Every coach has their own unique preferences, philosophy, and approach. However, there are some basic principles that all successful coaching professionals follow. The more you master these skills and values, the deeper your impact will be on your clients.

Let’s explore the fundamentals of coaching and how you can incorporate them into your practice.

What Are the 3 Fundamental Coaching Skills?

These three coaching skills are the cornerstones of effective coaching. Professionals spend their entire careers practicing and mastering them to deliver results to their clients.

Here’s what they entail and how you can get better at them.

1. Active Listening

Active listening means fully engaging with your client and understanding their thoughts, emotions, and intentions. It goes beyond just listening to their words; it takes reading their non-verbal cues and what they don’t say out loud in the conversation.

Mastering this skill takes being present with your client and focusing on what you can learn about them—instead of what you already know. Reflecting to your client what they have just said and paraphrasing their thoughts can help you understand them even deeper. For example, you can tell them:

“So you’re saying you feel stuck in your current job position.”

This gives them a chance to hear their situation from someone else and acknowledge it or to elaborate on their answer.

Being attentive to your client gives them more space to reflect on their situation. This way, you can gain deeper insights into their experience and provide them with better guidance.

2. Questioning

Skillful questioning is vital for guiding clients toward transformation. Open-ended questions are way more common in coaching as they give more freedom for the client to express themselves and open up new ways of thinking. Some open-ended coaching questions are:

• How might your view change if you approached this from a different angle?
• If anything was possible, what would your ideal outcome look like?
• How does this goal align with your values and priorities?
• What small, manageable steps can you take toward your goal?
• How could you respond differently if you approached this situation from a place of calmness?
• How will you know when you’ve made progress towards your goal?

On the other hand, close-ended questions help clarify information.

• Did I capture your main points accurately?
• Are you clear on what needs to be done next?
• Have you completed the tasks we discussed last time?
• On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with your progress?
• Which option do you prefer?
• Are you willing to commit to this action step?

You can expand your repertoire of coaching questions and experiment with them in different scenarios throughout your career. You can use them to help clients gain clarity, uncover limiting beliefs, and identify actionable steps toward their goals.

[ Read: 73 Life Coaching Questions That Work With Every Client ]

3. Feedback and Reflection

Constructive feedback and reflection are essential for learning and growth. Highlighting your client’s strengths gives them confidence and helps them learn what character traits and skills they can leverage in various aspects of their lives. Giving positive feedback and reinforcement may sound like:

• Your ability to remain composed and focused during challenging situations has improved significantly since we started working together.
• Your dedication to practicing mindfulness techniques is paying off, and I’m impressed by your resilience.
• You were very proactive in implementing the strategies we discussed last week.

Pointing out areas for improvement is equally crucial in supporting your client. It directs their focus on key areas of personal growth, which helps accelerate their progress.

• While you’ve made significant progress in managing your time more effectively, I noticed that you still struggle with prioritizing tasks.
• There have been a few instances where conflicts arose within your team, and they weren’t resolved smoothly.
• Your goals are ambitious but could benefit from being more specific and time-bound.

After pointing out strengths and growth opportunities for your client, you can help them reflect on how they can capitalize on them or change their behavior. By fostering a growth mindset and a culture of open feedback, you can empower clients to cultivate adaptability and continuous improvement.

[ Read: 4 Reasons Coaching Goals Are So Important for Your Clients (+ 6 Examples) ]

What Are the 4 Types of Coaching?

Coaches typically fall into these four different coaching styles depending on their strengths, specializations, and the type of clients they’re working with.

Democratic Coaching

Democratic coaching or participative coaching is a collaborative approach with shared decision-making. It encourages open communication and is especially receptive to the client’s perspectives.

This coaching style fosters a sense of ownership and accountability and encourages clients to set goals and create action plans for themselves.

Autocratic Coaching

Autocratic coaching is more directive in nature. It has a structured and authoritative approach, requiring the coach to take the lead in decision-making and provide specific instructions to the client.

However, it’s not to be confused with consulting, where a specialized expert gives advice and provides solutions. In autocratic coaching, the client is still the expert; you simply take a more dominant role in the coaching process by outlining specific feedback, action steps, and expectations.

[ Read: 5 Different Coaching Styles and How To Use Them ]

Laissez-Faire Coaching

Laissez-faire translates to “let do” in French. It’s a hands-off approach where the coach gives the client space and freedom to explore their own solutions and decisions.

This style of coaching takes minimal guidance and intervention from the coach. Similarly to democratic coaching, it aims to instill a sense of autonomy and self-responsibility.

However, while a democratic coach actively engages in collaborative decision-making and goal-setting, a laissez-faire coach is more passive. They offer support and encouragement as needed, but let the client take initiative in the coaching process.

Holistic Coaching

Holistic coaching pays attention to how various aspects of a person’s life are interconnected, including physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. It addresses the whole person and aims to create balance and harmony in all areas of life.

This coaching approach also aligns goals and actions with the client’s values and long-term vision. While often used in health and life coaching, this style too can be implemented in any niche.

What Are the 3 C’s of Coaching?

The 3 C’s of coaching were coined by Steve Chandler, renowned author and coach. They are key values that can be used to accelerate your client’s progress.

1. Curiosity

Coaches who embody curiosity create a safe and judgment-free environment for clients to explore new ideas and challenge assumptions. Asking open-ended questions and practicing actively listening are important elements of demonstrating this value. 

For example, instead of assuming a common career trajectory, you may ask your client: “What does success look like for you in this field?” Listening to their responses without interruption or judgment will allow them to express themselves fully and explore new possibilities.

2. Compassion

Compassionate coaching demonstrates empathy and understanding toward the client. This creates a nurturing space where they can feel accepted, valued, and encouraged to open up about their vulnerabilities.

You can show empathy toward a client in a challenging situation by saying: “I hear how difficult this has been for you, and I want you to know that I’m here to support you.”

You can also validate their feelings and reassure them by saying: “It’s normal to feel apprehensive about making changes, but I believe in your ability to overcome these obstacles.”

Demonstrating unconditional positive regard and acceptance towards the client, regardless of their circumstances or past mistakes, creates a safe and trusting coaching relationship.

3. Courage

Like your client, you must step out of your comfort zone as a coach to facilitate lasting change. You must assertively challenge your client’s limiting beliefs, address delicate issues, and hold them accountable.

Coaching your clients fearlessly sets a good coach apart from an exceptional one. By confronting resistance and taking risks, you can deliver more than what’s expected of you and help your client reach their full potential.

Build an Exceptional Coaching Practice

Mastering the fundamentals of coaching will help you stand out and make a more significant impact on your clients’ lives. Plenty of free courses and more advanced training programs help you hone your coaching skills and expand your methodology.

However, running a coaching business takes more than simply showing up for your sessions. You need to manage client contracts, payments, and your schedule, among other things.

Paperbell streamlines all of that for you.

It’s an all-in-one client management tool that lets you automate your coaching practice so you can focus your energy on your clients.

Try Paperbell for free with your first client.