ABSTRACT

Coaches and mentors can help with this process of commitment. One way we do this is to check out where the reservations are (see Chapter 6) and then let the individual’s energy move them into action. The technique Head, heart, guts, addresses this dynamic. Another approach to dealing with reservations is to focus upon the emotions involved in setting goals. Phil Donnison’s description of The role of emotions in coaching is useful here – it looks at models that show how a coach can help people make positive use of their emotions during a coaching relationship. Yet another technique is to use Gillian Hill’s powerful framework

for Challenging deeply held beliefs and assumptions. Perhaps the classic model for working on commitment is calibrating it on a 10-point scale – see for example Whitmore (2003). Our example of this technique is called The meaning of ‘yes’. One feature that stops people committing is a perception of danger in taking action. Sometimes it pays to more closely examine the dragons we perceive to be lurking and we have a technique for this called Danger? What’s dangerous about that?