Being a resonating coaching partner

For the coach or the members of the dialogue group, simply hearing the focus person’s story can lead to a new understanding of one’s own experiences and meaning-making. Thus, by listening, they receive a “gift”. Sharing these experiences, thoughts and reflections can prove helpful for the focus person. Thus, the coach or any other potential participant in turn give the focus person a gift. It is an act of resonating to what the coach or group member has heard. Sometimes it appears as a gift, because what the coach/group members have heard makes sense in their own life/world. By sharing the impact of what coach/group members have heard, the focus person receives a gift in form of an appreciation, an encouragement or deep felt understanding. These moments of sharing gifts create a space for co-creative reflections and a joint understanding, where all the participants in the dialogue feel enriched and enlightened, as they reflect on each other’s meaning-making and stories in light of their own meaning-making and stories. It is important to remember that the coach’s or group members’ contributions should encourage and contribute to new reflections and a new understanding for the focus person.