Product Description

A compendium of coaching resources.

Life coaching has burst on the scene both as an adjunct to psychotherapy and as an alternative to it. With the myriad of coaching styles and programs available, it can be difficult to focus on any particular strategy. Here leading coach trainer Pat Williams presents 52 essential skills and techniques that can be applied to a variety of life coaching situations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #294306 in Books
• Published on: 2004-12-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 350 pages

Review
An interactive experience in which you will find recipes for living your life more authentically -- Adolescence, Vol. 40, No. 159

About the Author
Patrick Williams lives in Fort Collins, Colorado. Lloyd J. Thomas lives in Wellington, Colorado.

Customer Reviews

Content did not live up to its introduction
Unfortunately I purchased 7 copies of this book for a coaching program I was doing before I had read it. The cover information and introduction were intriguing.However, I found the content thin and failing to deliver on the promises laid out in the introduction of the book as well as the introduction of each chapter. I liked ideas that they told me they would tell me about; the authors delivered thin regurgitated material.

big book- dissapointing content
I was puzzled by much of the content of this book- probably based in part on the high expectations I had after reading some reviews here. Coaching as I know it focuses on the client's values and the agenda comes from the client rather than the coach. This book is full of exercises and "good ideas", but it seems to be infused with many of the writers' own personal opinions, agenda, and biases.

I am concerned that those who are new to coaching will be tempted to "lead", "know", analyze or attempt to "fix" their clients, rather than partner with clients with genuine curiousity to create what they want based on their own (the clients) values and agenda. Granted there are many effective syles of "coaching" and modalities. As a CTI trained life coach I admit I have a bias towards a more co-active, and less therapeutic model.

Another master-piece from Pat Williams!
Dr Williams has been a friend and colleague for several years and with Total Life Coaching, he has clearly established his position as the foremost leader in his understanding of life coaching skills. This is a a one-volume encyclopedia of coaching! Particularly if you are just starting to build your coaching library, this is a "must-have."

Covering 52 of the most common issues in coaching, organized along eight major themes, each chapter explains the theory, then includes examples, exercises, a short coaching "conversation" around the issue, and practical application steps to make the principle useful. While hundreds of books have been written on each of these themes, Williams and Thomas have collected much of the best information in one place, a "one-stop-shopping" over-view of essential skills and best practices in coaching.

Highly recommended! This is not a small book and it is not intended as a quick read There is real "meat" here! Buy it as a resource book (that's how it's intended to be used) and for more experienced coaches, it will serve as a valuable set of reminders and "first principles" to go back to over and over again. My only reservation about the book is its size and weight. Some people will be put off by its broad scope and massive size, but not you! Buy it and set a goal to read it straight through over a period of time, then keep it handy so you can access it frequently as you need resources, tools, or ideas. A well-done and valuable addition to the literature on coaching.