Coaches Versus Ai –

Allow me to Sumo that one out with you.

Greetings!

Are you thinking, like me, that it’s all getting a bit Blade Runner out there?

The bots, the driverless cars and Ai showing up like some magic genie - one minute creating recipes out of cornflakes, and the next, it’s the biggest existential threat to civilisation since Covid.

Oh no, not another one. (sigh)



We seem to have very quickly slipstreamed into leaning on this quick, sassy, sympathetic automated wise guy. We can Google world facts in seconds and get solutions to complex human dilemmas with Ai at our fingertips and glass in our hands.

So far, so good grief! How did we get here? Let me be the first to set out my stall with regards to Ai versus the human magic of the real coaching experience.

Rest assured we, you the client, and us, the amazing coaches, are not under threat.

Here are some key ways real life coaches surpass Ai searches:

• Coaches read the face, energy and body of the client, not just the words.

We subtly check posture shifts, micro expressions, breath inhalations, sighs, tiredness, sadness, masking, smoke-screening and seeing beneath the “I’m OK” surface performance.

Ai can analyse language; coaches can feel the truth between the lines and find out what is really going on, even when you can’t admit or define what it really is yourself.

• We are present to the moment and give you 100% attention and laser listening. We hold the space for you.

Truly listening is an act of love and we honour the client by giving them the space to speak their truth in confidentiality. It is our job as the coach to “get” the client – to hear them, see them and understand them.

This is mammalian, ancient and embodied – no algorithm can replicate the felt safety of another nervous system meeting yours.

• Presence is precious.

A good coach comes to the table with a wealth of life experiences, their scars, their badges of honour, along with impeccable coach training (see Pure Coaching Academy), empathy and a desire to be of service. We go the extra mile. Our presence isn’t just informational, it’s relational.

• Change needs a witness and a guide.

People make real life changes not from books, podcasts or Ai. People change in the presence of someone who believes in them, challenges them and holds them accountable with warmth and wisdom. We celebrate your progress and keep you going.

Ai cannot do the following:

o Hold space with patience, silence, timing and containment.

o Socially bond with that person.

o Use intuition and gut instinct to help clients.

o “Sense” what is not being said.

o Understand irony, humour, sarcasm, suppressed anger, grief, despair, disingenuousness, helplessness, nuance and the subtleties of the human experience.

o Build real trust via relationship.

o Sense hidden fears.

o Dare to challenge.

o Expect more – gently push.

o Show humanity.

Coaching is a dawning industry and we are here to stay. We don’t need batteries and we don’t rely on wifi.

Humans need humans and so long as that is the case we will never be out of business.