In this article, we’ll explore questions about the etiquette and logistics of a life coach session. As a treat, we’ll start with a clever trick you can use to take advantage of the enthusiasm and energy you feel during a coaching call.
Is it okay to leave a coaching session for a few minutes and then call the coach back?
Jumping off a coaching call is definitely okay for an emergency, and it’s probably fine for something quick and urgent, like answering the door to get a delivery.
For something optional, it’s disrespectful to the coach to interrupt the call to do something else, with one major exception.
It’s a fantastic use of your coaching time to jump off the call to take action on the project you’re working on with your coach, especially if you’ve been afraid to do it on your own or have been procrastinating for some other reason. If you’re so jazzed from your life coach session that you have the confidence to, say, make a phone call that you’ve been dreading and putting off, by all means, jump off the call to do it. You can even call up your coach afterwards, if there’s still time in your session, and celebrate (or cry) with her, depending on how it went.
Is it acceptable to call or e-mail a coach in between sessions?
Coaches have different policies about contacting them between sessions. Some explicitly tell you that one of the benefits of working with them is that you can give them a quick call or e-mail between sessions. Most coaches would probably be comfortable with a brief e-mail or two from a client between sessions. If you want more contact than that between sessions, you may want to check with your coach about the issue.
What if you have to miss a session?
If you can’t make a session, the smart move is to let your coach know as soon as possible and definitely before the session. If you just skip a session without telling your coach, she’s going to sit and wait for you at your appointed session time, which is no fun for her. Missing sessions can be a major source of underlying tension in your relationship with your coach, even if the coach is nice to you about it.
Even if you call in advance to cancel, your coach is likely to charge you for a session you miss, unless you cancel several days in advance, with plenty of time for the coach to rearrange her schedule.
Who calls whom?
The general rule is that the client calls the coach, but this isn’t always the case. Many non-US coaches will call their US clients because the coaches have great international calling plans and the clients don’t. Sometimes, both the coach and the client call a conference line. One of the advantages of using a conference line is that your call can be easily recorded and sent to you afterwards.
Is it okay to do other things during a coaching call like cooking and cleaning?
As a general rule, it’s not a good idea to do other things during a coaching call, like washing dishes or making dinner.
These tasks you’re doing distract you and take your full focus away from the coaching conversation, even if you think you’re giving your full attention to your coach. These activities also make distracting background noise and may offend your coach. And when you do other activities while on a coaching call, you’re subtly giving your coach the message that you don’t respect her or your coaching sessions all that much, and she may unconsciously start treating you accordingly. Also, with your hands busy, you’re not in a position to take notes, if you want to.
What if you’re ready to end the call before your time is up?
If you’ve gotten what you wanted from the life coach session before the time for the session is over, it’s perfectly acceptable to end the call early. You can explain to your coach what’s going on and thank her. Everything should be good.