Running head: BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH CLIENTS IN LIFE COACHING1
Building Relationships with Clients during the Life Coaching Process
Theresa Phillips
Liberty University
Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to summarize various factors that can build the relationship with
clients during the Life Coaching process. Building a Rapport with the Client and establishing
Trust with the Clients is a very important aspect of life coaching. Using the different types of
listening skills to begin, know and understand the client better will results to obtain the set goals.
When the Life Coach asking open and close questions to the coaches this can help to build the
relationship with clients during the life coaching process. One of the main goals should always
be to lead all clients toward the achievement of their Goal. One of the main qualities of an
effective coach is the clients reaching theirs planned goals. The role of the Life Coach is to
influence the coaches in a professional manor to grow. Establishing a good working relationship
with the client can assist in the process of being an effective life coaches to understand before
you expect to be understood. Take time to get to know the client. Allow them to express
themselves freely and give your client active listening. Being patient and showing your client
that you are concern and care without being in a rush to get through your coaching model.
Building Relationships with Clients during the Life Coaching Process
Life Coaching does require that a trusted relationship will be developing between the mentor and
the mentee. In order for the client to reach their goals within the planning of the life coach,
staying focus and finishing every plan of action. Setting outcomes if you don’t know where you
are going, you will probably end up somewhere else. (Peter, 1977: 125) The foundation is
developed by forming a sustainable and productive relationship with the coach and coaches. This
topic is very important because building a rapport with the client can help to achieve the goals
quicker and easier. The goal of this research paper is to help others in building a better
relationship with clients during the coaching process. Some skills and tools you can use to
become more effective in the building relationships with clients during the Life Coaching
Process.
One of the essential components to any relationship is trust. In fact, it is the building block of any
successful relationship. No matter if it’s a romantic relationship, a friendship or a professional
relationship, trust creates a sense of confidence, ease and safety. It helps to foster an environment
of growth that is essential for all parties involved to be satisfied. 8
As a life coach, you want to establish trust with clients so they feel comfortable sharing their
most personal thoughts, struggles and selves with you. A fruitful coaching relationship is one in
which a client feels safe and unafraid of judgment. Without that, you will struggle to do the hard
work that it takes to create positive and meaningful changes in a client’s life.8
However, trust is also something that needs to be earned, especially with a new client who may
feel very vulnerable in the beginning of the coaching relationship. Clients may feel shame, guilt,
embarrassment or any number of emotions when discussing the most intimate details of their
relationships, careers and health. A successful coach will take care to understand these
vulnerabilities and take measures from the start to build rapport and establish trust.8
How do you build trust with new life coaching clients?
One of the first impressions that many new coaching clients have of you as a coach comes from
testimonials. Whether they are word of mouth referrals or case studies on your website,
testimonials act as social proof that you have achieved success for other clients. These kinds of
references will help you schedule an initial consultation and give you the opportunity to further
demonstrate to a potential client the kinds of results you can help them achieve.8
After a client signs on for your coaching services, the real work of building trust and rapport
begins. Here are three things that can allow you to establish a trusting coaching relationship with
a new client right off the bat so you can achieve tremendous success for your clients.8
How to Build Trust with New Coaching Clients
Let go of your personal judgments.
As mentioned earlier, a critical piece of building trust is the creation of a judgment free zone. It
is vital that a client feels completely at ease being themselves, flaws and all. As a life coach, it is
your responsibility to create this kind of environment from the beginning and continue for the
duration of your coaching relationship.8
We all have personal fears, experiences or ideas that we bring to every interaction we have with
other people. However, if you bring those to your sessions you may risk alienating your client
and eliminating the possibility for trust and vulnerability.8
Set clear expectations and stick to them.
The coach-client relationship works best when both sides have an understanding of their roles
and responsibilities.8Establishing the terms8early and clearly is a key way to build a foundation
of trust with a new client. It is also important that coaches hold clients accountable to the
guidelines you have set, while also being sure to abide by those guidelines yourself. Doing this
will help foster a deeper level of trust between the coach and client.8
Trust in the coaching process.
Now that you’ve done the work releasing judgments and establishing roles and responsibilities,
it’s time to coach to the best of your abilities. Trust yourself and the coaching process. Follow
your intuition and have your client’s best interests at heart. In doing this, you will naturally
develop the trusting relationship that is the hallmark of successful life coaching.
Life Purpose Institute Life Coaching Certification Program
Life coaching is a rewarding career that enables coaches to significantly impact the lives of
people all around the world. If you are interested in becoming a life coach, one of the best ways
to get the education and skills you need is to participate in a reputablelife coaching certification
program. At Life Purpose Institute, we have trained thousands of life coaches to help people
make positive changes in their careers, health and relationships.8
A Certified Life Coach Is Responsible for Creating a Safe Client Space Free of Judgement
Life Coaches8will learn that there are some differences between the coaching and counselling
relationships; clients may first seek your services for purely professional assistance, but then
gradually over the course of several sessions open up about personal problems that may be
affecting them. In fact, according to the Harvard Business Review, only 3% of life coaches are
frequently hired to address personal matters, yet 76% of life coaches report addressing personal
problems during sessions (Coutu & Kauffman, 2009). Therefore, it is very useful for Life
Coaches to have at least the basics of Counselling skills in their tool kit.
The best way to lay the foundation for an effective relationship with your client is to build a safe
space in which they can comfortably communicate with you honestly about their needs,
challenges, and goals (Monroe, 2015). According to a 2010 study in Coaching: An International
Journal of Theory, Research, and Practice, a life coach’s listening skills are of vital importance to
creating this environment (O’Broin & Palmer, 2010, p. 130). The study noted that “listening and
really understanding the coachee’s situation in order to permit objectivity, and listening in a non-
judgmental way were important” (O’Broin & Palmer, 2010, p. 130).
Build Client Trust Co-Operatively With Mirroring Techniques
Another accepted method for building relationships between a professional and client is the use
of mirroring. Mirroring techniques involve repeating, in your own words, a sentiment that the
client has stated (Schreiner, 2014). When applied to coaching, mirroring techniques can be a
great way to build trust while letting your client set the tone and atmosphere of your interactions.
Mirroring posture, tone of voice, phrases, and facial expressions can all help to establish a
rapport (Nickels & Everett, 1983, 3). By being mindful of both yours and your client’s body
language, you will be in a good position to fully leverage an open and honest channel of
communication—a key factor in fruitful coach-client relationships.
Works Cited
Clabby, J., & O’Connor, R. (2004, September). Teaching Learners to Use Mirroring: Rapport
Lessons From Neurolinguistic Programming.8Family Medicine, 36(8), 541-543.
Coutu, D. & Kauffman, C. (2009). What Can Coaches Do for You? Retrieved September 5,
2017, from https://hbr.org/2009/01/what-can-coaches-do-for-you
Deal, J. (2015). Always On, Never Done? Don’t Blame the Smartphone. Retrieved September 5,
2017, from http://www.ccl.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/AlwaysOn.pdf
Hepting, B. (2014, May 08). How to Manage Client Expectations in Coaching. Retrieved
September 01, 2017, from https://www.lifecoachhub.com/coaching-articles/how-to-manage-
client-expectations-in-coaching
International Coaching Federation. (2016). 2016 ICF Global Coaching Study. 1-21.
Monroe, S. (2015, July 23). 6 Steps to Building Trust with your Clients. Retrieved from
http://internationalassociationofwellnessprofessionals.org/6-steps-to-building-trust-with-your-
clients/
Nickels, W.G., & R. F. Everett (1983, November). Rapport Building for Salespeople: A Neuro-
Linguistic Approach.8The Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 3(2), 1-7.
O’Broin, A., & Palmer, S. (2010). Exploring key aspects in the formation of coaching
relationships: initial indicators from the perspective of the coachee and the coach.8Coaching: An
International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice, 3(2), 124-143.
doi:10.1080/17521882.2010.502902
Schreiner, M. (2014, May 6). Mirroring. Retrieved September 6, 2017, from
https://evolutioncounseling.com/mirroring/
Wiedner, S. (2015, August 11). How to Follow Up With Prospective Coaching Clients.
Retrieved September 01, 2017, from http://www.noomii.com/coach-blog/how-to-follow-up-
prospective-coaching-clients
