So how do you know if life coaching is for you? Contacting us is a great place to start. You likely have some natural aptitudes that draw you toward coaching.

However, there are some very specific skills a coach must possess. Here's a helpful list of 21 skills to hone:

1. Three levels of listening Listening takes practice. It’s at the center of all the transformations that take place in coaching.

   1. Subjective everyday listening, where you relate what is being said only to yourself.

   2. Objective listening is deeper, with more focus on the other person.

   3. Intuitive listening is the deepest, where you get to the heart of another person, using all your senses and instincts. It’s the most valuable and powerful form of listening because it enables a trained coach to connect with you. Listening is a simple act and when you trust your intuition, you’ll hear — the tones, silences, and energy levels of that person.

2. Feedback. Give some constructive feedback without sounding critical

3. Observing. Pay attention to the underlying factors and address them.

4. Analyzing. Look at the situation, analyze it, and make the best choice.

5. Communicating. As a coach you must be willing to express who you are and also receive who your client is and who they want to be.

6. Timing. Know when it is time for your client to act or when they are ready.

7. Preparing. Be ready for anything

8. Organizing. Several clients means you can end up scrambling unless you are organized.

9. Empathy. Perhaps the most important skill for a life coach to have the ability to understand and relate.

10. Ethical. Maintain your client’s information in confidentiality.

11. Complementing. Letting people know the positive builds them up and makes them happy, this also makes them more productive.

12. Motivating. Everyone drags their feet or slows their progress, as a coach you can be there to restart their engines.

13. Empowering. Let your clients know everything they need to succeed is within them.

14. Intuitive. Pay attention to your gut, your heart, and your head. Read the subtler signs.

15. Energetic. You have to be able to motivate and encourage this required high levels of energy.

16. Optimism. Being positive is infectious, if you are so will your client.

17. Creativity. You need to be able to see the options, courses, and opportunities that your clients may not, this requires a creative mind.

18. Invested. Your clients success means something to you. You are invested in their success.

19. Confidence. You should be self-assured enough to know you can help your clients

20. Thirst for knowledge. There are new things happening every minute and you, as a life coach, have to be familiar with the changes around you. Update yourself with research and get familiar with new areas that you may encounter. This is so you can help your client with what he/she prefers to work on.

21. Coaches don’t give advice. We don’t tell people what to do. We help people take action.

Whether you already have these skills or wish to develop them, the Certified Life Coach Institute is here to help you realize your coaching dreams. Getting certified is the first step towards gaining the credentials needed to have a successful and thriving coaching business. Not only will you complete our course as a certified coach you will also graduate with the training, knowledge, and practiced coaching skills to have the confidence you need to open your own coaching practice. And our assistance doesn't end when you graduate, we offer continued support and an open-door policy to all of our alumni. We have a decade of successful coach graduates and cannot wait have you join the Certified Life Coach Institute family!

All you have to do to start is choose a course near you!