The Challenging Client #2

The second class in this course was held on Wednesday, May 02, 2007. In continuing this course…How do we handle challenging clients? We reviewed that there are ‘thinkers’ (analytical), ‘feelers’ (emotional, expressive) and ‘knowers’ (intuitive) and how recognizing that people are different in these ways and identifying what style our clients are can be helpful in coaching them. Another way to look at this identifying whether a client is extroverted, introverted, fact/detail oriented, intuitive or abstract thinkers. It is about how each client goes about making decisions. If we, as the coach, can identify how our clients operate we will be better able to help them move through their process in a way that is comfortable for them.

Jim gave us a situation that was based around how to deal with an angry client. I found that I would initially try to hear what they are angry at and affirm that I hear what they are expressing, then I would try to identify what the UAC’s of the situation may be and then work toward what the client would want to do with that situation.

I was driving in the car picking my daughter up when the class was going on but I got a lot out of having a specific situation laid out and given the opportunity to come to a conclusion about how I would go about coaching that client, followed up by hearing what other people would do in that situation.

I haven’t had challenging clients so far but I think it is important to acknowledge the persons feeling rather than immediately trying to move them past it. Once you work through the initial feelings of anger (or whatever the other feelings may be) then you can move to the next phase of “now what”.