Discover How to Thrive as an Empowerment Coach

Many of us struggle with challenges like low self-esteem, chronic self-doubt, and fear of change, which we can overcome by connecting with our inner power. By not letting these issues go unchecked, we can all live to our full potential.

The Ins and Outs of Empowerment Coaching 

So, what is empowerment coaching? Simply put, it’s when a coach guides someone to believe in their skills and knowledge such that they feel and act in control of their life. In fact, having a sense of freedom comes up in both existential psychology and choice theory as one of our basic needs. 

As this overview of empowerment theory [1] from the American Journal of Community Psychology explains that a skilled empowerment coach doesn’t just focus on an individual’s strengths and qualities. They also guide that person to understand how their social, political, and environmental context influences them and vice versa. 

In other words, we can only truly embrace what is within our control by understanding how we interact within a system. Once understood, a coach can guide their client through the transformative process of matching strengths to goals and co-defining a self-directed path towards whatever success looks like for that person. 

4 Steps to Becoming an Empowerment Coach 

When joining an unregulated industry such as coaching, presenting a credible and professional profile is particularly important. Not only are clients increasingly aware of renowned certifying bodies such as the ICF [2](International Coaching Federation) or the European equivalent, EMCC [3] (European Mentoring and Coaching Council), but as a coach, you also want to stand out. 

1. Get your certificate

   When looking for an empowerment coaching certification, the ICF or EMCC websites are good places to start, as they list accredited courses. That’s not to say that you can’t find another governing body, but simply make sure it’s recognized in your potential field of focus. 

   While it might be tempting to view this certificate as a tick-in-the-box, it won’t just teach you coaching techniques. In reality, the most valuable part is the self-discovery and self-reflection you will practice both alone and with other fellow future coaches. In short, the right course will push you to review your fundamental beliefs about yourself and life. 

2. Define your Niche

   Most of the top courses also support you in defining your future focus. It’s actually a fantastic opportunity to bounce ideas off your fellow students to match your values and career goals.

   To give you some ideas, though, defining your niche is about understanding your passions and what type of people you enjoy working with. Perhaps you’ll choose to focus on leaders in multinational companies, for instance. Alternatively, you might be more aligned with housewives at home who feel helpless and disempowered about life. 

3. Detail your business plan

   Once you know your potential target group of people, you can work through how to connect with them. This then becomes your marketing plan from which you can also calculate your revenue goals, financial plans, and required budget, as described in this Investopedia overview of business plans [4].

4. Get yourself out there

   It sounds obvious, but many coaches struggle with promoting themselves. After all, we just want to support people, not put ourselves out there, but people need help finding coaches.

   When it comes to promoting yourself, you’ll need to review the various platforms. That includes digital ones, which are increasingly the norm. 

   Traditionally, people worried about creating rapport online. Although, it’s actually easier in many cases because people can sit in the comfort of their own homes while undertaking coaching. Moreover, people who live in geographically remote areas finally now have access to online coaching.

   Naturally, creating an online presence requires a slightly different skill set. Furthermore, you’ll need intuitive and effective tools for sharing documents, worksheets, online journals, and exercises. 

While there are many apps that now offer such capabilities,  Quenza is an all-encompassing platform that allows coaches to create tailored journeys for their clients with only a few clicks. Suddenly, keeping track of your clients and their progress has become fast and efficient. Gone are the days of desperately looking through piles of folders for that one client document. For just $1, you can explore all the platform has to offer for 30 days. 

How Does Empowerment Coaching Compare with Life Coaching? 

When looking at the question “What is empowerment coaching?” you might wonder where life coaching fits in. Essentially, an empowerment coach is a type, or subset, of the life coaching field. 

Both types might use tools from positive psychology, humanist, adult developmental, and cognitive psychologies. Nevertheless, an empowerment coach is more systemic than a life coach. 

So, life coaching gives you techniques to maneuver life’s problems. In contrast, an empowerment coach gives you the self-belief to create and deliver actions to live your desired life.

The table below summarizes how empowerment and life coaches compare:

How Empowerment Coaches Support Clients  

As the word suggests, empowerment is about getting power over one’s life. On the one hand, the benefits of empowerment coaching lie in the fact that people focus on meaningful goals. On the other hand, coachees explore how to achieve those goals within their social context. 

In other words, empowerment coaching goes beyond simply instilling self-esteem and resilience. It enables people to generate an impact within their professional and personal spheres. They do this by changing their beliefs and learning to influence others so as to break free of limiting social and environmental constraints. 

Utilizing Empowerment Coaching Techniques for Personal Development

Incorporating empowerment coaching techniques can significantly enhance the personal development of your clients. One effective approach is positive reinforcement to boost clients’ confidence and self-esteem. Celebrating small achievements and providing constructive feedback helps clients recognize their progress and motivates them to continue working towards their goals.

Another technique is goal setting, which involves helping clients establish clear, achievable goals. By breaking down larger objectives into manageable steps, clients can experience a sense of accomplishment as they reach each milestone. This process builds momentum and helps clients develop a structured approach to personal growth.

Empowerment coaching also emphasizes the importance of self-awareness. Encouraging clients to reflect on their values, strengths, and areas for improvement fosters a deeper understanding of themselves. This self-awareness is crucial for identifying personal and professional aspirations and creating a plan to achieve them.

Lastly, developing resilience is a key aspect of empowerment coaching. Helping clients build coping strategies to handle setbacks and challenges equips them with the tools to maintain progress despite obstacles. Techniques such as mindfulness, stress management, and problem-solving skills are essential to this resilience-building process.

The Benefits of Group Empowerment Coaching

Group empowerment coaching offers unique advantages that can enhance participants’ personal development experiences. One major benefit is group settings’ sense of community and support. Sharing experiences and challenges with others fosters a feeling of solidarity and encouragement, which can be highly motivating.

Participants can benefit from diverse perspectives and insights in a group coaching environment. Different backgrounds and experiences enrich discussions and provide varied approaches to problem-solving. This diversity helps participants learn from each other and gain new strategies for their own personal development.

Group coaching sessions also offer opportunities for networking and building relationships. Participants can form connections beyond the coaching sessions, providing ongoing support and collaboration. These relationships can be valuable for both personal and professional growth.

Another advantage of group coaching is the cost-effectiveness compared to one-on-one sessions. Group sessions are typically more affordable, making empowerment coaching accessible to a wider audience. This affordability allows more individuals to benefit from the transformative impact of coaching.

Overall, group empowerment coaching combines the benefits of community support, diverse insights, networking opportunities, and cost-effectiveness to create a powerful environment for personal growth and development.

Why All Leaders Need Empowerment Coaching   

Whether you’re a leader or a coach searching for a niche, you might ask, “Why is empowerment important in leadership?” In most cultures, empowering leaders enables people at all levels to make their own decisions. 

As this paper on servant leadership and empowerment [5] Summarizing, there is empirical evidence to support that empowering leaders generates greater productivity. Increased engagement from everyone within the team, group, or organization is linked to this.

Of course, we can’t all become Richard Branson overnight, with his style of learning from mistakes, or Sheryl Sandberg with her “lean in” philosophy. 

Nevertheless, a good place to start for managers and leaders is to consider using the  GROW coaching model when giving feedback. The more you move away from telling to asking, the more people take responsibility for their actions and personal change. 

The Empowerment Coaching Process

Every empowerment coach is different, and there are many strategies for engendering empowerment. Nevertheless, the most respected empowerment coaching model is the one detailed in this article on The Process of Empowerment Model [6] that appeared in the American Psychologist Journal. 

In summary, an empowerment coach starts by guiding clients to define meaningful goals. Then, they explore limiting beliefs and the context within which the coachee operates to detail potential actions.

Coaches use various tools, but a useful one to explore social and environmental context, for example, is the wheel of life template. Another inspiring tool for coachees is the  Best Possible Self Exercise that you’ll find in the Quenza expansion exercises. 

Most importantly, clients work on observing new actions they put in place so that they can then reflect on their impact. Overall, the process enables someone to shift from:

An external locus of control – where they believe they have no impact on their lives, as everything is governed externally, to

An internal locus of control – where people believe they have control over their lives. 

The Empowerment Coaching Style 

Coaching is an intricate blend of behavior, style, knowledge, and presence.  Alongside that, it’s about letting go of the ego and the need to fix people. How they do that to develop their empowerment coaching style differs for everyone. 

There are common traits, such as being client-centered and highly compassionate, along with strong deep listening and questioning skills. The aim is to be supportive rather than directive. 

Typical Questions from An Empowerment Coach

Asking empowerment coaching questions is one of the most impactful techniques. Through questioning, coaches encourage self-reflection such that people can review and challenge their beliefs. 

Some examples of empowering questions include: 

The Pros and Cons of Self-Empowerment Statements  

The right self-empowerment quotes can inspire and ignite courage and passion. For example, renowned coach Tony Robbins reminds us to “stop being afraid of what could go wrong, and start being excited about what could go right.”

In general, such statements allow clients to refocus their attention and energy. Moreover, they enable them to visualize a different future such that, with time, their subconsciousness makes it happen. In essence, it has replaced negative thinking with a more empowered way of viewing the world and themselves. 

For more quotes and inspiring statements, check out our  coaching quotes. And here are some examples to give you a pre-taster:

Don’t be afraid. Be focused, be determined, be hopeful, be empowered.

—Michelle Obama

You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.

—Maya Angelou, poet

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

—Arthur Ashe, tennis player

I take the path that leads me in the direction I want to go.

—Coda.org

I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.

—Charlotte Brontë

Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.

—C.S. Lewis, author

Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.

—Winston Churchill, Former UK Prime Minister 

Out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope.

—Martin Luther King Jr, American minister

Fortune does favor the bold, and you’ll never know what you’re capable of if you don’t try.

—Sheryl Sandberg, executive, philanthropist, and writer

Take a chance. It’s the best way to test yourself. Have fun and push boundaries.

—Richard Branson, entrepreneur 

How Quenza Supports Empowerment

Quenza doesn’t just offer a platform to manage clients and backend paperwork. It provides a range of exercises and expansion activities as well as a communication chat function. 

These exercises, such as You at Your Best and Strengths and Pride, allow clients to connect with their inner power. Moreover, the Strength vs. Weakness Focus lets them balance out their negative focus with a more empowered view. As a result, you have a strong foundation from which to guide your client to move forward.  

As a coach, you’ll feel empowered because you have more time available to support your clients with less time spent on paperwork. Moreover, everything is easily customized to offer a truly personalized journey for your clients.

Why not see for yourself and get the  one-month full-access trial of the Quenza app for only $1?

Final Thoughts on Empowerment Coaching 

The benefits of empowerment coaching are that people gain self-belief as well as the ability to impact their lives. It’s about shifting from feeling helpless that everything is decided for them to having a sense of control over their actions and outcomes. 

When considering an empowerment coach vs. a life coach, the main difference is that an empowerment coach helps people understand how they fit into their universe. On the other hand, a life coach offers a more general overview with tools for dealing with life’s problems. 

Either way, through empowerment coaching questions and other tools, all coaches can enable people to see the world and themselves differently. Through this new lens, clients can enact the change they wish to become more fulfilled. In the end, we are all about supporting people to live their best life possible. 

References