Accountability. Accountability is having your clients account for what they said they were going to do. It is determined by three questions: (1) What are you going to do? (2) By when will you do this? (3) How will I know? Accountability does not include blame or judgment. Rather, the coach holds the client accountable to the client's vision or commitment and asks the client to account for the results of the intended action. If need be, holding the client accountable includes defining new actions to be taken. 

Acknowledgment. Acknowledgment addresses the Self and who the client had to be in order to accomplish whatever action he or she took or awareness he or she achieved. It is the articulation of your deep knowing of the other. "I want to acknowledge the courage it took for you to show up on this call, knowing that you had some difficult things to share with me today." 

Articulating what is going on. This skill involves telling clients what you see them doing; repeating or mirroring back to them what they have just said to you. "You are really working hard at this project and it is frustrating for you that your partners are not working as hard as you are." 

Asking permission. This skill enables the client to grant the coaching relationship access to unusually intimate or sometimes impolite areas of focus. "Can I tell you a hard truth?" "Is it all right to coach you on this issue?" "Can I tell you what I see?" 

Bottom-Lining. This is the skill of brevity and succinctness on the part of both coach and client. Bottom-lining is also about having the client get to the essence of his or her communication rather than engaging in long descriptive stories. "I went to work this morning and was distraught when I found a pink slip in my box." 

Brainstorming. In this skill the coach and client together generate ideas, alternatives, and possible solutions. Some of the proposed ideas may be outrageous and impractical. This is merely a creative exercise to expand the possibilities available to the client. There is no attachment on the part of either coach or client to any of the ideas suggested. 

Celebrating. Celebrating fully honors wherever the client currently experiences him or herself in life. The coach uses this skill to deepen the client's appreciation of his or her own successes and failures, disappointments and wins. Celebrating is not necessarily about cheering. It is about bringing attention and acknowledgment to the client's process. "You failed to make ten cold calls this week. I celebrate your failure." "Hooray! I celebrate your success of getting a new client." 

Challenging. Challenging involves requesting that a client stretch way beyond his or her self-imposed limits. Frequently, in the face of a challenge, clients will respond with a counteroffer that is greater than they initially would have allowed themselves to make otherwise.

A client needs to make cold calls to increase his business. He thinks he can make only one call a day. You challenge him. "1 challenge you to make ten calls a day!" The client counteroffers with, "I'll make seven." 

Championing. When you champion clients, you stand up for them when they doubt or question their abilities. Despite the client's self-doubt, the coach knows clearly who the client is and that he or she is capable of much more than the client thinks. When the client is in the valley, the coach is on the next hill, waving a flag and saying, "Come on. You can make it!" 

Clarifying. When a client is unable to articulate clearly what he or she wants or where he or she is going, the coach clarifies the client's experience. Clarification may be used in response to the client's vague sense of what it is that he or she wants, confusion, or uncertainty. This skill represents a synergistic application of questioning, reframing, and articulating what is going on. It is particularly useful during the intake process.

Clearing. Clearing is a skill that is of benefit to both the client and the coach. When a client is preoccupied with a situation or a mental state that interferes with his or her ability to be present or take action, the coach assists the client by being an active listener while he or she vents or complains. This active listening allows the client to temporarily clear the situation out of the way and focus on taking the next step.

When a coach gets hooked by a client interaction or is preoccupied with issues that do not pertain to the client, the coach can clear. The coach clears by sharing his or her experience or preoccupation with a colleague or a friend in order to show up and be fully present with the client.

Client's agenda. The client's agenda consists of the client's life purpose, vision, values, and goals, and the principles of fulfillment, balance, and process. In short, it is everything that the client is and wants to be and do. 

Confidentiality. All information that a client shares with a coach is held as confidential. This means that all information that a client confides in the coach is not shared with anyone else without the client's express permission. Confidentiality, the hallmark of the coaching profession, creates safety and trust and is the basis of the powerful designed alliance between client and coach. 

Creating trust. The coaching relationship rests on a foundation of safety and trust. To create trust you might discuss safety, maintain confidentiality, tell the truth, offer clients an opportunity to ask for what they want, actively listen to what they are telling you. 

Dancing in the moment. Dancing in the moment means being completely present with your client, holding your client's agenda, accessing your intuition, letting your client lead you. When you dance in the moment you are open to whatever steps your client takes and are willing to go in the client's direction and flow. 

Designing the alliance. When the client grants power to the alliance, it then becomes necessary for the client to take responsibility for his or her part in the alliance. Out of their ownership of the alliance, clients design the alliance that will be most beneficial to and supportive of forwarding their actions toward their goals and vision. This is done through making requests of the coach, setting up the logistics of the coaching relationship, and discussing the best ways to facilitate client learning and action.

Failure. Failure is the lack of achievement of a goal or activity to which one committed oneself. Failure is often confused with being wrong, morally shameful, or bad. To fail merely means that you did not succeed at what you set out to do. It is an opportunity for reflection and correction which can then forward the action toward success.

Forwarding the action. This skill utilizes all other coaching skills, with an added emphasis on moving the client forward. It may be through use of a request or a powerful question. It may be through bottom-lining so that something gets done during the session. Forwarding the action may occur through bringing the client back to the focus of his or her goal, or through reframing something in such a way that the client is free to take action. Acknowledging a client can also forward action. The most powerful forwarding the action occurs when a coach has the client DO IT NOW during the coaching session. This provides immediate support and immediate celebration once the action is taken.

Goals. A goal is an outcome that the client would like to achieve. Goals are most helpful when they are measurable, specific, are owned by the client, have a date by which they will be accomplished, are made public (in order to achieve support and accountability), and constitute a reasonable stretch for the client.  

Gremlin. The Gremlin is a concept developed by Richard Carson that embodies a group of thought processes and feelings that maintain the status quo in our lives. Often operating as a structure that would seem to protect us, it in fact keeps us from moving forward and getting what we truly want in life. Like our mind, the Gremlin will always be with us. It is neither good nor bad; it just is. The Gremlin loses its power over us when we can identify it for what it is, notice our options in the situation and then consciously choose what it is we do really want at that time. 

Holding the client's agenda. Holding the client's agenda is both a philosophical stance and a skill employed by coaches. When a coach holds the client's agenda, the coach becomes invisible. That is to say, the coach lets go of his or her own opinions, judgments, and answers in support of facilitating the client's fulfillment, balance, and process. The coach follows the client's lead without knowing the RIGHT answer, without giving solutions or telling the client what to do. Holding the client's agenda requires the coach to put his or her whole attention on the client and the client's agenda, not on the coach's agenda for the client. 

Holding the focus. Once the client has determined a direction or course of action, the coach's job is to keep the client on track and true to that course. Frequently, clients become distracted by events in their lives, strong feelings elicited by the Gremlin, or the wealth of other possibilities available. The coach consistently reminds the client of his or her focus and helps redirect his or her energy back to the client's desired outcomes and life choices. 

Homework inquiry. This term refers to a powerful question given at the end of the session that is intended to deepen the client's learning and provoke further reflection. The intention is for the client to consider the inquiry between sessions and to see what occurs for him or her. The inquiry is usually based on a particular situation the client is currently addressing.

"What are you tolerating?" "What is it to be undauntable?" "What is challenge?" 

Intruding/Taking charge. On occasion, the coach may need to intrude, to interrupt or wake up a client who is going on and on, or who is kidding him- or herself. Sometimes the intrusion is a hard truth such as "You are kidding yourself" Sometimes the intrusion is simply stating what is going on, such as "You are skirting the issue." Intrusion is considered rude in American society. Co-active coaching views intrusion as being direct with the client, allowing him or her to honestly assess and immediately deal with situations. 

Intuiting. Intuiting is the process of accessing and trusting one's inner knowing. Intuition is direct knowing, unencumbered by one's thinking mind. The process of intuiting is nonlinear and nonrational. Sometimes, the information received through intuiting does not make sense to the coach. However, this information is usually quite valuable to the client. Intuiting involves taking risks and trusting your gut. “I have a hunch that. . ." "I wonder if. .” 

Life balance. Life balance is dynamic and is always in motion. The client is either moving toward balance in his or her life or away from balance. The job of the coach is to facilitate moving toward life balance as much as possible. The areas to be balanced in life generally include career, money, relationships with family and friends, romance, personal growth, fun and recreation, health, and physical surroundings. If one or more areas are receiving attention at the expense of the others, life will feel unbalanced and bumpy.

Life purpose. Life purpose is about why you are here on the planet. Who is it that you are moved to be and what is it that you are moved to create? It is an essence statement that serves as a reminder of who you are and the impact you naturally create in the world. When you are living your purpose, life is experienced as fulfilling, effortless, and satisfying. When you are disregarding your life purpose, life often feels empty, anguished, and unfulfilling. 

Listening. The coach listens for clients' vision, values commitment, and purpose in their words and demeanor. To listen for is to listen in search of something. The coach listens with a consciousness, with a purpose and focus that come from the alliance that was designed with the client. The coach is listening for the client's agenda, not the coach's agenda for the client. Co-active coaching calls listening to your own thoughts, judgments, and opinions about the client's story Level I, while listening for is Level II and conscious listening is Level III. 

Metaphor. Metaphors are used to illustrate a point and paint a verbal picture for the client. Your mind is like a ping-pong ball bouncing between one choice and another. You're almost at the finish line. Go for it! You can win the race! 

Meta-View. Meta-view is the big picture or perspective. The coach pulls back from the client's immediate issues and from the clarity of that expanded perspective reflects back to the client what he or she sees. 

Planning and goal setting. The coach helps the client articulate the direction in which he or she wishes to go and actively monitors the client's progress. Clients can frequently benefit from support in planning and time management as coaches help them develop their skills in these areas.

Powerful questions. A powerful question evokes clarity, action, discovery, insight, or commitment. It creates greater possibility, new learning, or clearer vision. Powerful questions are open-ended questions that do not elicit a yes or no response. They are derived from holding the client's agenda and either forward the client's action or deepen his or her learning. What do you want? What does that cost you? 

Reframing. Reframing involves providing a client with another perspective. When a coach reframes a situation, he or she takes the original data and interprets them in a different way.

A client has just been informed that she was selected as second choice for a high-powered position in a very competitive market. She is disappointed and is questioning her professional competence. A reframe of the situation is: To be selected as second choice in such a competitive market indicates the high quality of your expertise and experience. 

Requesting. One of the most potent coaching skills is that of making a request of the client. The request, based on the client's agenda, is designed to forward the client's action. The request includes a specific action, conditions of satisfaction, and a date or time by which it will be done. There are three possible responses to a request: yes, no, or a counteroffer. Will you pay your telephone bill by Friday? 

Self-Management. This skill refers to the coach's ability to become invisible in the service of holding the client's agenda. This means the coach must put aside all opinions, preferences, judgments, and beliefs in order to reflect and support the client's agenda. Another facet of self-management includes managing the client's Gremlin. The coach can aid the client in identifying the Gremlin and then providing tools that the client can use in managing the Gremlin. Clearing is also a tool for coach or client self-management. 

Structures. Structures are devices that remind clients of their vision, goals, purpose, or actions that they need to take immediately. Some examples of structures are collages, calendars, messages on voice mail, alarm clocks, and so on. 

Values. Values represent who you are right now. They are principles that you hold to be of worth in your life. People often confuse values with morals. Values are not chosen. They are intrinsic to you.

Vision. This is a multifaceted mental image and set of goals that personally define and inspire the client to take action to create that picture in his or her actual life. A powerful vision is sensuous, exciting, and magnetic, constantly attracting the client's desire to bring the image to fruition. Vision provides the client with a direction and can provide meaning in his or her life.