The Empty Room
Ellen Zimmerman, PhD, PCC, ACTC, SPHR
As coaches, it is important to let go of any assumptions or pre-existing ideas about what the client is sharing or processing in a conversation. Clients are creative, resourceful, and whole meaning they are the person with the answers and are best equipped to develop their own solutions.
Coaches are the partner or mirror that supports clients on their journey. Asking questions is one aspect, AND there is so much more than that. Regardless of the type of coaching, the coach reads meaning in what the client doesn't say just as much as what they do. We listen and "feel" our way through the words to bring awareness to what a client may miss.
Steps
A tool for client focus that I use and share with other coaches is called The Empty Room.
Think about being in a completely empty room. (Reflect on this for a few minutes before proceeding.)
The only knowledge you have from the outside world is what someone brings in to you. (Our client.)
If you are in this room and you are engaging in a coaching session with a client, how does this empty room support your ability to only take in what they offer without inserting your own perceptions or assumptions?
Insights/Debrief
When I place myself in this visual during coaching, it grounds me in curiosity and prompts me to ask questions to clarify the words the client chooses as well as more detail about their vision of their statements. It focuses me more on their world rather than my own interpretations based on my life experiences. I stay more open to other cultural perceptions as well as language or word meanings. If your not sure how that works, take a moment to think about that empty room.
What color was your empty room? How big or small was it?
What did the chair look like? Were you sitting on a chair or did you choose to sit on a pillow or a rug?
I wonder what your client would say their room looks like?
NOTE: In case you are curious, when I was developing this tool for a stronger focus on the client, I realized that the empty room I created for myself was completing white. My chair had a black metal frame and an attached tan cushion. After I laughed at myself for a few minutes, I realized how relevant the practice actually was for staying focused on the client and not on ourselves.
Client Focused Coaching Tool - The Empty Room
