Feel Confident on Client Calls as a New Coach
“How can I feel more confident and relaxed going into calls with clients? It feels like a lot of pressure to perform!”
If you’re a new coach, you may be feeling some imposter syndrome whenever you join or think about joining client calls!
Here are some simple ways to boost your confidence and feel at ease before, during, and after a session.
So you can show up as your best self, and stay focused on what’s best for your client from moment to moment.
This is for you if:
You’re a new or new-ish coach doubting your skills and ability to show up and serve your clients well
You’re feeling hesitant to even promo your offers because you’re worried you don’t have what it takes to be a transformational coach
You’re ready to show up confidently for your next coaching call and facilitate deep change for your clients!
Before the Call
Review past client testimonials: If you’ve done any paid or pro bono work, look back at testimonials to remind yourself of what a great coach you are! You can also look back at kind messages from loved ones and colleagues about your strengths and gifts.
Decide how you’ll feel on the call: Set your intention for how you’ll choose to feel on the call. Maybe you intend to feel relaxed, at ease, and grounded… or maybe you choose to feel energized, curious, and in flow. Write down the words or say them out loud!
Visualize the ideal conclusion of the call: Picture how you want the call to end -- what will your client be feeling? What will they say? How will they say you’ve helped them? Visualizing the end of the call helps your brain know the end goal you’re working toward, and make decisions accordingly.
Express gratitude for the call, silently or in writing: Write or state out loud what you appreciated about the call, as if it’s already happened! “I’m so grateful for how this call went -- I was calm and at ease, and my client felt truly supported, and gained new clarity and motivation to take action.” Putting it in the past tense helps you start the call with a sense of already “knowing” what’s going to happen!
Invite your highest and wisest self to the call: In writing or aloud, invite your highest and wisest self to be present during the call. Again, this is all about setting your intentions -- and reminding yourself that you have a deep, unfathomable wisdom and intuition available to you at all times, that will help you navigate the call with grace.
During the Call
Practice confident posture and a relaxed smile: Practicing confident body language and facial expressions can actually make you feel more confident! Sit up, relax your shoulders, place your feet on the ground, and allow a relaxed smile to light up your face. If you feel your confidence dipping, check your posture and body language, and make some subtle adjustments.
Ask more questions, give less advice: One mistake new coaches often make is thinking they need to dole out advice to their clients. Instead, a great coach asks great questions that help their client truly reflect and see their own situation more clearly and objectively.
You’re not a guru; you’re a facilitator: Remember, you don’t need to have all the answers. If you’re positioned in more of a consultant/mentor role, you can share your experience and offer suggestions based on what has worked for you. But true coaching is more about facilitating your client’s own discovery, than having all the answers to every question.
Trust your intuition about what to ask next: Instead of “over-preparing” for a call or trying to script exactly what you’ll say, trust your intuition to guide you in real time. Your subconscious mind takes in vastly greater amounts of information than your logical brain can even process in a given moment. Trust your intuition to guide you during the call!
Allow long pauses; your client is thinking!: Instead of trying to fill the silence, or getting nervous when your client takes a while to respond, see those silences as a sign that your client is thinking in a new way, in a way she hasn’t considered before. That’s very good! Conversely, don’t worry if your client always answers immediately -- they may just be an external processor and sort through their thoughts by talking!
After the Call
Make a list of what went well and what progress was made: As soon as your call is over, stop and write down a few things that went well during the call! Note what important progress was made, and how your client is moving forward (even if it feels like a setback right now!)
Write down 3 things you’re proud of: List 3 things you’re proud of about the way you handled the call. Were you patient? Attentive? Did you ask a great question? Did you support your client through a difficult moment? Did you help her experience a breakthrough?
Write 1 thing you want to do differently next time: Choose just one thing you’d like to do differently next time, and describe what will happen in the moment when you make that different choice. For example, “Next time my client says thank you, instead of getting awkward or downplaying my support, I’ll just smile and say ‘you’re welcome’.”
Express gratitude for the call again: Close your eyes or grab your journal and express gratitude -- to God, the Universe, Source, etc. -- for the call and for it going exactly as it should for the highest good of everyone involved.
Recap
There you have it, friend! A simple before, during, and after process for building your confidence and feeling more confident while you’re getting used to client calls.
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