Life coaches are not always sitting on a coach or chair across from the client. As the needs of clients change, and life coaching continues to gain momentum in the workplace, life coaches must also adapt and be able to learn new ways to help their client base. Some life coaches choose this career to serve corporations that want to provide employees with a work-life balance. Many corporations that hire a life coach will also require group sessions, in addition to individual ones. Therefore, knowing the ins and outs of holding these sessions and being able to genuinely assist clients in their own environment is essential when seeking to serve them effectively.
Making Workshops Work
When hired as a life coach for a business or corporation, requesting workshops is a standard expectation. However, the approach to life coaching in a group has significant differences that should be considered to make these sessions effective. How to structure a workshop and the delivery can make or break an opportunity, so learning these things through training and experience can launch a corporate life coaching career!
It is essential that life coaches seeking this line of work can embrace the newness and challenges of this opportunity and make a difference with fun and engaging methods. It is worth noting that impactful workshops often lead to contracts and individual clients, so there is really nothing to lose. It is better to be able to turn clients away or refer them to another qualified life coach!
Businesses and corporations, including universities and private companies, that request workshop-style sessions can serve as a launching pad for new business ventures. When working in a corporate environment, opportunities arise to be featured in an article, an interview, and public recognition. When starting, life coaches may consider offering a free workshop to showcase their skills.
Structure for a Corporate Approach
Preparing for a life coaching workshop should be planned. It is vital to include something specific to the organization, as life coaching should align with the organization’s goals. Start with the key things you want everyone to take away from the group session and then work backward. Researching impactful activities to do during the session is an excellent way to keep people engaged. Many things depend on the size of the audience. Obviously, your approach to 50 people will be different than one for 200. Life coaches in this setting must go in understanding that not everyone at a corporate workshop wants to be there, so keeping people engaged is a good way to maintain the energy and delivery flow. Having a method to deal with people resistant to workshops in your back pocket is wise, so you are prepared if you need to use it. Remember, you are trained in this and can deliver a powerful message to your audience!
Common Corporate Topics
When hired or doing a free workshop at a business, understanding the goals of the organization is essential to showing your value as a life coach. If you want to hold a workshop at a nominal fee or free to market your life coaching, the focus can be more general, but once you are hired, including something unique to the company will pay off.
Many corporations seek leadership and career development, time management, and life-work balance, so developing a workshop around one of these will always be relevant in the workplace. Use resources to find engaging activities for large groups. These activities can always be scaled down for smaller groups. Avoiding employee burnout or significant management shifts can be a time when corporations may be open to hiring a life coach, but the requests will often be for large workshops or a series of sessions. Being prepared for this is the best way to ensure you are ready to go when the customer says “yes”!
Moving Forward with Confidence
One thing life coaches need when wanting to serve in a corporate environment is confidence. There is no better way to grow confidence than getting certified in life coaching from a reputable organization. Knowing you have the education, training, and skills to be effective makes every single learning opportunity successful. Having a certification doesn’t mean you have every skill that you will need, but you have the resources and background, and as you gain experience, you can become an expert in more and more areas that benefit clients.
Life Purpose Institute offers the highest quality training with the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and provides life coaches opportunities to learn and grow in their skills to better serve clients. Whether individual, corporate, group, or volunteering, life coaches have the unique opportunity to make a difference in the world and in people’s lives. When you believe you can and have the training to back it up, you can move forward with confidence and apply your skill in any arena you choose. When you train with Life Purpose Institute, you become part of the team and always have the resources you need to be a successful life coach.