Module 3 - Communication & Listening Skills

🗣️ Module 3 – Communication & Listening Skills

🎯 Objective

By the end of this module, you’ll understand how to communicate with purpose, listen without judgment, and guide clients toward clarity using effective, ethical, and professional coaching language.
You’ll learn how to build trust, ask the right questions, and create meaningful dialogue that promotes awareness and action—while maintaining proper coaching boundaries.

📘 Lesson 1 – The Role of Communication in Coaching

Communication is the foundation of every coaching relationship. It determines how safe, understood, and motivated a client feels.

Effective coaching communication is:

• Clear: Use words that are simple, direct, and free of jargon.
  
  

• Respectful: Acknowledge emotions without trying to fix them.
  
  

• Intentional: Every statement supports insight or accountability.
  
  

💡 Remember: Communication is about connection, not perfection.

Key Points

• Roughly 7 % of communication is words, 38 % tone, and 55 % body language.
  
  

• Coaches focus on how they say things, not just what they say.
  
  

• Silence can be powerful—give clients time to think.
  
  

• Avoid leading, judging, or diagnosing. You’re a facilitator, not a therapist.
  
  

📗 Lesson 2 – Active Listening

Active listening means being fully present—hearing words, noticing tone, and understanding meaning without interruption.

Core Principles

1. Presence: Eliminate distractions and focus fully on the client.
   
   

2. Reflection: Paraphrase or summarize to confirm understanding.
   
   
   “What I’m hearing is that you’re uncertain about your next step.”
   
   
   

3. Clarification: Ask gentle follow-ups to deepen clarity.
   
   
   “When you say overwhelmed, what does that feel like for you?”
   
   
   

4. Empathy: Recognize emotion without taking it on.
   
   
   “That sounds challenging, and it’s understandable you’d feel that way.”
   
   
   

💬 Active listening builds trust faster than advice ever could.

📙 Lesson 3 – Asking Powerful Questions

Powerful questions open doors to awareness and personal discovery—the coach’s greatest tool.

Guidelines

• Keep questions open-ended (what, how, when).
  
  

• Make them forward-focused and solution-oriented.
  
  

• Keep them non-judgmental; avoid “why” when it sounds accusatory.
  
  

• Give clients space to think before answering.
  
  

Examples

• “What outcome would feel most meaningful to you right now?”
  
  

• “How can you move one step closer to that goal this week?”
  
  

• “What’s another way of viewing this situation?”
  
  

⚡ Good questions turn confusion into clarity.

📒 Lesson 4 – Building Rapport and Trust

Rapport is the emotional bridge that makes coaching effective. It grows through consistency, respect, and authenticity.

Ways to Build Rapport

• Be genuine: Show real interest in your client’s story.
  
  

• Be reliable: Keep commitments and start sessions on time.
  
  

• Be attentive: Notice shifts in mood or tone.
  
  

• Be balanced: Maintain healthy boundaries; you are a guide, not a counselor.
  
  

💛 Trust grows from empathy and follow-through.

📔 Lesson 5 – Handling Difficult Conversations

Every coach will face resistance or frustration. The goal is not to fix emotion but to hold space for it.

Strategies

• Stay calm and grounded; your tone sets the tone.
  
  

• Listen without interrupting or judging.
  
  

• Acknowledge the experience:
  
  
  “I can see this topic brings up strong feelings.”
  
  
  

• Ask exploratory questions:
  
  
  “What part of this feels most challenging for you?”
  
  
  

• End with clarity:
  
  
  “What do you want to take away from today’s discussion?”
  
  
  

🌿 Handled with patience, conflict can become transformation.

🧩 Lesson 6 – Nonverbal Communication Awareness

Nonverbal communication includes body language, facial expression, posture, and even silence.

Observe for Insight, Not Interpretation

• If a client looks down often, ask how they’re feeling—don’t assume.
  
  

• Notice changes in energy or tone when topics shift.
  
  

• Maintain an open posture to signal attentiveness.
  
  

🔑 Your presence communicates safety even when words are few.

🧠 Lesson 7 – Ethical Boundaries in Communication

Coaches must stay within professional and ethical limits.

Always Avoid:

• Giving medical, financial, or legal advice.
  
  

• Making promises or guarantees.
  
  

• Diagnosing mental-health conditions.
  
  

Always Do:

• Maintain confidentiality (unless required by law).
  
  

• Stay within your coaching scope.
  
  

• Encourage professional help when appropriate.
  
  

⚖️ Ethics protect both coach and client.

📝 Practice Activity (Self-Reflection Only)

Exercise: The Five-Minute Listener
Ask a friend or peer to talk about a current challenge for five minutes.
Rules:

1. Don’t interrupt.
   
   

2. Reflect back one or two key phrases you heard.
   
   

3. Summarize what they said in your own words.
   
   

💡 Afterward, take a moment to reflect:

• How did it feel to simply listen?
  
  

• What did you notice about tone or body language?
  
  

• What insight did you gain about your own listening habits?
  
  

(This activity is for personal growth only—no written submission required.)