Building a Robust Presence - International Coaching Federation
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Building a Robust Presence

Posted by Samer Hassan, MCC | April 3, 2018 | Comments (8)

If you are a coach with an ICF PCC or MCC Credential, or you are in the process of becoming one, you most probably know by now that you can’t “DO the coach,” you have to “BE the coach.” Each coaching client is a unique individual who requires the coach to have a state of being that is attentive and present enough to be able to navigate the client’s universe of individuality and uniqueness. This state of being is what we call coaching presence.

Coaching presence means putting what the client is communicating—verbally and nonverbally—into the focal point of attention. It is the core of every other coaching skill. A coach wouldn’t be able to listen profoundly to what clients are communicating without presence. A coach wouldn’t be able to partner with clients, nor to ask powerful, open questions without presence. It is safe to say that without profound listening, partnering and open questioning, the coaching conversation will transform into something other than coaching.

Once the coach starts recognizing how important presence is, a persistent question arises: How can I have a robust coaching presence?

Intention Directs Attention

Your intention is the mental lens/choice that will direct the focal point of your attention. Based on your intention, your attention can be directed either to receive what the client is communicating or to receive what will validate your own agenda.

For example, Bob is a new coach who initiates his coaching session with the following intention: “How can I help the client solve their situation?” Such intention forces Bob into a selective attention that will mainly give space to what he may perceive as solutions to the situation.

Clara is a more experienced coach, who initiates her coaching session with the intention of “How can the client help themselves grow beyond their situation?” Such intention helps Clara generate unconditional attention, which will give the client the needed space to embrace their own wisdom and grow beyond the situation.

To be able to genuinely have such intention, without forcing or faking it, coaches need to develop and deepen two qualities within themselves:

  • Trust: Starting my coaching career, I learned to trust myself first and, as I gained experience, I learned to trust myself and the coaching process. Only when my trust evolved to include the wisdom of my client, I started to experience amazing coaching sessions. Remind yourself that the client is the wisest person you know in their life and make them your teacher, not the other way around
  • Curiosity: I have learned that getting as curious as a monkey with my client is the best gift to give. Being curious to understand how my clients perceive their world make them feel as heroes who can change their stories. Each time you mix genuine curiosity with a deep trust in the wisdom of your client, you empower them to grow beyond their situation

Somatic Thinking Generate Limitless Attention

Somatic thinking is transforming the physical awareness of a coach into a valuable asset in coaching. I found this concept after many years of experience.

As you probably know by experience and accessible research, verbal language makes up only about 7 percent of what your client needs to communicate. The other 93 percent is expressed through physical patterns, somatic behavior, energy shifts and emotions, a nonverbal wealth of information that the client is constantly sharing with you. To better understand how coaches process such massive amounts of information, let’s go back to our coaches, Bob and Clara.

Influenced by his intention, Bob’s cognitive flow would be something like this:

  1. Sensing: Selectively listening to words, tone of voice and recognizing some visual signals
  2. Thinking: Concerned with overwhelming thoughts, such as “Where is the solution in what I am hearing? I need to help my client. Am I doing a good job?”
  3. Feeling: Having feelings that confirm the solutions Bob thinks he heard as well as add to the pressure of perceived responsibility and self-doubt

With such flow, coaches will often end up overwhelmed, depleted and far from a PCC- coaching skills level.

Clara’s intention and physical awareness will instead transform her cognitive flow into a Somatic Thinking flow, one that aligns her sensations with her emotions to generate a limitless attention towards her client.

  1. Sensing: Listening with her whole body to words, visual signals, tone of voice, somatic patterns, energy shifts and more
  2. Feeling: Having emotions that resonate with what she is sensing from the client
  3. Thinking: Is curious about how the client will interpret what I am sensing and feeling from them

Sensing your client fully, feeling your emotions, and then sharing this information with your client as open questions and observations is the core of Somatic Thinking. If enhanced by the right intention, this process will allow you to have a robust presence, conduct effortless coaching sessions and boost your coaching skills to MCC level and beyond.

samer hassan headshot

Samer Hassan, MCC

Samer Hassan, MCC, is a multilingual Egyptian-Italian, whose work and life has crossed cultures, traditions and beliefs on four continents and in three languages. For 15 years, he has developed individuals and leaders, brought cohesiveness to teams and trained/mentored coaches. Samer’s passion for studying the major theories of expanding the human potential, as well as a 30-year dedication to learning martial arts, has helped him realize that the quickest and most powerful route to profound transformation is through leveraging the mind-body connection. This realization inspired Samer to develop "Somatic Thinking," an experiential coaching methodology that transforms physical awareness into a valuable asset in coaching and leadership. Visit www.KunCoaching.com.

The views and opinions expressed in guest posts featured on this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of the International Coach Federation (ICF). The publication of a guest post on the ICF Blog does not equate to an ICF endorsement or guarantee of the products or services provided by the author.

Additionally, for the purpose of full disclosure and as a disclaimer of liability, this content was possibly generated using the assistance of an AI program. Its contents, either in whole or in part, have been reviewed and revised by a human. Nevertheless, the reader/user is responsible for verifying the information presented and should not rely upon this article or post as providing any specific professional advice or counsel. Its contents are provided “as is,” and ICF makes no representations or warranties as to its accuracy or completeness and to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law specifically disclaims any and all liability for any damages or injuries resulting from use of or reliance thereupon.

Comments (8)

  1. Reem El-Naggar says:

    Simplicity is key! Lovely 🙂

  2. Totally agree!!
    Presence is the key, then all others things happen.
    Greetings.

  3. Tamer Zanaty says:

    Thank you Samer for making it simple yet profound, I love the intention part as I experienced it

  4. Excellent. Being totally present is the key.Thank you

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