Environment

Guiding and caretaking provide support on the level of environment in which change takes or is to take place. Guiding is directing a person from where s/he is to where s/he wants to be. Hence guiding presupposes that the guide has been there and knows the best way or at least a way to the desired state. Caretaking or being a custodian means providing a safe supportive environment by attending to the external context.  Caretaking also ensures that what’s necessary is available and there’re no unnecessary interferences or distractions.

Behaviour

Coaching is helping a person to perform at the peak of his/her abilities. Personal coaching methods are derived from sports training. They promote awareness of resources and abilities and develop conscious competence. The methods in coaching draw out a person’s strengths due to careful observation and feedback. They also enable the person to function as part of a team. An effective coach observes a person’s behaviour and gives tips and guidance on how to improve in specific contexts and situations. Coaching therefore emphasizes generative change and concentrates on defining and achieving specific goals.

Capabilities

Teaching helps a person to develop cognitive skills and capabilities. The goal of teaching is generally to help people to increase competencies and thinking skills relevant to an area of learning.  Teaching focuses on acquiring general cognitive abilities rather than on particular performances in specific situations. Teaching helps a person to develop strategies for thinking and acting. The emphasis of teaching is more on new learning than on refining previous performance.

Beliefs and values

Mentoring is guiding a person to discover his/her competencies and overcome internal resistances and interferences. A mentor  believes in the person and validates his/her positive intentions. A mentor helps to positively shape or influence a person’s beliefs and values by resonating with, releasing, or unveiling the person’s wisdom often through the mentor’s example. The person often internalizes mentoring, hence the external presence of a mentor will not be necessary forever. People can carry inner mentors for many situations.

Identity

Sponsoring is recognising and acknowledging the essence or identity of a person or group. Sponsoring involves seeking and safeguarding potential within others, focusing on the development of identity and core values. Effective sponsoring results from commitment to the promotion of something within a person or group which is not being manifested to full capacity.  Sponsoring accomplishes this by constantly sending messages such as “I see you. You’re valuable. You’re important/special/unique. And you’re welcome. You belong here. You have something to contribute.”.  A good sponsor creates a context in which others can act, grow, and excel. Sponsors provide the conditions, contacts, and resources that allow the sponsored person or group to focus on, develop, and use their abilities and skills.

Beyond identity – the grand scheme of things

Awakening goes beyond coaching, teaching, mentoring, and sponsoring. It includes the realm of mission, vision, and spirit. An awakener supports a person by providing contexts and experiences which bring out the best in how the person understands love, self, and spirit. An awakener awakens through his/her integrity and congruence. Awakeners also put people in touch with their missions and visions by being in full contact with their missions and visions.

Coaching and the differences

I’m a coach, but have been a teacher, mentor, sponsor, and awakener. A good coach will be flexible to switch to the role that is most called for at the right time. If you have been looking for a coach who has the flexibility to guide you through what you need to learn, teach you to learn it, mentor and sponsor you on the way to awakening, let’s have a conversation.

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Many a person interchanges the terms coaching and counselling, but they’re not the same thing.  And even more people are still confused about the subtle but powerful difference between coaching and counselling.  And then there’s therapy, consulting, teaching…. and more. So what are the differences? 

Coaching

starts in the present and looks into the future. It operates on the levels of behaviour and capability. Coaching asks what and how to improve. It helps a person to improve his or her performance. Coaching is observing the person and giving him/her feedback. The feedback inspires the person to think in new ways. If the person implements the new ways into his/her life, s/he will inevitably improve. Coaching asks what and how the person will do to be and do better. It doesn’t give the person answers. On the contrary, coaching encourages the person to find answers.

Counselling

starts in the past and looks into the present. It assists a person by giving advice on how to resolve his/her problems. Since counseling starts in the past and looks into the present, it asks where problems started and gives advice about what to do to resolve them. 

Consulting

gives answers and solutions to a problem. 

Mentoring

passes on advice of a person who has been there before. It usually happens in a less formal way. 

Therapy

melts blocks, repairs defects, relieves disorders. Therapy does not emphasize what a person should do and how s/he should take action. Thinking of massage therapy will help you. A masseur does not tell you what you should do. He simply massages. The massage melts the blocks in your muscles and the result is that you feel relief. 

Training

passes on advice and knowledge of a person who has been there before. It is similar to mentoring. The difference between training and mentoring is that mentoring is less formal and usually done one to one or in small groups. Training is usually more formal and generally done in larger groups. Training entails teaching, because it passes on advice and knowledge. Mentoring entails more counselling, because it passes on advice more than knowledge. 

Teaching

develops thinking and capabilities. It therefore concentrates on what a person should do and how s/he should do it. 

Now you know the difference between coaching, counselling, therapy, consulting…

…and will hopefully start using the words correctly.  And even explain the differences between the roles to confused people. I will very gladly tell you more about coaching – with NLP. 

If you want to enlarge the image, click on it.

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