Coaching is a potentially intense activity between coach and client, and recent studies indicate that the chemistry needs to be right in these relationships, in order to get the best from coaching. Recent research indicates several critical aspects of the coaching relationship. The participant wants a relationship that they perceive as valuable, and a relationship that is founded on trust. The relationship is also improved when there is transparency and openness.
Professor Stephen Palmer will be facilitating a symposium on the topic of coaching relationships at this year's 3rd National Coaching Psychology Conference to be held at City University London, on Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 December 2007, organised by the British Psychological Society's Special Group in Coaching Psychology.
"The quality of the coach-coachee relationship can contribute to coaching outcomes and to the coaching process itself", explains Professor Palmer. "Our research at the Coaching Psychology Unit, City University, found that coachees want transparency; in other words, the coach explains the process and theory that underpins the various coaching interventions".
"In addition, trust was seen as a vital part of the coaching relationship and confidentiality was an essential ingredient. We found that a valuable coaching relationship is based on both trust and transparency", explains Professor Palmer.
These findings really underline the importance of an effective relationship being established between coach and client, if the client is to get maximum benefit from the coaching process. The research conducted by Professor Palmer and his colleague, Dr Gyllensten, provides the coach with some definite aims to which he or she should aspire to when building and developing relationships with coaching clients.