Asking Your Clients For Feedback

As a coach or mentor you will be familiar with feedback models and giving feedback to your clients. However how often do you ask your clients for feedback on your coaching and mentoring?

Some coaches and mentors ask for testimonials from their clients at the end of their coaching or mentoring sessions, some may have a questionnaire that they ask their clients to complete when the coaching or mentoring has finished but how many of you ask for feedback in each coaching and mentoring session?

As a coach or mentor, it is very important to be open to regular feedback from your clients so that you can take your coaching or mentoring to a higher level, to become a more experienced and reflective practitioner, to enable you to change your coaching or mentoring in response to the feedback and to enhance the service that you provide to your clients.

I have summarised below some ideas that may help you in asking for feedback from your clients:

Allow time for feedback - At the end of each coaching or mentoring session allow time to ask your client for feedback.

Ask open questions - To elicit feedback from your clients ask open questions. You will probably find it is good to have some questions prepared.

Ask for feedback on outcomes, process and the relationship - When asking your questions try and cover all aspects of the coaching or mentoring, including the outcomes, the process and the relationship.

Listen to the feedback - When your client is giving the feedback, listen to it all the way through without interrupting.

Do not get defensive - Do not jump to a defensive response or try and explain in detail why you did something.

Say thank you - Thank your client for the feedback.

Ask for feedback where not given - If you would like feedback on something that the client has not mentioned, then do not be afraid to ask for it.

Ask what they would like you to do differently - The client may have particular preferences so ascertain these by asking what they would like you to do differently next time.

Discuss the feedback - After listening to the client feedback discuss it with the client in a positive way. If you have received negative feedback discuss how you plan to change things for next time.

Do not be afraid to ask for feedback - If you are not already asking your clients for feedback you may find it daunting. However, once you start asking, you will find that it is not that bad after all and that you get a lot of positive feedback.

If you would like supervision for your coaching or mentoring please refer to the Makin It Happen – Supervision & Support for Coaches & Mentors website at http://coachmentorsupervision.co.uk or contact Liz Makin at Liz@makinithappen.co.uk.

This article first appeared in the September edition of the Makin It Happen – Supervision & Support for Coaches & Mentors newsletter. Please click here to Sign up for our email newsletter.