Imagine you are attending a business function and someone asks you what do you do (that shouldn't be too hard!).  Except, instead of the usual stammering about "I'm a coach and I help people blah, blah, blah", you say: "I'm an extreme productivity coach.  If you are feeling overwhelmed (too much to do?, too much email?), isolated (all this technology yet I often feel alone) or frustrated (everything seems to take so long) - struggling to get things done - like most people, I have some powerful strategies that WILL help you". 

You've got their attention, you continue... "And their environment is so full of obstacles that it becomes almost impossible to get results without a LOT of stress.  I'm giving a 2-hour workshop next week where you can learn the basics - I charge $19 but if you would like to check it out, I can give you a complimentary ticket. (part of the Extreme Productivity Business Process that I will explain in the next CV Member News)  Would you like to check it out?  It could save you A LOT of unnecessary stress and frustration."

You get the idea here.  The key point is that personal productivity is a REAL issue for most people - especially among "knowledge workers" which make up a majority of the coaching prospects at this time.  The information age is KILLING OUR SPIRIT and it is not difficult to get the attention of anyone feeling this pain.

Besides the HUGE and EAGER audience for this service why is personal productivity the perfect coaching specialty?  Because coaching is the perfect solution to the three killers of the information age: overwhelm, isolation and frustration.  And the coaching process is already designed to help people become more productive - they just don't realize that yet.  We're going to tell them in a big way!

First, here is where the process begins...

When you look at it this way, you can see why most people are stressed-out and unable to accomplish what they truly desire.  They're not exactly sure what they are trying to do AND they are going up a VERY steep hill!

The first step of any coaching process is to clarify the intentions and objectives.  The new CoachVille clarifiers also contain learning objectives which helps to focus the client on the realization that there is probably a lot to learn on the new path that they have chosen. 

The second important component here is to teach the client how to focus his or her actions, thoughts and feelings.  They may be aware that thoughts, feelings and actions are all important forms of energy; if not you will have to teach them and it could be a revelation!  In the new CoachVille coaching system we call this "action pattern coaching".  Great strides can be made by helping the client to recognize which patterns of thought, feeling and action are serving their intentions and which are not.

At this point the client is more excited about his / her prospects of getting what they want.  Next we have to deal with this sense of uncertainty.  Remember the fundamental coaching mantra: My certainty is greater than your doubt!  It is very hard to move - especially uphill - when you are full of doubt.  Your experience of traveling down this path before will be essential in helping the client to get in action.

Now the hill is not so steep!  Personalized teaching is the first step toward reducing overwhelm.  The second step - body awareness - will come next. 

Expanding awareness is an essential part of the coaching process - this includes body awareness, mind awareness and soul awareness.  All three are important as we move toward extreme productivity!  Remember, this isn't your fathers' time management program!

WOW! Now all of the energy is moving in the right direction.  The client has a much better chance of reaching her objectives and is feeling more productive every day.  Awareness of how energy moves through thoughts, feelings and actions to create results significantly reduces frustration.

But that isn't good enough!  Next we will use an amazing new coaching concept called environmental design.  The truth is that humans are very adaptable and quickly become like all aspects of the environment around them.  At the very same time, humans are natural environmental designers and we create the environments to be a reflection of ourselves.  It goes both ways at the same time!

So, when you begin making changes on the inside, it is imperative that you also make changes in the environment to reflect the "new you".  If you don't, the environment you created with the "old you" will pull you back to the way you've always been.  This is why going to a workshop very rarely results in lasting change.  The insights don't have a chance in the face of pre-existing environmental forces.

Removing the obstacles is a two-step process that includes the awareness gained during step 3;  First your client has to notice that there is something in the environment that is blocking progress; second you have to understand the patterns of thought, feeling and action that put that pattern there.  Remember, your client designed their environment albeit mostly unconsciously.

The good news is that this work creates a level playing field for your client and they will find that his / her objectives happen routinely with sustained effort and focus.  For most people, this is good enough - incredible in fact.   An obstacle-free environment essentially eliminates isolation because your environments are where you connect to everything around you.

But for those with BIG dreams and objectives that could impact the lives of many people for the better, there is one more step: a designed environment.

With designed environments in place your client will experience sustainable growth and accomplishment.  This step will take a year or two to fully create but it will be great fun and truly evolutionary for both coach and client.  Imagine running down hill to your most cherished objectives!

AND the game really never ends because once the major work is completed it is highly likely that your client will plan an even BIGGER game and start the process all over again!