2.5 Client consultation

CHAPTER 2: Psychology in Personal Training 2.5 Client consultation

The client consultation is a critical component of personal training, as it sets the stage for a successful, long-lasting relationship between the trainer and the client. This process begins the moment a client or potential client says hello and introduces themselves. From this initial interaction, the assessment process starts. You involuntarily begin to analyze the person’s communication style, acknowledge verbal and non-verbal cues, and immediately adjust to their style.

The Importance of the Client Consultation

The primary goal of the consultation, whether it’s the very first interaction with someone or a follow-up consultation session, is to make the client feel acknowledged, understood, and comfortable with the situation. Creating an open and welcoming environment fosters trust and rapport with your clients, which is crucial for their long-term success and satisfaction with your services.

In the PTBA textbook for personal training, we equip you with a fundamental understanding of human psychology and provide tools you can easily apply in daily communication with clients. These tools will help ensure your success in the first stage of the PTBA Personal Trainer Success System (PTSS).

Key Elements of a Successful Client Consultation:

Active Listening: Pay close attention to what the client is saying, as well as their tone of voice, body language, and facial expressions. This will help you better understand their needs, concerns, and goals. While executing active listening, ensure your client is aware they are being heard. Nodding your head and an occasional “mhm” should do the trick.
Empathy: Put yourself in the client’s shoes and try to understand their feelings and perspectives. This will help you build trust and rapport with the client and demonstrate that you genuinely care about their well-being.
Open-Ended Questions: Encourage the client to share more information about their fitness goals, lifestyle, and preferences by asking open-ended questions. This will help you gather valuable information to create a personalized training program tailored to their needs.
Clear Communication: Ensure that your explanations are clear and concise, and avoid using technical jargon the client may not understand. This will help the client feel more at ease and confident in your abilities as a trainer.
Goal Setting: Help the client establish realistic and achievable fitness goals and discuss the steps necessary to reach those goals. This will give the client a clear sense of direction and purpose in their fitness journey.
Documentation: Keep thorough records of each consultation, including the client’s goals, progress, and any feedback they provide. This will help you track their progress and make informed adjustments to their training program as needed.

By mastering these essential elements of client consultation, you can create a strong foundation for a successful personal training relationship. This, in turn, will help your clients achieve their goals and improve their overall well-being. Remember, the key to success in personal training lies in understanding and addressing each individual’s unique needs and aspirations, and effective client consultation is the first step in achieving that goal.

2.5.1 Interaction with clients

Humans are social beings wired to create connections with one another. There is an innate desire in us to come together and form groups of friends, associations, and communities. None of us can live a happy and healthy life in isolation. Our evolution and personal growth depend on how well we connect to other humans. Connecting with others makes us feel safe and loved and makes us live longer. In order to create meaningful connections, you must be able to make good first impressions, establish rapport and communicate effectively (Reeves MJ 2005).

Talking to clients is a fundamental part of coaching them, and we all have our favorite go-to phrases and cues that we use to motivate our clients. But besides verbal communication, it is equally important how we communicate in a non-verbal way.

Learning how to speak to clients is an important step in becoming a well-rounded and respected personal trainer. Excellent communication and teaching techniques are essential for a successful personal trainer.

First, the conversation itself. It comes in 2 equally important parts: asking questions and actively listening. Learn to carry on conversations but asking open-ended questions, and try as much as possible to listen actively, with full interest, while the other person is talking. To make open questions more effective, you can add sensory-specific verbs, like »see, «tell, « and »feel. « Give physical feedback by using open and encouraging body language. For example, nod in agreement and make plenty of eye contact, but do not stare.

2.5.2 Communication Techniques you should know

The Authors Joseph O’Connor and Andrea Lages provided useful insights and techniques in their book “Coaching with NLP,” which we can use in our coaching and everyday communication.

We have gathered the most important for you:

Respect Values and Beliefs

To establish rapport, it is essential to honor your client’s beliefs and values. This doesn’t require you to agree with them but rather to approach the coaching relationship with curiosity and a willingness to view events from their perspective. Being open to potentially adjusting your viewpoint is crucial; otherwise, you may only end up coaching people similar to yourself and trying to mold them in your own image.

Clients embody their values and beliefs. While you might disagree with some aspects, the core of respect lies in accepting who they are and how they present themselves. You may disapprove of their actions, but understanding and respecting their choices, given their circumstances, is vital.

If you find it impossible to accept a client, it’s best not to work with them. Your own boundaries deserve respect as well.

Matching behavior

People tend to feel comfortable around those who share similarities with them. Therefore, when observing individuals who get along well, you might notice that they often mirror each other’s body postures and gestures. This subconscious synchronization of body language, first investigated by William Condon in the 1960s and referred to as cultural micro rhythms, indicates a strong rapport.

To build rapport with your client, paying attention to their behavior and responding accordingly to their behavior is essential. Mirroring their body language and voice tone demonstrates a sincere desire to understand their perspective and makes them feel more at ease. However, it is important to remember that matching does not equal mimicry.

Avoid trying to match every minute detail of your client’s behavior, as doing so can have the opposite effect and make clients uncomfortable.

When disagreeing with a client, match your body and voice tone. Your words may express disagreement, but maintaining respectful gestures and voice will communicate that you still respect them and want to understand their perspective.

In initial meetings, begin by matching the following aspects:

General posture
Speed of movement
Eye contact
Speech speed
Speech volume

If a session is progressing poorly, prioritize voice and body matching over the content of your words. This approach fosters rapport and helps create a comfortable environment for open communication, ensuring that your client feels respected and understood.

Matching Words

The words people use reflect their thoughts and shape their reality. Therefore, the exact words matter. Pay attention to the significant words or phrases your client uses to describe their values and goals. Note how they emphasize these with gestures or a stronger voice tone. Using your client’s exact words when discussing their important goals and values demonstrates that you are attentive to their thoughts and priorities. This technique is known as backtracking.

Paraphrasing, on the other hand, does not effectively convey understanding. When paraphrasing, you use your own words stemming from your reality. Even if your paraphrase closely aligns with your client’s thinking, there’s still a risk of miscommunication.

Backtracking involves restating key points using the client’s own words and, when appropriate, matching their gestures.

This technique is valuable throughout the coaching process to:

Confirm agreement
Establish and demonstrate rapport by showing active listening
Minimize misunderstandings
Clarify the client’s values

While backtracking is simple and effective, using it respectfully and focusing on the crucial aspects is essential. Overusing backtracking can make clients feel frustrated and question why the coach constantly repeats what they say.

Matching Thinking

Thinking varies from person to person. For some, it involves mental images, while others may experience an internal voice or an intangible feeling. In essence, we perceive, listen, and feel in our minds similarly to how we interact with the external world using our senses.

It means that we re-experience or re-present the world to ourselves using our senses:

Visual (V) seeing

Auditory (A) hearing

Kinaesthetic (K) feeling

Olfactory (O) smelling

Gustatory (G) tasting

In NLP, when we use our senses internally for thinking, they are represented as representational systems. For example, these systems come into play when we recall past experiences or envision potential (or impossible) future experiences.

Our representational systems do not function independently; they operate together, just as we perceive the world through multiple senses. We employ these systems in everything we do, such as remembering, planning, learning, fantasizing, and problem-solving.

Each system corresponds to a specific mode of thinking:

Visual System: Responsible for creating mental pictures, visualizations, daydreams, and imagined scenarios.
Auditory System: Deals with the recollection of music, self-talk, and internalization of others’ voices.
Kinaesthetic System: Comprises our internal and external sense of touch, bodily awareness, balance, and emotions.
Olfactory and Gustatory Systems: Responsible for remembering and creating smells and tastes.

While some senses are more developed and sensitive to the external world, certain representational systems will be better developed for thinking. Therefore, we tend to favor these systems. Most people have a preferred representational system, which makes thinking more comfortable and fluent in familiar situations. However, this preference can limit thinking in unfamiliar or stressful circumstances.

In coaching, listening to the words your client uses is crucial, as words reveal their thought processes. When a client says, “I see what you mean,” they must be creating a mental image. If they say, “Let me sound out an idea with you,” they must think in sounds or words. And if they say, “I can’t get a grip on my life,” they use the kinaesthetic representation system. Each system has its own language of sensory-based words and phrases.

Furthermore, we don’t just think with our brains but with our entire bodies. As a result, we adopt certain postures, gestures, and breathing patterns to assist our thinking processes. These are known as accessing cues in NLP. They can provide insight into a client’s representational system based on their body language, postures, and breathing.

Focus on clients’ overall demeanor, including their thoughts, feelings, and language. Establishing a connection with these elements will lead to excellent rapport.

To be an effective coach, you must develop three essential skills:

The first skill is attentively listening to the content of a client’s words and how they express themselves. This can be challenging, as we are accustomed to interpreting the meaning of what someone says rather than how they say it.
The second skill is identifying the connection between a client’s words and the representational system they employ.
The third skill involves responding using words from the same representational system as the client. The exact words are crucial. When a coach responds within the same representational system, the client unconsciously feels understood at a deeper level.

2.5.3 Motivational Interviewing

Motivational interviewing is a client-centered, goal-oriented approach to facilitating behavior change in individuals. This evidence-based technique, developed by William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick, has been successfully applied to various areas, including nutrition and fitness. In their book “Motivational Interviewing in Nutrition and Fitness,” Dawn Clifford and Laura Curtis highlight key concepts to help personal trainers and nutritionists effectively engage with clients and empower them to make lasting changes.

The Spirit of Motivational Interviewing: The essence of motivational interviewing lies in its collaborative and empathetic nature. This approach emphasizes respecting the client’s autonomy, creating a safe and supportive environment, and fostering a strong partnership between the client and the professional.
OARS: To effectively implement motivational interviewing, practitioners must master the essential communication skills known as OARS: Open-ended questions, Affirmations, Reflective listening, and Summaries. These skills help establish rapport, encourage client engagement, and facilitate the exploration of the client’s thoughts, feelings, and values related to their goals.
Ambivalence: Clients often experience ambivalence or conflicting feelings about making changes to their nutrition and fitness habits. Motivational interviewing helps clients recognize and navigate their ambivalence, ultimately resolving it in favor of healthier choices.
Stages of Change: Understanding the client’s stages of change is crucial for tailoring the motivational interviewing process. The stages of change model (Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, and Maintenance) [IP1] [IP2] offer insights into the client’s readiness for change and guide the professional in providing appropriate support.
Change Talk: Encouraging clients to express their desire, ability, reasons, and need for change is a critical aspect of motivational interviewing. This “change talk” helps clients explore their motivations and reinforces their commitment to change.
Eliciting Change Talk: Practitioners can prompt change talk by asking provocative questions, using the importance/confidence ruler, exploring the pros and cons of change, and asking for elaboration or examples.
Responding to Sustain Talk and Discord: Clients may express resistance or opposition to change, known as “sustain talk.” Professionals must respond empathetically and avoid confrontational or argumentative approaches. Identifying and addressing conflict in the client-professional relationship is essential for maintaining rapport and promoting progress.
Developing a Change Plan: Once the client is ready to make a change, the practitioner helps them develop a personalized, realistic, and achievable plan. This plan should include specific goals, strategies, and a timeline for implementation and evaluation.

Incorporating the key concepts from Clifford and Curtis’s book into your personal training or nutrition coaching practice will enable you to support your clients’ growth better and facilitate lasting, positive changes in their nutrition and fitness habits.

Stages of change

Prochaska and DiClemente proposed the idea that individuals progress through various stages of change when modifying their behaviors (Prochaska & DiClemente, 1984). It is not common for a person to suddenly decide to change a behavior and then successfully maintain that change for the rest of their life. Instead, individuals typically progress through distinct stages.

These stages of change are part of a behavior change theory called the transtheoretical model (TTM). While the TTM and motivational interviewing (MI) emerged around the same time, they are quite different. The TTM is a theoretical framework, whereas MI is a practical approach and style for helping others make changes (Miller & Rose, 2009).

Nevertheless, understanding the stages of change that clients undergo can enhance your comprehension and appreciation of MI’s effectiveness.

The Transtheoretical Model (TTM) identifies five stages of change: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance.

Each stage is associated with specific thought patterns and behaviors:

Precontemplation: At this stage, an individual is either unaware or in denial that a change is necessary. In nutrition and fitness counseling, a pre-contemplation client might say, “I’m here because my doctor made me come. Please don’t take away my favorite foods. I’ve quit smoking and alcohol, and food is my last vice. You’re going to take it away, aren’t you?”
Contemplation: A person in the contemplation stage acknowledges the need for change but has mixed feelings about it. A client at this stage might say, “I probably shouldn’t eat out every day for lunch, but I’m always in a rush and never pack a lunch.” The client has no plans to change and is unsure if it’s worth the effort.
Preparation: During the preparation stage, the client expresses a desire to change within the next month and seriously considers how to achieve it. A client at this stage might say, “I know when I try to eat more fruits and vegetables, I’ll need to shop more often to have fresh produce available.”
Action: The action stage is often the most challenging, requiring the client to expend physical energy. While previous stages involved mental effort, the action stage involves actively implementing the change. A client in this stage might say, “My doctor told me about my cholesterol last week, so I switched from butter to fish oil margarine. It doesn’t taste half bad.”
Maintenance: After consistently maintaining the change for six months, the client reaches the maintenance stage, according to Prochaska and DiClemente. Clients in this stage are still at risk of reverting to old patterns. However, the likelihood of maintaining the change is higher since it has become a regular part of their life. A client in the maintenance stage might say, “I’ve been riding my bike to work ever since I completed cardiac rehab two years ago.”

Occasionally, an individual may progress sequentially through the stages of change. However, it is more common for people to fluctuate between the stages. For example, even during a single counseling session, a client might shift from pre-contemplation to preparation and then revert to contemplation. The following narrative illustrates the dynamic nature of the stages of change.

Ambivalence in Motivational Interviewing

Ambivalence is a natural part of the change process and is a key concept in motivational interviewing. Clients often experience conflicting emotions and thoughts about making lifestyle changes regarding nutrition and fitness. They may recognize the benefits of adopting healthier habits but also fear losing the comfort and enjoyment that come with their current behaviors. It’s crucial for coaches and counselors to address this ambivalence and help clients navigate through it in order to facilitate lasting change.

Understanding Ambivalence

Ambivalence is the state of having mixed feelings or contradictory attitudes toward something. For example, in nutrition and fitness, clients may feel torn between their desire to improve their health and their reluctance to make significant lifestyle changes. This internal conflict can hinder progress and leave clients feeling stuck or overwhelmed.

Addressing Ambivalence

Motivational interviewing techniques can be instrumental in helping clients resolve their ambivalence and move toward positive change. Here are some key strategies for addressing ambivalence in nutrition and fitness coaching:

Empathy and validation: Express understanding and acknowledge the client’s feelings. Validating their ambivalence shows that you recognize their concerns as legitimate and helps build rapport.
Open-ended questions: Encourage clients to explore their thoughts and feelings by asking open-ended questions that promote reflection and self-discovery. An open-ended question lets you explain and not simply answer with yes or no. For example, “What happened at that BBQ the previous weekend?” would be an open-ended question.
Reflective listening: Use reflective listening to mirror the client’s thoughts and emotions, demonstrating that you’re actively engaged in the conversation and understand their perspective.
Affirmations: Recognize and praise the client’s strengths, abilities, and past successes. Affirmations can boost self-confidence and motivate clients to take action.
Summarizing: Offer a summary of the client’s thoughts and feelings, highlighting the discrepancies between their current behaviors and desired outcomes. This can help clients clarify their ambivalence and motivate them to take the necessary steps toward change.
Exploring pros and cons: Help clients examine the advantages and disadvantages of making a change and the potential consequences of maintaining their current habits. This can facilitate decision-making and provide insight into their motivation for change.

Moving Beyond Ambivalence

As clients resolve their ambivalence, coaches and counselors, need to support them in developing a realistic plan for change. This includes setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals, identifying potential obstacles, and discussing strategies for overcoming challenges. By addressing ambivalence and guiding clients through the change process, motivational interviewing can be a powerful tool in promoting lasting improvements in nutrition and fitness.

The Spirit of Motivational Interviewing

The spirit of motivational interviewing (MI) is the foundation upon which the technique is built. It encompasses key principles such as partnership, avoiding the expert trap, empathy, and compassion. Embracing these principles enables coaches to create a supportive and encouraging environment for clients, fostering positive change and personal growth.

Partnership

In motivational interviewing, the coach and client work together in a collaborative partnership. The coach’s role is to empower the client and help them tap into their own resources and motivations to make the desired changes. The client is viewed as the expert on their own life, and the coach serves as a guide, supporting the client in their journey toward their goals.

This collaborative approach fosters a sense of shared responsibility and mutual respect between the coach and the client. It encourages open communication, active listening, and genuine curiosity about the client’s experiences, strengths, and challenges. By working together, the coach and client can identify and address the barriers to change and develop effective strategies for overcoming them.

Avoiding the Expert Trap

One common pitfall in coaching is falling into the “expert trap.” This occurs when a coach assumes the role of an authority figure, dispensing advice and directing the client’s actions. While coaches may have expertise in a particular field, adopting an authoritarian stance can undermine the client’s autonomy and hinder their ability to take ownership of their own change process.

To avoid the expert trap, coaches should focus on facilitating the client’s self-discovery and decision-making rather than imposing their own ideas and solutions. This can be achieved by asking open-ended questions, using reflective listening, and encouraging clients to explore their own values, beliefs, and motivations. By supporting clients in finding their own answers, coaches can help them build the self-confidence and resilience needed for lasting change.

Empathy

Empathy is a crucial component of the spirit of motivational interviewing. It involves the ability to understand and share the feelings and experiences of the client while maintaining a nonjudgmental and supportive stance. Empathy enables coaches to build rapport and establish a trusting relationship with clients, creating a safe space for them to express their thoughts, emotions, and concerns.

To cultivate empathy, coaches should practice active listening and strive to see the world from the client’s perspective. This may involve acknowledging the client’s feelings, validating their experiences , and offering understanding and support. By demonstrating empathy, coaches can help clients feel heard and valued, fostering an environment where they feel comfortable exploring their ambivalence and taking steps toward change.

Compassion

Compassion is another key element of the spirit of motivational interviewing. It entails genuine care, concern for the client’s well-being, and a desire to alleviate their suffering. Coaches who approach their work with a high degree of compassion are motivated to support clients in overcoming obstacles and achieving their goals, even in the face of setbacks and challenges.

In order to practice compassion, coaches should maintain a nonjudgmental and accepting attitude toward clients, recognizing that everyone faces struggles and setbacks on the path to change. Encouragement, validation, and understanding can help clients feel supported and motivated to persevere through difficulties.

Furthermore, coaches should also cultivate self-compassion, recognizing that they are human and may experience their own challenges and limitations. By extending compassion to themselves, coaches can model self-compassion for their clients, encouraging them to treat themselves with kindness and understanding as they work towards their goals.

Autonomy

Respecting and supporting a client’s autonomy is fundamental to motivational interviewing. Autonomy refers to the client’s right and ability to make their own choices and decisions without feeling coerced or controlled. By honoring the client’s autonomy, coaches can empower them to take ownership of their change process and foster a sense of self-determination.

Coaches should avoid giving unsolicited advice or imposing their own values and beliefs on the client to promote autonomy. Instead, they should encourage clients to explore their motivations, goals, and preferences and support them in making informed decisions about their lives. By doing so, coaches can help clients develop the confidence and self-efficacy needed to sustain lasting change.

Affirmations

Affirmations are positive statements acknowledging the client’s strengths, efforts, and achievements. They play a crucial role in motivational interviewing by building the client’s self-esteem and reinforcing their belief in their ability to change. By offering genuine and specific affirmations, coaches can help clients recognize their own capabilities and resources and inspire them to continue working towards their goals.

To effectively use affirmations, coaches should actively listen for and acknowledge the client’s successes, however small they may be. This can involve praising the client’s progress, validating their feelings, or expressing appreciation for their honesty and openness. By focusing on the client’s strengths and potential, coaches can create an atmosphere of hope and optimism, serving as a powerful catalyst for change.

The Four Processes of Motivational Interviewing

The four processes of motivational interviewing – engaging, focusing, evoking, and planning – provide a structured approach to help clients explore their motivations and commit to change. These processes are not necessarily linear but can be used flexibly and iteratively, depending on the client’s needs and readiness for change.

Engaging

Engaging is the process of establishing rapport and building a trusting relationship with the client. It involves active listening, empathy, and genuine interest in the client’s experiences and concerns. By creating a safe and supportive environment, coaches can encourage clients to openly discuss their thoughts and feelings, paving the way for deeper exploration of their motivations for change.

Key skills for engaging include open-ended questions, reflective listening, and affirmations. Coaches should also be mindful of their body language and tone of voice. These nonverbal cues can greatly influence the client’s perception of the coaching relationship.

Focusing

Focusing is the process of identifying and clarifying the client’s specific goals and priorities. This involves helping clients articulate their values, desires, and concerns and narrowing down the areas they are most motivated to change. By establishing a clear focus, coaches can ensure that the conversation remains centered on the client’s objectives and facilitate more targeted and effective interventions.

Focusing may involve asking probing questions, summarizing the client’s statements, and offering reflections to help them clarify their goals. Coaches should be patient and flexible during this process, allowing the client to guide the conversation and gradually refine their focus.

Evoking

Evoking involves drawing out the client’s intrinsic motivations and reasons for change. This process is centered on the idea that clients are more likely to commit to change if they believe it aligns with their values and desires. By exploring the client’s own motivations, coaches can help them develop a stronger sense of ownership and commitment to their goals.

To evoke motivation, coaches can use techniques such as asking open-ended questions, providing reflective statements, and exploring the pros and cons of change. By gently challenging the client’s ambivalence and highlighting the discrepancies between their current behaviors and desired outcomes, coaches can encourage clients to take a more proactive role in their change process.

Planning

Planning is the final process in motivational interviewing, in which the client develops a concrete and achievable plan for change. This involves identifying specific strategies, steps, and resources that can support the client in achieving their goals and addressing any potential barriers or obstacles they may encounter along the way.

During the planning process, coaches should collaborate closely with the client, offering guidance and support without imposing their own ideas or solutions. By involving the client in developing their plan, coaches can promote a sense of autonomy and self-efficacy, which are crucial for sustaining long-term change.

In summary, the four processes of motivational interviewing – engaging, focusing, evoking, and planning – provide a comprehensive framework for facilitating client-centered conversations about change. By skillfully navigating these processes, coaches can empower clients to tap into their own motivations, overcome ambivalence, and develop actionable plans for achieving their goals.

2.5.4 Active listening

The concept of active listening may sound simple, but it can be quite challenging and technical. Unlike everyday listening, listening actively means being fully aware of what the other person is saying, listening with an active body and mind, and responding to their message.

»One of the most sincere forms of respect is listening to what another has to say.«

Nixaly Leonardo

Active listening involves critical thinking and reflection when necessary. It is a combination of critical, reflective, and passive listening. Critical listening requires the most effort because it involves processing a message while using judgment to determine which points are facts and which are opinions. During active listening, you gather information, process it and develop an opinion. Reflective listening involves using your own words to repeat the speaker’s words. Reflective listening does not require you to analyze or judge the speaker’s words but to let the speaker know that you have received and comprehended their message. Passive listening is the form of listening that doesn’t require any action on your part and it is the most common type of listening. Passive listening means listening to someone without any intention of responding to the message (Leonardo, 2020).

When paraphrasing, you clarify that you understood the client correctly. Also if your paraphrase needs to be more accurate, the client can correct you. Paraphrasing means repeating what the client said in your own words, ensuring you understood them correctly. Paraphrasing is not just repeating verbatim but adding your understanding of what the client said and ensuring it aligns with what was trying to be communicated.

Encouraging is also important. The personal trainer may use short words or phrases such as »I see.«, »Yes.« and »I know what you mean« that encourage the client to continue speaking when there is a natural pause in the client’s speech. These phrases let the clients know that the trainer is listening carefully and following what is being said. Nodding and smiling can also indicate that a person is listening carefully.

Reflecting is another technique with which a trainer tries to clarify the main points in the client’s communication. The client can correct the trainer’s conclusion if it is wrong or explore this reflection in more depth if it is correct.

At the end of the conversation, the personal trainer should try to summarize the conversation and should allow the client to comment on his summary.

A personal trainer can also use a limited amount of self-disclosure to demonstrate understanding and forge bonds with clients. Be aware that these disclosures should be limited to one or two sentences, keeping the focus on the client.

Technology can take us away from natural and deep connections with people. We’re constantly using our phones as fillers for free time when we should be connecting to others instead. It’s much easier for most people to scroll through social media that it is to have an honest in-person interaction. If this sounds like you, it’s time to cut down your phone usage and double up on in-person communications.

Improving your communication skills is essential and will save you from many personal and professional problems. Your life will generally be happier when you learn to communicate well and active listening is one of the fundamental ways to do so. Active listeners are likely to have people confide in them.

2.5.5 Verbal communication

Remember that words can be powerful when talking to clients and should be used carefully during personal training sessions. While instructional cues should also be worded thoughtfully, motivational statements have tremendous power and influence over how clients perceive their bodies and fitness changes. Personal trainers can confirm self-objectifying anxiety or help clients overcome it through their choice of words (Leonardo, 2020).

Remember what you learned during active listening. Does your client thrive off the in-your-face trainer? Are they motivated by the brutal truth? Are they motivated with cues directed toward appearance and weight (»burn that cellulite!«) or with function-focused cues (»think of how strong you are getting!«)?

Until you know what type (see chapter Different personality types above) of person you are dealing with and what cues your client expects, consider an approach that focuses on the enjoyment and functionality of exercise instead of appearance. Remember that many people join fitness clubs because they do not feel good in their own skin, and reminding them of their flaws only deepens their self-objectifying anxiety. Instead, be sympathetic to their problems. Nixali Leonardo defined empathy as »the ability to sense another person’s feeling and imagine what it is like to be in their position.«

When talking to clients, the personal trainer should speak clearly and use language that clients easily understand without talking down to them. It is certainly appropriate to use exercise science vocabulary. However, the personal trainer should be sure to define terms that might be unfamiliar to clients. Verbal content can be enhanced with visual information that illustrates concepts. Exercise demonstrations may accompany verbal explanations.

2.5.6 Non-verbal communication

Research indicates that words constitute only 7% of communication, while tone and body language account for 38% and 55%, respectively (Mehrabian, 1971). Thus, while carefully-worded cues are essential, it is crucial to consider the delivery of these cues. Non-verbal communication, which includes body movements, gestures, and eye contact, reinforces the intended message when used effectively (Pease & Pease, 2004).

»Your likability has very little to do with how good-looking you are.«

Notably, an individual’s likability is minimally impacted by their physical appearance and is more reliant on their communication skills (Cuddy, Kohut, & Neffinger, 2013). When words, tone, and body language align, clients are more likely to trust a professional’s expertise, leading to increased satisfaction.

For personal trainers, a firm and confident voice conveys professionalism. In contrast, a weak, hesitant, or excessively loud voice may negatively affect client confidence. Eye contact is essential, demonstrating attentiveness and engagement, whether the trainer speaks or listens. Avoiding eye contact can lead to feelings of being unheard or unimportant.

»Your likability has very little to do with how good-looking you are.«

Facial expressions and body positions, such as eye-rolling, a hasty or frustrated tone, crossed arms, or an annoyed demeanor, can be off-putting to clients. Conversely, a positive client-trainer relationship can flourish when cues are consistent with the tone and body language. Trainers should strive to genuinely convey positive regard, concern, thoughtfulness, and enjoyment. Maintaining an open, well-balanced body position is crucial. At the same time, nervous behaviors, such as foot or finger tapping or constant shifting, should be avoided.

An open body position entails avoiding crossed arms and legs while ensuring that one's body is oriented towards the client, among other aspects.

2.5.7 Basics of Neuro-Linguistic Programming Principles for Coaching

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is an approach to communication, personal development, and psychotherapy created in the 1970s. NLP is a powerful tool that can be used to improve various aspects of life, including coaching. It can help clients set and achieve goals, change beliefs and habits, and develop better communication skills. We will discuss the basic principles of NLP in coaching, including goals and values, creating a comfortable environment, client assessment, the wheel of life, calibration, listening, beliefs, and habits.

Goals and Values

One of the main objectives of NLP coaching is to help clients clarify their goals and values. Goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives that individuals want to achieve, while values are the underlying principles that guide their actions and decisions. Coaches work with clients to identify their goals and values, ensuring they are aligned and congruent. By understanding their values, clients can set goals that resonate with them, increasing their likelihood of success.

Creating a Comfortable Environment and Gaining Trust

Building rapport and trust is essential in coaching. It creates an environment where clients feel comfortable discussing their thoughts, feelings, and concerns. Coaches use various techniques to establish rapport, such as matching body language, tone of voice, and pace of speech. Additionally, they create a non-judgmental space where clients can openly express themselves without fear of criticism. By fostering a strong coaching relationship, clients are more likely to open up and engage in the coaching process, leading to more effective outcomes.

Client Assessment and Gathering Information

Before diving into the coaching process, coaches must gather essential client information. This includes understanding their current situation, challenges, strengths, and goals. By asking open-ended questions and actively listening to clients’ responses, coaches can gain valuable insights into their clients’ perspectives and experiences. This information is crucial in tailoring coaching strategies to meet clients’ unique needs and preferences.

The Wheel of Life

The Wheel of Life is a visual tool used in NLP coaching to help clients assess their satisfaction in various life areas. The wheel is divided into segments, each representing a different aspect of life, such as career, relationships, health, finances, and personal growth. Clients rate their satisfaction in each area on a scale of 1 to 10. This exercise enables clients to identify areas where they thrive and those needing improvement. As a result, clients can achieve a more balanced and fulfilling life by addressing these areas.

Calibration

Calibration is an essential NLP skill that involves observing and interpreting clients’ nonverbal cues, such as body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice. By becoming more attuned to these subtle signals, coaches can better understand clients’ emotional states, preferences, and communication styles. This information allows coaches to adjust their approach and interventions to meet clients’ needs better and facilitate more effective coaching sessions.

Listening

Active listening is a critical skill in NLP coaching. It involves fully focusing on the client, understanding their message, and responding thoughtfully. Coaches should avoid interrupting or imposing their opinions and encourage clients to express themselves openly. By truly listening to clients, coaches can better understand their perspectives, identify underlying beliefs and patterns, and tailor their coaching interventions accordingly.

Beliefs

Beliefs are individuals’ assumptions and convictions about themselves, others, and the world. Depending on whether they support or hinder personal growth and goal achievement, they can be empowering or limiting. NLP coaches work with clients to identify and challenge limiting beliefs, replacing them with more empowering alternatives. This process helps clients overcome self-imposed barriers and unlock their full potential.

In NLP coaching, practitioners use techniques such as reframing, which involves changing how clients perceive a situation, event, or belief, and the Swish pattern*. This visualization exercise replaces an unwanted behavior or belief with a more desirable one. As a result, clients can make significant progress toward their goals by addressing and transforming limiting beliefs and experiencing lasting personal growth.

Let us briefly explain the “Swish” pattern

The Swish Pattern is a neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) technique for changing undesired habits, behaviors, or emotional responses. It involves creating a mental association between the unwanted behavior or state and a more desirable alternative. The process entails the following steps:

Identify the unwanted behavior or response and create a mental image (the “trigger image”).
Create a mental image of the desired outcome or behavior (the “replacement image”).
Rapidly “swish” the two images in your mind, replacing the trigger image with the replacement image, and visualize the desired outcome becoming more vivid and compelling.
Clear your mind, and repeat the process several times, making the replacement image more powerful and engaging.

The Swish Pattern aims to condition the mind to automatically choose the preferred behavior or emotional response when encountering the trigger, ultimately leading to more positive outcomes.

Habits

Habits are automatic behaviors or patterns that individuals engage in regularly. While some habits can be beneficial, others may be detrimental to one’s well-being or hinder goal achievement. NLP coaches help clients identify and change unhelpful habits, replacing them with more productive ones. This can involve examining the triggers and rewards associated with a habit and exploring alternative behaviors that provide similar benefits but align better with the client’s goals and values.

One popular NLP technique for habit change is anchoring, which involves associating a specific stimulus with a desired emotional state or behavior. By creating and utilizing these anchors, clients can learn to elicit desired responses more easily, ultimately replacing unhelpful habits with more beneficial ones.

In conclusion, Neuro-Linguistic Programming offers a wealth of tools and principles that can be applied to coaching. By focusing on clients’ goals and values, creating a comfortable and trusting environment, assessing clients’ needs, utilizing the Wheel of Life, honing calibration and listening skills, and addressing beliefs and habits, coaches can help clients achieve lasting change and personal growth.

We admit that NLP is often under various attacks for not being a scientific-based approach. Nevertheless, it offers techniques and tools that have been shown to work really well in real-life situations. By incorporating these principles into their practice, coaches can deliver more effective coaching sessions and empower clients to realize their full potential.

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