Answer this question for yourself: What percentage of people struggle with their self-confidence? After asking this of many different people myself – professionals, restaurant staff, colleagues, and friends, I find there seems to be a consensus that the number is high. I had people respond with anywhere from 70 to 95%! Self-confidence is a common reason people hire a coach. It is important to note that through our experiences many of us learn to seek affirmation from others to build our own confidence. Ultimately, confidence must come from within so a coach works with a client for them to affirm themselves.
Coaches have a number of techniques and tools that support clients developing confidence. One example is to ask clients questions that push them to list their achievements, successes, positive qualities, good deeds, and positive impact on others. Through this process, the client affirms them self plus they co-create lists with their coach that they then have for reviewing again.
Another approach is to have the client define what they want in all areas of their life and then fully describe their ideal after achieving their goals. This is an empowering conversation focused on creating their future and naturally empowering. Building on this further, coaches will work with their clients to create a visualization or affirmation tool.
An experiential process for building confidence is often beneficial too. To co-create this, a coach works with the client to plan small achievements, affirming interactions, and positive conversations. The client then reflects on what they are learning with their coach.These examples are a start. What are additional possibilities for co-creating techniques, tools, or experiences that support a client building their confidence?