of my key drivers as a coach. I spend much of my time encouraging more people to experience coaching. And support coaching clients to share those positive experiences and benefits with others.
I am passionate about coaching being as accessible, affordable and flexible as possible. Reaching and working with people that had not experienced coaching before, is also a key aim. In a recent coaching client survey, only 25% had experienced one-to-one coaching before. I am delighted to be attracting new people to consider, try and enjoy coaching.
I wanted to share some statistics to illustrate that coaching clients like to have a choice. There is no 'one size fits all' approach or framework to how individuals choose to access coaching. These are some of the ways that I am trying to make coaching more accessible, affordable and flexible.
I give coaching clients their choice of platform or setting for their coaching.
53% have chosen online video platforms such as Zoom or Teams. 34% have wanted to meet in-person (either at the workplace, or a convenient location), and 13% by phone.
This enables coaching clients to feel their most comfortable and creative. Others appreciate a blended approach of in-person and digital meetings. External factors can also have an impact. For example, more people returning to in-person meetings, increasing travel costs and seasonality.
I also give coaching clients full control over the pace of their coaching experience. The frequency of coaching sessions is individual to each client. 44% prefer monthly sessions, 31% choose fortnightly and 25% like weekly coaching sessions. For some this is not by choice, but driven more by budget or time constraints. For others, they like to change the pace through the coaching series, speeding up and slowing down to suit.
Clients can also access coaching through a variety of means. For example, through an organisation or initiative, or researching and contracting directly. 34% have accessed coaching through an organisation partner and commissioned through an organisation. 31% are private paying clients. 19% have benefited from my 'pay what you can' initiative. 16% have benefitted from coaching time through a third sector partner. Coaching programmes provided by charities and social enterprises are invaluable. They support those most in need, and I am delighted to support these initiatives.
One client has shared "I have really enjoyed the coaching I have received. Organisations should put in place coaching into career development processes. It has been very valuable to my own career development."
It is a rich source of professional, personal and leadership development. I am always surprised that more organisations don't consider external coaching. As a result, many people chose to contract and engage coaches directly. I will continue to make coaching available to organisations of all types. As well as for individuals and hard to reach groups.
And, most importantly, would clients recommend coaching to others? As of September 2022, 100% of them would recommend coaching to others.
So, what are you waiting for? If you have not tried coaching before, go get yourself a coach, and give it a go!