In the same ICF survey previously mentioned participants were asked the most frequent outcomes they attributed to their coaching experience, these included a higher level of self-awareness and self-confidence, a more balanced life, smarter goal-setting and lower stress levels. Specific results were as follows:

• Self-awareness: 67.6%
• Setting better goals: 62.4%
• More balanced life: 60.5%
• Lower stress levels: 57.1%
• Self-discovery: 52.9%
• Self-confidence: 52.4%
• Improvement in quality of life: 43.3%
• Enhanced communication skills: 39.5%
• Project completion: 35.7%
• Health or fitness improvement: 33.8%
• Better relationship w/ boss, co-workers: 33.3%
• Better family relationship(s): 33.3%
• Increased energy: 31.9%
• More fun: 31.9%
• More income: 25.7%
• Stopped a bad habit: 25.7%
• Change in career: 24.3%
• More free time: 22.9%
• Increased profitability of business: 17.1%
• Other: 15.3%
• Started new business: 12.9%
• Empowered employees: 11.0%
• Business turn around: 09.0%
• Change in residential location: 05.7%

The same International Coaching Federation study previously mentioned asked the question of what value coaching clients perceived as a result of their coaching experience. The responses were as follows:

A landslide of 98.5% of coaching clients said their investment in a coach was well worth the money.  

• 70% of clients said their investment in a coach was very valuable.
• 28.5% said their investment was valuable.
• 1.5% said their investment in a coach had not been valuable.

If you have been thinking about coaching and wondered if it was worth the time and investment the results of this survey should help convince you that chances are you too can gain from a coaching experience.

There are many ways to describe coaching and numerous adjectives used to convey what coaching is all about. Thus, this a survey done by the International Coaching Federation caught our attention. The following are the primary reasons people chose to work with a coach:

By far, most coaching clients pay their coach to be a sounding board - to really listen to them and give honest feedback. Clients, who could select as many choices as were applicable, characterized the role of their coach as the following:

• Sounding board: 84.8%
• Motivator: 78.1%
• Friend: 56.7%
• Mentor: 50.5%
• Business consultant: 46.7%
• Teacher: 41.0%
• Taskmaster: 30.5%
• Spiritual guide: 29.5%
• Other: 13.3%

In our experience the primary reasons people initiate a coaching relationship with us are: Sounding Board, Motivator, Mentor and Business Consultant. If you have had a coach in the past we would be interested in your experience.