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If you need help with your writing, for goodness’ sake, learn how to hire a coach!
When should you look for help with your writing?
Well, most people don’t look for a personal trainer when they’re already in shape.
Nor do they go to a financial advisor when all their money issues are sorted.
They go when they have a problem they want fixed.
Here are some of the problems writers commonly face:
- Difficulty getting started with writing
- Trouble organizing thoughts and ideas on paper with a smooth and coherent flow
- Challenges in finding the right tone and style
- An overwhelming tendency to procrastinate
- Significant discrepancies between verbal abilities and written work
- Problems with developing or articulating an argument or thesis
- Frequent mistakes in grammar, punctuation or sentence structure
Most writers have a pretty clear idea about the challenges they need to address, and the good news is, many coaches can help with these problems. But what usually stops writers from getting the help they need is either fear or lack of money — or both.
Overall, though, many writers find it’s too much trouble or just too much work to find a coach who’s any good. It just feels easier to muddle on.
Don’t accept that notion.
I act as a coach, but, more importantly, I’ve also hired a number of coaches for myself. Most of them have been excellent, in different ways — life-changing, even. And here’s what I’ve learned to do to make the process successful:
Have a thorough vetting process for anyone you’re considering hiring
- Interview about three coaches to compare their approaches and styles
- Make sure each one has experience that’s directly relevant to your needs
- Ask detailed questions about the coach’s training and experience
- Check references (or see detailed testimonials) from several of each coach’s former clients
Ensure proper fit
- Expect to get at least one in-person or virtual meeting at no charge
- Pay attention to each coach’s listening skills and their ability to discern underlying issues
- Look for coaches with relevant experience and psychological understanding
Evaluate the cost
- Calculate your potential return on investment, considering both tangible and intangible benefits
- Calculate the dollar benefit to you of being able to eliminate one problem — for example, procrastination or over-editing
- Never evaluate on cost alone. Inexpensive coaching may be useless; expensive coaching isn’t necessarily good coaching
- See if your employer can provide some financial help with your coaching
Getting coaching is not like joining a gym or getting a haircut. It’s an action that should not only change you in a positive way but that also should help you make more money, perform better or live a better life.
Effective coaching should improve your self-awareness, increase your confidence, strengthen your resilience and give you more job and life satisfaction.
If you think you might benefit from writing coaching, I’d be honoured if you’d like me to be one of the three people you meet with to discuss possibilities. I’ll be happy to meet with you for 15 minutes — just fill out this questionnaire to get started.
“Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance,” wrote author John Whitmore. “It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them.”
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Need some help developing a better, more sustainable writing or editing routine? Learn about my three-month accountability program called Get It Done. There is turn-over each month, and priority will go to those who have applied first. You can go directly to the application form and you’ll hear back from me within 24 hours.
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My video podcast last week addressed how to hire a ghostwriter. You can watch the video or read the transcript, and you can also subscribe to my YouTube channel.
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Do you know how to hire a coach? What strategies do you use? We can all learn from each other, so please, share your thoughts with my readers and me in the “comments” section, below. If you comment on today’s post (or any others) by Nov. 30/24 , I’ll put you in a draw for a digital copy of my first book, 8 1/2 Steps to Writing Faster, Better. To enter, please scroll down to the “comments,” directly underneath the “related posts” links, below. You don’t have to join Disqus to post! Read my tutorial to learn how to post as a guest. (It’s easy!)
