A presentation for discussion in INTAGIO Annual Gathering 2015 in St. Petersburgh, Russia where I was able to obtain some feedback for the thoughts and ideas contained herein.

1. Naoum Liotas
Org. Consultant, Trainer and Business Coach

2.  As I was preparing for my ACC credential for
the ICF (International Coach Federation) – still
have not acquired that – I was required to
receive 10 hours of mentor coaching

3.  Noticing differences
◦ E.g. Coaching known as “Finding the perfect
question”
◦ Wanting results and solutions – e.g. Solution-
focused
 Thinking about clients approaching me:
◦ Result-oriented, wanting ROI and insurance
◦ “I want to achieve this. Can YOU make me achieve
this? Is this 100% sure?”

4.  Reading “The Complete Handbook of
Coaching” edited by Cox, E.; Bachkirova, T.
and Clutterbuck, D. (2010).
◦ Theoretical Approaches (including Gestalt)
◦ Genres and contexts
◦ Professional Practice issues

5. ICF defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-
provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize
their personal and professional potential... Coaches honor the
client as the expert in his or her life and work and believe every
client is creative, resourceful and whole. Standing on this
foundation, the coach's responsibility is to:
 Discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve
 Encourage client self-discovery
 Elicit client-generated solutions and strategies
 Hold the client responsible and accountable
This process helps clients dramatically improve their outlook on
work and life, while improving their leadership skills and
unlocking their potential.

6.  I find the definition too general and
unconvincing. How did I persuade new costumers
to join in? (learning from my own experience…)
 Search for my brand identity
 My method seemed to work extremely well with
people who were searching for a job.
 Examples:
◦ 2-year long unemployment – 8 sessions before getting a
high-level job
◦ Not passing the third interview, lack of self-confidence –
9 sessions before landing a job in KPMG in Edinburgh
◦ Not promoting herself “correctly” (and impatience as
something that emerged in the sessions) – 6 sessions
before landing a job

7. 1. The psychodynamic approach to coaching
2. Cognitive-Behavioural coaching
3. Solution-focused coaching
4. The person-centred approach to coaching
5. The Gestalt approach to coaching
6. Existential coaching
7. Ontological coaching
8. Narrative coaching
9. The cognitive-developmental approach
10. The transpersonal approach to coaching
11. The positive psychology approach to coaching
12. Transactional analysis and coaching
13. NLP approach to coaching

8. Skills&
Performance
Developmental
Coaching
Transformational
Coaching
Executive&
Leadership
TheManageras
coach
TeamCoaching
PeerCoaching
LifeCoaching
CareerCoaching
Cross-cultural
coachiing
Mentoring
The Gestalt
Approach to
Coaching
* * * * ** * *

9.  No Stars in Leadership and Executive
Coaching?

10.  Coach is the expert of the coaching process
(not of any task the coachee is involved in)
 Coaching is driven by the coachee’s agenda
 Coaches are interested in the self-
actualization of their client (their becoming
and not so much on their ‘doing’ – their
performance)
 Capability development and insights for more
substantive change
 Meeting standards set by the coachee

11.  ICF Core Competencies
1. Ethics and Standards (discussion not about the
past – therapeutic mode, discussion not about
what to do – consulting mode) 
2. Establishing the coaching agreement 
3. Establishing trust and intimacy with the client 
4. Coaching Presence 
5. Active Listening 
6. Powerful Questioning

12.  ICF Core Competencies
7. Direct Communication 
8. Creating Awareness 
9. Designing Actions
10. Planning and Goal Setting

13.  Really important skill
 Seeing the figures that emerge and paying
attention to the background as well
 My question though is the following:
“Is too much questioning damaging contact?”
Questions seen as deflection…

14.  In the discussion, Eugenio pointed out that if
there is too much reliance on powerful
questioning, we might miss the power of
statements which is also important.

15.  Is too much questioning damaging contact?
 Questioning and indeed powerful questioning
is really important – how important and
where is the line?

16.  An assumption exclusive (or at least so visible
or figural) in Gestalt is the importance of how
we are making contact… Unfinished business
blocks the ability to make good contact.
 This definitely affects the way we are setting
implicit goals (in addition to explicit ones)
and how we go about interested in our
client’s ‘becoming’.

17.  The paradox of change and setting goals

18. If you don’t know
where you want to
go then it doesn’t
matter which path
you take…
Alice in Wonderland

19.  You change by becoming who you are…
 And yet I need to explain this to customers
who are businessman and believe that they
change by trying to create something and
taking action.
 Is there a way to bring this closer to the
business language? How?

20.  Setting Goals AND using the paradox of
change

21.  The paradox of change
 You change by becoming who you are
 Focusing on the present situation
 Focusing on the here-and-now
 Not focused on the future like many tools and
methodologies (solution-focused coaching,
feedforward etc.)

22.  This is not something inherent in the Gestalt
approach unless the request comes directly
from the client – need fulfillment
 How does the coach uses the “cycle of
experience”?

23.  The Cycle of Experience
 Is the coach helping the client in completing
the cycle of experience? Going through the
stages of the cycle of experience with the
client?

24.  Use of self as an instrument
 The coach brings himself and his experience
into the here-and-now.

25.  e.g. Manager as coach
◦ Gestalt needs a lot of time to internalize the
conceptual and methodological framework
 Better for longer work frames with the client
in order to understand patterns.

26. If you are having a
successful result –
does it matter HOW
you do it?

27.  In the discussion, Z. pointed out that perhaps
we are putting too much emphasis on the
Gestalt label… Which is true!