intuitive Archives - Smart Coaching and Training | Business Support, Consultancy, Mentoring

06/01/2022 By Jessica Breitenfeld

Sell Yourself Authentically

How Can You Sell Yourself Authentically within the First Five Seconds of Your Video?

Potential clients want to know quickly if you are a good fit for their needs, so you need an emotional hook to keep them listening. In the coaching industry you are your product; you need to know your strengths, what your ideal client wants and be engaging enough to get them interested in listening to your video, hiring you and recommending you.

Grab Their Attention

Your first sentence must show that you understand your clients. Start with a fascinating fact or a surprising statistic, mention their problem, offer a solution, ask a question or hint at a story.

People hire coaches based on a feeling much more than on certificates or qualifications. They need to be vulnerable with you in their process and if they don’t like or trust you they will not progress. So, the big questions is: How do you get people to like and trust you in a short amount of time?

*Jessica Breitenfeld Smart Coaching & Training Associate*

*Feedback from Jessica’s remote training in Saudi Arabia for SCT*

Building Trust Has a Formula

Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy = Trustworthiness

As a Gestalt therapist, I have seen many situations where women have put up a wall to protect themselves from getting hurt emotionally. Yet this same wall keeps intimacy, love and deep relationships on the outside knocking to get in. The door cannot open without intimacy, honesty and being oneself. I have come to understand that the best way for you to be yourself is to be brave. How2BeYou was founded with the vision of helping women get their ideas heard. To do that, you need to have the confidence to be yourself in three areas.

Understanding what you offer gives you credibility. Once you become confident in who you are and what you are offering, getting your ideal client is easier online than it is at your local networking event. You don’t need seven billion clients; you need people who like you, relate to you and trust you to help them with their goals.

Building reliability comes from repeated exposure. One example is building a Facebook group. It’s easier and more comfortable to sell to your community than it is to your family and friends. You could give a workshop to build your YouTube library. People need to see you seven times before they buy from you, so video is the cheapest, easiest way to gain clients´ trust.

Intimacy is developed through being authentic.You have strengths and weaknesses and you are unique. What is it about you that your ideal client will relate to? Once you can show them that you have overcome the problem they are facing they will trust you and want to work with you.

Three tips on how to be visible and comfortable on camera:

Always be clear and know your audience so you know what to talk about.
Focus your topics on their pain points and their outcomes.
Have a solid structure that offers tips and a call to action.

Are You Ready to Really Connect with Your People?

I know you want to do it. It can be scary, but ultimately, it is the play button to success. Your business has the potential to take off when you use video content properly. Once you step outside your comfort zone, your comfort in that zone grows and naturally your confidence grows! When potential clients see you putting yourself out there, being you in all your “you-ness” they come to trust you.

Remember, you are your brand. You are selling a transformation that comes from working with you and only you. Being open and sharing more of yourself helps build credibility and authority in your specialty. It shows who you are and: the expert- having overcome the thing they are struggling with. Allow your personality to radiate through your videos, creating connections as you go.

Still Not Convinced You Are Ready?

Are you worried about that mean girl from high school commenting on your video?

There are three typical problems that were stopping my clients from making videos to get clients:

Imposter syndrome.
Uncertain about how to structure content.
Uncomfortable on camera with no real faces to connect to.

I felt like old friends might challenge me on who I grew into. How could I claim to be a motivational speaker? I used my techniques on myself. I overcame my imposter syndrome by applying the legendary LAB approach to my fears. I heard my doubts floating in my head, then trained myself to speak. I took courses, gave more than 50 workshops on Zoom this year, won contests in Europe and ta-da—the confidence and authority which I now have comes from being voted Best Speaker in Barcelona and second Best Speaker in the Professional Speakers Association London, UK. Having trained professionals like you for thousands of hours on five continents, I can confidently claim that I can get you heard on camera, in your relationships and in your career. I’m looking forward to hearing your ideas!

At Smart Coaching & Training we coach and mentor according to client’s need, matching the client to appropriate associate including location and language.

17 associates; 4 continents; 8 languages.

This article was originally published in Metropolitan Barcelona

09/12/2021 By David Rigby & Martin Kubler

Duck Ramps

What’s my role as a mentor?

Before going to Oman to deliver training to Ministry of Transport in December 2021 , I was enjoying a fine spring morning walking around my neighbourhood in Stockholm and preparing for an upcoming Zoom with one of my Institute of Hospitality mentees, when I stumbled upon this contraption on the side of a small canal, which runs through a park behind my apartment:

What’s than sloping metal sheet for?

Initially, I wasn’t sure what the purpose of the sloping metal sheet was that was attached to the side of the canal. Just as I was looking at the ramp and scratching my head, a duck mother and her recently born ducklings drifted past and paddled to the ramp. Mother duck hopped out of the canal with a swift jump, but the little ducklings used the metal ramp to reach the shore.
I remember thinking, that it says a lot about my new neighbourhood that local authorities go to the trouble of installing duck ramps, so little ducklings (or older ducks, which feel less energetic), can enter and leave the water effortlessly, but I also realized that the image fairly aptly symbolizes my role as a mentor

Adapting to mentee´s needs

I feel strongly that, just as every mentee’s circumstances are different, a mentor’s approach also needs to adapt and that “one size fits all” isn’t a good approach. For a mentor – mentee relationship to be successful and produce results, both parties need to, at least broadly, align, which also means that, depending on a mentee’s journey, he or she should work with more than one mentor. It’s important for a mentor to understand the stage a mentee is currently at to be able to provide the right guidance.

Danger- Mashed potatoes , no?

Equally, a mentor doesn’t just need to understand the mentee’s industry and circumstances, but also the finer details of why the mentee is looking for guidance. “Mentee pleasing” sounds like a nice thing, but isn’t really helpful in the long run. A mentor’s a short-time guide, not a permanent advisor, and he or she cannot mentor, say, an entrepreneur from the pre-start-up phases to successfully running every aspect of a multi-million-dollar business.

*Martin Kubler training for Ministry of Transport Oman December 2021*

You might be a start-up specialist and a sales expert, but have no idea of the intricacies of human resources or how to set up an ERP system. It’s best to be upfront with mentees and explain where you can and cannot add value. Beware of people who try to add value everywhere or you’ll end up with an ERP system that mashes potatoes (I don’t know too much about ERP systems, but I’m pretty sure that they’re not supposed to mash potatoes).

Swimming without arm floats

Personally, I’ve got things figured out – and that’s also where the duck ramp from earlier on comes into play again: I help mentees get into the water smoothly and safely and learn how to swim. Once they know how to use the ramp and can swim comfortably without arm floats, I might wave them a fond farewell and introduce them to a mentor who’s better placed to help them with the journey ahead. Unless, of course, you’re talking marketing planning, communications, digital, or one of my other specialties, in which case I might just jump into the water myself and paddle alongside my mentee for a bit longer.

The ‘Number One’ factor in growing up to be a Swan

Mentors, essentially, are duck mothers or maybe Swan mothers. We’ll make sure our mentees paddle into the right direction, but we’ll also know that the time will come when our mutual journey ends and when a mentee might need different, fresh, specialist guidance.

If you’re a mentor, look around you, and you’ll soon find your duck ramp – even if your local authorities aren’t as duck friendly as mine. If you’re a mentee looking for a mentor, don’t agree to a ramp when what you really need are water skis or a 500 horsepower outboard motor, but also don’t buy a fancy yacht when you haven’t yet learned how to row a dinghy boat.

At Smart Coaching & Training we coach and mentor according to client’s need, matching the client to appropriate associate based on needs including location and language.

09/11/2021 By David Rigby

Dressing for Effect

Having the unconventional on your team

A man in a frock, a westerner in Arab dress! Which is worse? In this world of diversity what are you challenging when you break conventions, what are you going to achieve?

A man in a frock

A man in a frock: This shows a sign of confidence. A person good at getting publicity by challenging conventions. This photo was on linked in (I got permission to use) . The comments which went with it were fascinating. “No place for this on LinkedIn, an affront to women etc”. The overwhelming opinion seemed to be that those who were complaining should just get over it and get real. The transformation is impeccable – but still so obviously a man in a frock and high, high heels, not a woman. It should be noted that these days no one complains about women wearing trousers yet they were male clothing, High heels also were male attire, originally designed to prevent horse riders fall of their horses. Probably a good person to have on a diverse team – he would definitely get you to challenge your assumptions.

A Westerner in a thobe

A Westerner in a thobe (Arabic dress): this shows signs of disrespect. This is traditional clothing worn by Arabic Muslims. Non-Arabic Muslims in the business world tend to wear suits for business. Occasionally you will see Pakistanis and non Arabs wearing a thobe. Enquiring from my Muslim friends this represents Muslims showing support and respect for the Muslim Arabs. But they can only do it because they, themselves, are Muslims. So what will a westerner (presumed not Muslim) wearing a thobe achieve? – he will just look stupid and unaware. Don’t have him on your team!

It’s good to challenge assumptions and conventions – but know what you are challenging !

At Smart Coaching & Training we have associates in four continents speaking seven languages – some wear skirts some wear thobes.

See Barry Brandon on LinkedIn

02/07/2021 By Jessica Brietenfeld and Simon Grayson

Make Your Team Psychologically Safe

Teams that Trust – Triumph: Why Psychological Safety matters to your bottom line

Remember when you were on a team and really enjoyed it. What were the meetings like and how did the group communicate? Which team did you most enjoy being in? Which team that you were a part of was most effective? Were you more effective when you felt safe to be yourself and express yourself?

Being on a team can be a dream or a nightmare.

All of us have mixed experiences when being part of a team or group or when leading them. What makes an efficient team? Talent alone is nowhere near enough of an attribute to make an effective team. It has been proved through various scientific research that the best teams share ideas.in a safe atmosphere where failure is viewed as progress- when a member of the team feels like it is okay to share an idea without knowing if it will in fact work out. In fact they are willing to share the acorn of an idea knowing that others will help it grow and develop it to something better.

Using one´s strengths

On an ideal team, each person is willing to speak their truth and give feedback when things are good, bad or indifferent. They speak humbly with empathy,,are open to feedback and opportunities to learn and have a desire to improve. Team members are willing to speak up if and when they spot a potential risk. What they spotted may be incorrect, but mistakes are not held against each other. Each team member realises that they need to include, listen and challenge others to be more effective. The leaders of these teams listen in order to learn, grow and develop the team. So that they can do more with less stress.

Think of teams that you’ve experienced, inside or outside of work, that keep quiet, don’t share ideas and avoid speaking up, even when they know the answer or see a problem looming.

Danger- imminent disaster, no?

Imagine a ship where the captain knows they will hit an iceberg but they fear upsetting the owner of the ship and losing their jobs- in case they are wrong.
Imagine a IT guy having had the experience at a previous job of a similar project and knowing what went wrong but not having the safety to share this information because of the hierarchy on the team.
Wouldn’t you want your team to help make you more successful? You must give them permission to fail and to try again.

*Psychological Safety Expert- Simon Grayson*

*Psychological Safety Expert- Jessica Breitenfeld*

The people in these teams can be merciless if someone makes an error The result is that no one speaks up, no-one shares ideas and you became extinct like Kodak film. Leaders of teams like this listen only to correct, react and delegate. These companies become Irrelevant in today’s VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) world without innovative team.which ultimately drives ‘safe’ behaviours that don’t maximise performance, rarely create fresh ideas and never surpass targets. The leaders of these teams listen in order to respond, fix and tell. This team will never fulfil its potential because the team has low Psychological Safety. That sense of not feeling safe and supported within a team or group gets in the way of performance, innovation, learning, and personal success.

The ‘Number One’ factor in team effectiveness

The NUMBER ONE factor in team effectiveness is “Psychological Safety”.
This insight is the result of almost 30 years of research by Amy Edmondson, at Harvard Business School, supported and reinforced by an extensive two-year research programme (Project Aristotle) across 15,000 employees at Google read about Project Aristotle in The New York Times magazine).

At Smart Coaching & Training we measure team effectiveness across four dimensions:

Attitudes to risk and failure:
• the degree to which it is permissible to make mistakes
Open conversations
• the degree to which difficult and sensitive topics can be discussed openly
Willingness to help
• the degree to which people are willing to help one another

Inclusivity and diversity
• the degree to which people can be themselves, and be welcomed for this. The degree that others can be different and the tolerance for it.

*How Psychologically Safe is it to Spill the paint or Spill the beans? Wales, UK Photo by David Rigby*

You can be do the ¨AQai Adaptability Quotient test to see how your team members respond under stress and in change situations and then our coach can help you with a plan to increase your team’s Adaptability IQ score so that it is agile and able to keep up.

We deliver coching support, diagnostic tools and a Psychological Safety Workshop to assess your current level of Psychological Safety and help you plan to improve it

Workshops will train a ¨Yes, And¨ mindset, will have role plays and improvisation LAB Experiences with Serious Games where your team practices the mindset of an adaptive team that supports one another.

Your team practices feedback sessions, how to present information and how to create rapport so they approach the team prepared and with confidence that they are delivering their ideas clearly.

Team that trust – triumph.

See “Make your team Psychologically Safe Workshop” Here and help build tthat atmosphere of trust, trial and triumph with interactive, dynamic training .

17/05/2021 By David Rigby

How your Profile affects your Self-actualisation

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Psychologist Abraham Maslow outlines what is known as a Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, representing all the various needs that motivate human behaviour. The hierarchy is often displayed as a pyramid, with the lowest levels representing basic needs and more complex needs located at the top of the pyramid. The five levels are Physiological Needs, Safety, Love/Belonging, Esteem, and finally, at the peak of this hierarchy is self-actualisation. The hierarchy suggests that when the other needs at the base of the pyramid have been met, you can then focus your attention on this pinnacle need of self-actualisation. In psychology, self-actualisation is achieved when you’re able to reach your full potential. Being truly self-actualised is considered the exception rather than the rule since most people are working to meet more pressing needs.

But how do you know when you have gotten there? Are you being true to yourself, no longer putting on an act to please others? Do different types of personality achieve self actualisation differently?

Jungian Profiling Tools

There are many profiling tools all based upon the work of Jung. All work on the premise that there are four types of personalities and everyone is a unique combination of all of them.

And they all use different terminology. In detail, all individuals can be classified into predominantly extrovert (active) or introvert (reflective/reactive);

*Childs Play 1 – Altea Alicante by David Rigby*

and also are predominantly logical (thinking/ task orientated) or emotional (feeling/intuitive/people orientated)). Everyone is a combination of all of these but some characteristics are more prevalent than others.

What self-actualisation might look like

What self-actualisation, your full potential, might look like if you are:

Extrovert/logical (Directive)
• Being up to the challenge: successful at all the projects you are undertaking and being in charge on your terms and being recognised for it
Extrovert/emotional (Inspiration)
• Having great relationships and lots of action with many people while being exactly who you are
Reflective/ emotional (Service)
• Everybody is OK in their own right and with you. They are collaborating with you, and everyone is OK with you being who you are, and you are safe.

*Childs Play 2 – Altea Alicante Photo by David Rigby*

Reflective/logical (Competence)
• Everything is in its place, everyone knows exactly what to do and what the steps are and actually follows them and are reliable.

We suport and supply a number of profiling tools and have knowledge of several more. Take a look at this video, which is the first of a series describing the fundamentals, and ask us for more detail.