I am a Life Coach and here in Italy Coaches are just beginning to find their place in the professional realm, thus sometimes it happens that I have to explain what my job is about.
And, explanation after explanation, I noticed something interesting about that.
When I talk about Coaching with passion, I connect with people; when I had a bad day and I don’t talk with a lot of emphasis, I realize I don’t explain the concept in a clear and effective way and I don’t show all my passion for Coaching.
As I noticed this, I tried to figure out what was the difference between those two approaches – a part from the way I talk – and I discovered that it’s the words I use that make the difference.
In the first case, I talk more about WHY I do it and not WHAT I do – I explain my beliefs, the reasons behind helping as many people as possible make their dreams come true.
In the second case, I literally explain what I do, what is my approach and who are my prospects.
Passion in the way we talk isn’t enough to engage people; we need to find a common ground. There’s a huge difference between “I believe everyone deserves to make their dreams come true, and that’s the reason why I am a Life Coach” and “I work with people’s potential to help them reach their goals”. In the first sentence, the common ground is the belief that everyone deserves to make their dreams come true: if the person I’m talking to has the same beliefs, he/she will be engaged by my words. If I just explain what I do, things stay on a more neutral ground – no engagement.
