Sometimes you just have to listen
Sometimes, in a client situation, it’s really important to just listen and not say anything. Once in a while, I’ll get a situation where a client comes in and just needs to talk, and talk, and talk, and get some ideas out on the floor. I’ll ask occasional questions, but I’ll also just let the client talk. Now if the client is ranting about a bad day, I might acknowledge that s/he had a bad day and then ask what the client wants to focus on…but if a client comes in and has a focus on what s/he wants, even if it’s vague, it’s good to let the client get it out on the table, with occasional questions asked, to clarify direction and points being made.
Sometimes no matter how unfocused a person seems, that person is actually more focused than you think, but just needs someone to bounce the ideas off. I keep realizing that the fine art of not knowing really involves also knowing when to be quiet and just listen…the client has more knowledge about what s/he wants than I do…I’m a sounding board, a questioner sometimes, but I don’t have the answers…I might have observations, but all the answers lie within the client.
Categories: communication
Tags: communication, Life coach
