Coaching for Change

ARE YOU EMPATHY TRAPPED? Do you spend more time thinking about your friend's/partner's feelings than about your own? -Do you focus your attention on what the other person is saying during an argument, to the exclusion of what you want to say? -After leaving an argument, are you preoccupied with what the other person was thinking? -Do you spend more time trying to figure out why someone let you down than deciding whether his/her reasons outweighed your feelings? A "YES" answer to any of the above questions is a red flag to being trapped in empathy. Its normal and necessary to tune into someone else's feelings, especially when one is very close to that person. What we all must remember is that while we put ourselves in other person's shoes, we MUST strike a balance between OTHERS and SELF. Otherwise, empathy becomes a trap and one can end up feeling psychologically impoverished. Know your needs and wants and have your say for a healthy self ...

CONVERSATION STARTERS FOR TEENS Vacations can be a great time to socialize and to forge new bonds and renew old ones. But for youngsters (especially shy ones) it can be a stressful time. Some of them do not know how to carry out a conversation with people they meet for the first time or with the ones they hardly meet. This is a generation that is more comfortable texting than carrying out a face to face conversation. Throwing this bunch in front of strangers can leave them at their wits ends. “Conversational Competence might be the single most overlooked skill we failed to teach” as Paul Barnwell writes in The Atlantic. Here are some things that have helped some of the youngsters I have coached hone their interpersonal skills. 1. Ask your youngster “What would you like to be asked about by others? “ It is a good starting point to get them to start thinking about topics to talk about and then think which ones will be appropriate for which age groups they meet. 2. One Q...

CONVERSING WITH EXTENDED FAMILY Talking to the extended family can be daunting for young children, especially if they don't get to meet them very often. Lack of knowledge of what to talk about with whom often interpreted as shyness or arrogance. Here are some tips to share with your child for the next family get-together so they can make conversation with people of different ages. Does your child feel awkward with people he is not familiar with? Reach out for a 30-minute session to see how Coaching can train him to be socially adept.

What are Soft Skills? Consider this scenario: You are new to a place and you fall sick. Since you do not know of any doctors, you decide to go to the nearest Clinic. After waiting patiently for your turn for about 30 minutes, you are called in. The middle aged doctor scans you through his thick glasses and asks “What are you here for?” It takes you a couple of seconds to realize you are being asked for your symptoms. You inform him of all your aches and pains. When you pause, he simply looks down at his notepad…scribbles a few notes and says “ok. Wait for the medicine outside.” The serious look on his face too intimidating for you to ask “But can you at least tell me what’s wrong with me?” You collect the medicine but not satisfied, you seek another doctor hoping this doctor would divulge more than just dispensing medicine. As you enter the doctor’s chamber, you are greeted with a warm smile. The symptoms are asked. While the doctor is scribbling on his note pad, he tells you...