Throughout my coaching career I have read, used and loved the usual resources such as Thomas Leonard’s The Portable Coach and Cheryl Richardson’s Take Time For Your Life, Life Makeovers and Stand Up For Your Life. Many coaches would agree that they have enjoyed these books.
As I work to really hone my skills as a coach with the desire to be certified, I began to look for and use books that helped me to coach and use the best questions and listening possible. I came across a book while listening to the authors of the book refer to it; I heard them on a recording of their presentation from the ICF conference. The authors are L. Michael Hall Ph.D. and Michelle Duval, Master Coach. The title of the book is Coaching Conversations for Transformational Change. It gives actual transcripts of coaching conversations, and gives examples of really probing questions that allow the reader to develop the skills of a master coach and to influence positive change. This is my favorite book on this topic.
My next recommendation is by Nancy Kline, and it is called Time To Think Listening to Ignite the Human Mind. The book discusses how we can help others to think creatively, and uses a step by step guide that can be used in business and personal life. My mentor coach Margaret Krigbaum said that the goal of coaching is for the client to develop new ways of thinking and being; this book is invaluable for any coach who has this same philosophy to read .
The last book I want to talk about is entitled, The 7 Powers of Questions: Secrets to Successful Communication in Life and at Work, written by Dorothy Leeds. Besides helping us to find specific information, the book helps us to use questions to establish strong relationships, to influence and encourage others, facilitate imaginative thinking, and generate significant change in our lives. It also gives a lot of background as to what makes good questions so powerful. Wouldn’t you say this sounds perfect for a coach?
Your March Resources & Readers Host:
Lorraine Calhoun can be reached at Lorraine@act2consulting.com Her websites are Act2Consulting and MidlifeOwnersManual. Lorraine specializes in coaching women and caregivers to go from chaos to calm even in the midst of the inevitable stress that comes up in midlife. She does this with holistic coaching, teleclasses and self-study programs with an emphasis on stress reduction, wellness and energetic vibrancy. Check out her complimentary eBook valued at $19.95.
