Life coaching tools are a determining factor if a client will reap the full benefits a professional coaching session has to offer, other than the coaching skills, of course! After all, a life coach is responsible for helping their clients identify their goals, overcome challenges, and make responsible decisions. Using the right tools is vital to achieving these tasks for both the client and the coach, most especially if you’re able to have non-verbal communication. Check out these life coaching tools and learn more about how you can help your clients and how to incorporate them into your other coaching tools and techniques!
7 Life Coaching Tools You Need to Know Right Now
1. Intake Session Checklist
As a coach, one of the best ways to keep track of your session’s progress is by making an intake session checklist. This will be most helpful for one-on-one coaching exercises. This checklist shall show the client’s history, goals, and struggles.
Similarly to goal setting, the checklist shall contain the things you want to achieve by the end of your coaching sessions. By adding the intake session checklist to your list of life coaching tools, you maximize every session for your clients.
2. Wheel of Life
The wheel of life is one of the most popular and widely used life coaching model. To make a wheel of life, you’ll need a piece of paper, pencil, and some coloring materials.
Steps:
- Draw a circle on a piece of paper, then divide it into eight categories.
- Label each category respectively as Health, Friends & Family, Significant Other, Personal Development or Growth, Fun & Leisure, Home Environment, Career, and Money.
- Afterward, draw a line in each segment. This line will serve as the parameter for your wheel of life so make sure to mark each line with a meter of 0 to 10. The zero must be placed at the center of the wheel while the 10 must be at the edge.
- Lastly, color each section to make your wheel look more attractive.
To use this for your life coaching program, have your client rank each sector from 0 to 10 depending on their level of satisfaction. For example, if they’re perfectly satisfied with their family, they can rate the “Friends & Family” section as high as 10.
After the form is filled, connect the lines with each other. This will give the client an overview of their life. They can use this form as a basis of what section of their life they’d want to focus on.
3. Spheres of Influence
Many clients feel nothing is going their way, whether they are indeed happy in life or when things are spiraling out of control. Luckily, there are life coaching tools targeting these problems.
The sphere of influence is a great tool to help clients determine what things they have control over and what events they can’t change. There are three spheres: things we can control, things we have influence over, and events we have no control or influence over. This tool will help the clients determine which tasks need their energy and which simply need acceptance.
4. Keeping a Journal
In addition to tools you use in-session, there are also life coaching tools that serve as your client’s homework. While a journal is a very simple tool, it’s also incredibly helpful, and your clients can use it anytime and anywhere.
Simply give your clients a pen and a pad to write their thoughts on. When they write in their journal, there are no rules, any particular skills or coaching techniques that need to be applied! As a matter of fact, they don’t have to worry about grammar, legibility, readability, or spelling. Your clients don’t even have to write actual words! Instead, they can simply scribble or doodle their thoughts on the pad.
This is a great way to train your clients to release their frustrations and thoughts they don’t feel comfortable sharing with others. Further, it will be a good outlet for ideas, too.
5. Myers-Briggs
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) has become a popular tool for both life coaches and regular individuals who want to check their personalities. The MBTI will help you learn more about the client, their personality, and their viewpoint.
6. Personal Values Questionnaire
This training exercise will help your client understand themselves better, putting them out of the box of their limiting beliefs. Whether we know it or not, our beliefs and actions must match. In the event that the two don’t match, unhappiness and dissatisfaction may occur.
This questionnaire assesses your client’s values and behaviors to determine a pattern. Afterward, if you notice any disconnects, you can help your client find a solution.
7. Wong’s Emotional Intelligence Scale
Last but certainly not least in terms of life coaching tools, this scale is composed of two parts to help you measure your client’s emotional intelligence.
The first part is composed of 20 scenarios where your client is required to pick a respective action for each scenario. The second part is composed of 20 pairs of abilities. For this part, your client will choose an ability they feel describes them the most out of every pair. Depending on the answers of your clients, you can gain insight into how they relate to the people around them. This can also be a great training tool for a spiritual life coach.
Watch this video by newslimmeryou to learn more about the popular Wheel of Life:
In the end, life coaching tools are simply training tools to help you and your client make the most out of every session. It can boost your coaching process, techniques, or skills. However, life coaching tools can only help so much. The main trait needed to become a successful life coach is sincerity. You must be genuine in helping your client overcome their struggles, achieve their dreams, and help them with their aspirations. Hopefully, you can add these tools and ideas can equip you to become a more successful life coach from here on out.
Which of these life coaching tools have you tried and are planning to try? Let us know in the comments below!
Up Next: What Is Involved in Becoming a Life Coach?
Editor’s Note – This post was originally published on December 4, 2017, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.