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Sensitive NLP Coach
- phone and e-coaching
email Morris at hspcoach@gmail.com
Read this page for information on:
Advantages of phone, email & Internet coaching ● suitability for e-coaching ● how it works ● using Skype ● Email coaching as low-cost alternative ● Internet chat & secure chatrooms ● free system check for clients ● what equipment to use for best e-coaching experience ● cancellation/ late contact policy ● security & privacy ● working content-free ● is face-to-face coaching necessary?Print this page using your browser's print button.
Advantages of telephone, email and Internet coaching
Coaching can easily be offered over the telephone, via Skype (Internet phone), email, or on-line chat. Distant coaching offers the following advantages:
Various methods of delivering distance coaching are given below. The important thing is to use a method that you feel comfortable with, both emotionally and technically. The vast majority of people can use the telephone, email or both. If you already use Skype or chat, using it for coaching will just be using familiar skills.
If you meet the following terms you are suitable for on-line or phone coaching:
You are over 18.
You speak and understand English well.
You have the funds available to pay for coaching and are willing to pay .
You are not depressed or suicidal.
You are not receiving counselling or psychotherapy from any other provider. (If you have a therapist or counsellor, I may need to contact that person with your permission).
You do not have any serious mental or psychological problem (including addictions).
You are sober, reliable and responsible, able to keep appointments and willing to do homework assigned to you by the coach between sessions.
You are participating in coaching purely for personal self-improvement purposes and not for any purposes of research or any other agenda.
You do not intend to record the sessions or to distribute the information from them in any way. (NB - it is illegal to record telephone conversations without informing the other party).
I will call you just before the session is due to start. It is your responsibility to ensure the line is free and that you will not be interrupted. If your number is engaged, I will try again in 5 minutes though for billing and timing purposes the session will have begun at the normal time. If we have not established contact after 10 minutes I will regard the session as cancelled and chargeable.
I will normally have my incoming phone line on voicemail when starting a session to avoid interruptions. I may not check messages immediately.
I prefer to call the client as it avoids me having to wait for calls or taking other calls just as we are about to start. However if the above arrangement is awkward for you please let me know during our initial discussions.
Email coaching has the advantage of being convenient and accessible whenever you can access the Internet, including on your Blackberry or email-enabled phone. You and the coach have time to think before writing. The coach can email you worksheets and coaching tools that you can work on, emailing back the results. Often a short email from the coach, posing a powerful question, can set you pondering and lead to changes in attitude and to positive decisions. In fact, "powerful question" coaching, supplemented by coaching tools as attachments, is one of the best applications of coaching by email.
Email is usually used between telephone sessions to keep in touch with your coach. Emails can be used for reminders to keep you on track and you can let the coach know as you take the positive steps you've agreed on.
Some people find it much easier to write about their issues than talk about them, at least initially.
Email coaching is ideal if you are in a different time zone, or if you work night shifts.
Because email coaching is most convenient for the coach, it can be offered at lower cost if it is the main method of coaching used.
Skype is an Internet telephone system - you make calls using your home PC (or Wi-Fi enabled equipment). You need to download the Skype software from www.skype.com and to have a suitable Skype phone or headset. Calls between Skype users are free.
Skype can also be used to chat online and for this you don't need a phone (see "using Internet chat" below).
There are various types of phones and headsets that allow you to use Skype. I am unable to advise on what equipment suits you best - different phones work better with different computers and you may need to experiment to get the best results. See "your equipment" below for more information.
You will normally need a fast Internet connection (broadband or cable ) to use Skype though we have heard of some people being able to use it with dial-up.
Skype calls are encrypted for security, and their content is not archived by Skype.
Skype can also be used, instead of email, as a way of sending files. Files are automatically encrypted for security and are not kept by Skype. This means that Skype can be used to send confidential completed, worksheets, questionnaires or written assignments back to your coach. Also, if you wish to write about a matter for your coach's information or comments, you can send that information as a Word file via Skype. So you can work on your written coaching assignments in writing wherever you can do word processing, and send the file when you connect to Skype.
Your coach, using Skype, can send SMS messages (texts) to mobile/cellular phones worldwide. Why not arrange for me to text you a specially crafted positive affirmation just before a key event?
I use two chat systems: Skype and Chatzy. Clients will be asked to choose one system and stick to it for a specific period of coaching unless there are good reasons to change.
Chatzy (see below) is the chat service of choice for serious coaching and e-therapy. It's easy and fuss-free. All you need to use it is to be able to go online.
I do not use ICQ, Yahoo, MSN, Windows Live, Google Chat or AOL chat.
Skype - if you are already a Skype user, I will give you my Skype ID and you can click on it, or I can initiate the chat. While on a coaching chat, I can have my on-line status showing to other Skype users as "unavailable" - and suggest you do the same, to avoid interruptions by others requesting a chat.
Chatzy is a chat service that is preferred by coaches, counsellors and therapists because it has the option of secure encrypted private chat rooms.
You don't need to download any special software or register for any additional email accounts to use Chatzy. It can be used instantly for casual chat if one partly logs on and invites another.
On request, and upon payment of my fee, I will open a secure password-protected virtual chatroom on Chatzy just for your coaching. You don't have to register or pay Chatzy anything. Once you have access to your chatroom, you can leave secure messages there - we can chat when we are both on-line at arranged times, or respond to each other's messages when we are available, like email.
Chatzy can also be used as a private blog. This may be useful in the future for offering special content (coaching tools and and e-courses) only available to my coaching clients.
I will arrange a free call of up to 10 minutes, if necessary, to ensure that both our telephone systems are working properly and that we can both hear each other loud and clear. This should only be necessary once for each client unless either of us is using new equipment. Normally the call will be a very brief one and, if arranged just before the scheduled coaching, we will just go ahead with the coaching.
If you wish to use Chatzy - the secure chat system - we can arrange a free brief test chat.
This system check is not technical advice - see "your equipment" below.
At present I do not use a webcam. Clients will find this more private and convenient - I can't see into your home, you don't have to look your best or declutter just before the session, and there won't be any problems with sudden fluctuations of bandwidth causing interference.
The most important piece of equipment for coaching is between your ears!
The second most important piece of equipment is the simplest - a pen and paper to take notes.
If you have a normal phone or a Skype phone and you know it works and it's clear, the rest of this section needn't bother you.
However if you are interested in using Skype or using a headset for maximum comfort when talking and listening, then read on:
Your normal telephone will be adequate for telephone coaching. If it has a speaker and you wish to use it, test it to make sure the caller's voice is distinct.
If you are hard of hearing and use a hearing aid or other device, ask for a test call to ensure you can hear me properly.
If it is difficult for you to hold a telephone for a long time, and you are not happy with a speaker phone, you may wish to consider buying a phone that can take a headset. Telephones are available that have an RJ11 headset socket. The best telephone headsets are binaural (with two earphones) and a noise-cancelling microphone. Avoid very cheap ones as they may go wrong easily or may not be clear, or the microphone may not be in the correct position - some very cheap headsets seem to be made to fit kids and not adults! Buy from a supplier who will have no problem making exchanges or refunds if you don't get the best results first time.
With Skype, you can use any suitable Skype-compatible phone and USB phones should give you no problem. You may need to load an extra piece of software before your phone will connect. Instead of a phone, a simple plug-in earpiece-and-microphone may give adequate results. If your computer has a built-in speaker and microphone (many laptops have) you can configure that instead of a phone. There are also phones you can get that combine your landline and a Skype connection, and mobiles that offer Skype.
A landline headset with RJ11 connection will not work with Skype, and if you like headsets, you will need a separate one. Avoid very cheap unbranded ones. The on-line Skype shop will give products that are guaranteed to work with Skype, but that does not mean they will work perfectly with your particular computer system.
Another possible computer setup is not to use a combined headset but to use a pair of headphones and a separate mike. That is also a very cheap option since if you already have a pair of good earphones or headphones you use for music, you can plug those into your computer. Then you will need to get a mike that you can plug into your computer's mike socket. Those can range from small lapel mikes to desktop mikes. If you already have music phones, an investment of a just a few pounds for a mike can give you a first-class setup that, with luck, will work with Skype.
The real advantage of using a headset or equivalent is that you can relax in your chair, you don't need to hold a phone, and your voice and the coach's will be very clear. That will help if you are having any kind of guided visualisation work, relaxation training, self-hypnosis training or guided metaphor work. If you would like that sort of work, consider using your music phones, a separate mike, and Skype. Mind you, depending on where your comfortable chair is placed, you may want extension leads for both the headphones and the mike.
I am wary of doing long sessions when the client is using a mobile or cellular phone, because apart from the cost factor, the cumulative health effects of mobile phone use are still unknown. Bluetooth headsets and earpieces are claimed to have no ill effects but only the future will tell. Having said that, clients are responsible for their own health and I can bear no responsibility whatsoever for your choice of equipment on which to make or receive calls.
To illustrate the fact that headset and mike compatibility is sometimes tricky, here are my own experiences. I wanted good headsets for both phone and Skype use, both for comfort and to ensure clients can hear me clearly and I can hear them - particularly important for international calls where the line quality may not be perfect and when my accent or the client's may need excellent reception to be clearly understood.
I obtained a very good telephone headset with noise-cancelling mike. However, the problem was not the headset but the phone. I tried two different headset-compatible phones by the most popular British telephone brand. Both phones behaved erratically with the sound cutting out and sometimes no ring. I tried another brand of phone sold exclusively by one on-line company that was half the cost of the best-known brand. That phone worked with the headset without any problems.
With Skype headsets I went through even more trial and error because my computer or sound card seems to be rather peculiar when it comes to accepting headsets. A couple of pairs of very cheap headsets were useless. A Skype-branded headset did not work - the mike did not pick up. A Plantronics headset had the same problem when used with jack plugs, but it worked very well when connected to a separate USB sound card. A Logitech folding headset failed the mike test, both with jack plugs and USB. The best set-up of all was my Ultrasone hi-fi headphones (with jack plug) plus a Logitech USB desk mike. That gave superb clarity and the mike is good enough for me to record mp3s.
So now I have two spare headsets that I can't use but that I hope will be useful when I get my next computer!
One tip that may be helpful if you have a headset that doesn't work with Skype, is to get a USB sound card and connect it via that. USB soundcards are smaller than a USB flash drive and bypass your PC's own sound card. They are available quite cheaply on eBay and from online computer accessory stores.
If we arrange a session at a specific time and you are not ready when I call you, or you call me late, the time available will run only until the schedules end of the session and the full fee will be charged.
Cancellations of fixed appointments must be received at least 24 hours before the session starts otherwise the full fee will be charged.
However, email coaching can be substituted for the missed phone or online chat session. In many cases, this will enable you to continue to work on issues arising.
When coaching using Skype, email or chat there is always the possibility of a crash, power cut, failure of headset etc. or the broadband line resetting itself at either end, causing an interruption.
When using email, the last message being composed by either party may disappear if it has not been sent or saved, so if you are composing a long message, save it as a draft as often as possible until you send it. A save after every sentence is recommended.
When using Chatzy, the message you are composing may be lost if there is a sudden cut. If you are sending a long chat making several points, I recommend that you send each paragraph as you write it with the word "contd." (short for continued) or "more" at the end to let me know that you will be sending more. This will greatly reduce the risk of what you've typed being lost. Then when sending your final message before you want me to reply, put the word "End" at the end.
When using Skype, if there is a temporary minor problem such as a very short power cut or an ADSL line reset at my end, I should be operating again within 5 minutes and will call you.
The information below is provided to show that I take the issues of privacy and confidentiality seriously and professionally. However, with the increasing erosion of privacy by authorities given rights to demand and monitor all sorts of data and to enter people's residences, personal privacy is not inviolable.
The best security of all - where electronic communications are concerned - is not to mention details of anything that you regard as too sensitive. Life coaching will deal with many life issues, and also can address certain emotionally-related issues, but a real personal "secret" or highly embarrassing issue does not arise often. If it does, the best approach is to ask the coach to work on an issue "content-free". That means that you say that something is bothering you but you don't talk about any details at all, just about feelings and metaphors. I have various tools such as NLP, time line work, energy therapies and metaphor work that can be used to work content-free, enabling us to work on change without me knowing the precise issue. The issue is simply given a nickname of your choosing such as "Problem X" or "Bigfoot" which tell me nothing about the real specifics of what happened or what is happening now. Content-free working can be also a good way to start when a client finds it difficult to trust people in general.
Ordinary email and telephone conversations cannot be regarded as 100% secure as there is always the possibility that they can be intercepted - the same applies to your phone conversations with friends, most of your email and your telephone conversations with face-to-face therapists or help lines. In real life however, we all carry on our business by email and phone without being paranoid and most of us talk privately on the phone all the time. Google users normally have all their private email stored on-line.
Official agencies in any country can demand call logs from telecommunications providers - these will show who contacted whom but not the content of the call.
Skype calls and chats are encrypted, and I recommend a secure virtual chatroom in Chatzy for encrypted chat. Chat histories will normally be kept on-line - stored security by Skype or Chatzy - for the duration of coaching as this will help both of us to review your progress. Emails will also be stored on-line by Google. However your chat or email history on Skype, Chatzy or Google will be deleted at any time on request.
As a professional I am obliged to keep notes of sessions. Any notes of sessions will be kept in a secure encrypted password-protected database (not on-line). I am registered with the Data Protection Act and operate in accordance with its principles. I have a least 3 different security products running on my computer constantly to prevent hacking, spyware, etc.
You will find some coaches and therapists saying that they don't keep notes on computer but keep them on paper. However, paper notes are easier to steal and read so they are not really more secure. A common practice is for therapists to identify paper files by number only, but all that means is that a key to the numbers - with your name and contact details - must be kept somewhere and that is the information any serious searcher for information would try to find.
All communications between clients and myself will be confidential. Confidentiality can only be broken if there is apparent danger to a person, if a crime has been made known, or if a court order is made to release information. However, police can request the password to any protected information and refusal to provide the password is a criminal offence - client confidentiality is not a defence in such a case.
Clients have the right under the Data Protection Act to see the information held about them. An administration charge of £ 10 will be made to supply that information.
Clients are responsible for the security of their own data, passwords, computers, WiFi, etc.
People are different and some people will prefer face-to-face coaching. However, in this electronically connected world most of us are used to the idea of speaking to people remotely about important, private or personal matters. There are medical and legal help lines, and many types of advice and counselling help lines, all run by telephone. People make wide use of the Internet to make new contacts and friends. A lot of people use social networking sites such as Facebook. Coaching by telephone and chat is growing both within organisations and between freelance coaches and clients. Most coaches offer some form of telephone coaching service. So, many coaches and many clients are finding that distant coaching or e-coaching can work as well as face-to-face coaching with a wide range of applications.
Note:
Coaching is not a substitute for psychotherapy, counselling or medical attention. If you have a medical problem, you should consult your doctor. If you have a psychological or emotional problem that is interfering with your work or everyday life, you should consult a suitably qualified professional counsellor, psychotherapist or psychologist. Coaching can be given as a complementary form of help, subject to the assessment of the coach and also, if required, to the agreement of your doctor or therapist.
Information on this page is copyright © Morris Berg 2009 and must not be reproduced without permission in writing.
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