Solution Focused Coaching
Solution Focused Coaching retains the basic coaching conversation structure common to models such as GROW, but places a greater emphasis on using ‘clean’ language and helping clients envision their ‘preferred future’, through exploring how interactions with others can be used as resources in their own right. It has its roots in family therapy, making it a useful approach with clients who present with barriers in their lives – allowing them to focus on solutions, not problems.
Wrap-around support
The Solution Focused approach, with its focus on interactions with others, can help clients identify inter-personal resources and networks that will help them achieve their goals – expanding their ability to create their own pathways to success . Click here to read more about ‘Wrap-around support’
“Solution Focused Coaching is a valuable tool for catalysts to utilise to help Community Businesses and Social Enterprises to grow” (Coaching Skills course attendee)
One of the more powerful tools available to a Soltuon Focused coach is called ‘scaling’, where clients are invited to imagine their preferred future and assign this as 10 on a scale of 1-10. They are then walked through a series of questions to assess where they are now, what ‘good enough’ would look like and what would need to happen to move up their scale. Clients self-calibrate during this exercise and take full ownership of their route to making progress.
One of the innovations which came out of the Empowering Places programme was introducing Community Organisers, rather than people who all had direct experience of running a business, to Solution Focused coaching skills. This empowered them to have constructive early conversations with potential entrepreneurs on their doorstep, paving the way for them to explore their ideas further and link into more focused business support where needed.
“Seeing our cohorts thrive as they made their way through the coaching skills training was amazing – knowing they are able to then use these skills to support people with the ideas and passion to make change happen in their communities.”