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The semester is launching and here they come – the students mandated to attend coaching, perhaps, or the students who are driven to set up a coaching meeting early to map out their schedule and tasks. Sometimes students have a single goal they'd like to achieve – but often, a student will come in with either a laundry list of things to tackle, or a sense of overwhelm that leads to difficulty identifying even one clear goal. In either case, how can a coach help a student prioritize and crystallize what they value most?
One of the key gifts of prioritizing is that it allows a person to focus their attention. Our attention has limits and we live in a world that increasingly fragments and drains it (more information in this podcast from the American Psychological Association). As coaches we can both model and drive prioritizing and focus.
A note for ourselves: Even when you wish to solve everything with the wave of a wand, prioritize a small goal for your coaching sessions. Whether you want to make sure to move a student to action, need to keep stronger time boundaries, aim to listen more intently, or something else, setting that priority for yourself can focus your attention on the goal.
And a note for your work with students: Whether they cite multiple goals or struggle to identify one in the midst of overwhelm, ask questions like these to help them focus their attention on a meaningful task:
- What feels most important to handle in this moment?
- How would you identify the piece that feels most overwhelming?
- Which change would make your life better right now?
- What challenge has the biggest effect on you?
- What would make you feel better to tackle today?
Join LifeBound for training to help you get in your groove this fall. Register now for our 1-Day Coaching Class Sept 27, or our 3-Day Inclusive Coaching Sept 6, 13, and 20. Further your own professional development with LifeBound Certification.
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