Life coaching is a powerful tool for personal growth and development. But how long does a life coaching session last? This is a question that many people have, and the answer depends on several factors. In this article, we'll explore the different elements that influence the length of a life coaching session, from the initial evaluation to the frequency of conversations and the type of coaching. Often, after an initial evaluation, life coaching sessions can be conducted face-to-face or remotely, usually by phone, email, video calls, and occasionally via instant messaging. During in-person training, the coach can provide more value-added information through resources such as books and case studies.
More frequent conversations and perhaps shorter conversations can promote better training behaviors on your part and produce better results for the coachee. Personally, I like to spend an entire session reviewing and consolidating what each client gained from their coaching experience. Despite the above benefits, moderate-duration sessions may be inadequate to fully explore a client's problems, especially when training sessions are few and far between. Third, and most fundamentally, every coaching relationship has an inherent pace and rhythm that, ideally, the coach and client respect. Some issues can be explored and addressed in a short training session, while others require more time to be spent addressing them. A study conducted by Coaching Research Institute LLP surveyed clients on the behaviors and structures their professional coaches used and the resulting effects on clients.
Clients reported that when training was conducted over the phone, the coach gave fewer instructions and advice from a higher point of view. Here's what the survey found and how you could increase the effectiveness of your coaching conversations by adjusting the structure. At the end of each session, the coach will ask you to commit to completing certain tasks before the next session, which is often referred to as a task. Longer training sessions are also ideal in case your client can only be available once in a long time (every two to three months, for example).
