With so many of us spending much of our time online, it is no wonder that many life coaches now offer virtual coaching sessions. Fast-paced lifestyles and the relative ease of using online platforms for communication makes virtual coaching ideal for both coaches and clients alike.
Have you been thinking about offering virtual coaching sessions? Are you unsure if it’s the right fit for you? Read on to learn more about the benefits of virtual coaching and some tips on how you can get started.
Why virtual coaching?
As human beings, we are naturally inclined to connect with other people face-to-face. Many coaches and clients feel that coaching is most effective during face-to-face sessions. And that certainly may be true for many.
However, other coaches and their clients find that virtual coaching works better for their lifestyles and preferences. As you build your practice, it is important that you choose what works best for you and your clients, whether that’s face-to-face or virtual, or some combination of both.
If you are considering adding a virtual coaching component to your practice, you will see that there are many potential benefits for both coaches and clients. As you think of ways to grow your practice, you may determine that working with clients online can help you grow your practice more quickly and allow you to serve more of your ideal clients across the world.
Benefits for Coaches
Flexibility
Utilizing online platforms such as Skype or Zoom means that you are no longer confined to working during normal business hours or days of the week. Sessions can even be scheduled last minute if you have the availability!
Convenience
Virtual coaching can be very convenient. You may be able to eliminate a costly and time-consuming commute because you can work from anywhere, including a home office. That time savings may allow you to offer more availability for clients and ultimately be more lucrative for your business.
Scalability
When meeting face-to-face with clients you are generally confined to a specific geographic area. With virtual coaching, you have the potential to scale your business across the country or across the world.
More Unique Groups
Virtual group sessions allow you to gather assorted groups of people that might not typically have the opportunity to work together. Creating more diverse groups filled with a variety of opinions and perspectives can be more engaging for coaches as well as clients.
Benefits for Clients
Flexibility
When a coach offers virtual sessions, there are often more options available to clients for scheduling sessions. It may be easier for clients to meet virtually during their lunch hours, whereas that would be impossible if meeting face to face. There may also be more opportunities for virtual coaching sessions early or late in the day, working around work and family schedules.
Accessibility
For those who live outside a big city, it may be more challenging to find the right life coach within their geographic areas. A coach that offers virtual sessions would appeal to those in remote areas, and provide services that otherwise may be difficult to obtain.
Diverse Group Sessions
Clients who participate in group coaching sessions may be energized by working with people from diverse locations, backgrounds and cultures. Virtual coaching allows coaches to bring together people who might not normally work together, and who have the potential to create unique and impactful experiences through their distinct ideas and perspectives.
Are you considering adding virtual coaching to your practice? The first step is to make sure that you are comfortable not only with the technology of virtual coaching, but at the idea of not meeting with clients face-to-face. Although there are many benefits to virtual coaching, it is not for everyone and that is okay!
If you decide to add a virtual component to your practice, there is great potential for fast growth. The coaching programs offered at the Life Purpose Institute help prepare new coaches for starting and growing their practices.