The Future Trends of Coaching 

If you are or want to become a professional business or life coach, it is important to be constantly aware of global trends that are changing so rapidly in the age of technology, and to know which aspects of training are worth developing.

Coaching is essentially a profession of the future. It’s a new approach for developing the human and business environment, and it is sustainable. In other words, this is one of the sectors that artificial intelligence would find very difficult to replace – creating artificial relationships that are reliable, empathetic, and intuitive is a much more complex process than the transformation of rationality-based disciplines. So areas such as coaching, psychotherapy, and arts, where human emotions and imagination play an important role, are almost impossible to replace. Another important piece of evidence that proves coaching fits into tomorrow’s world is that the profession developed rapidly when contemporary phenomena such as the Internet, robotics, mobile phones, and artificial intelligence began to flourish.

Although coaching and other forms of personal or business growth training are extremely valuable today and are promising to grow in importance, they are under constant technology and various trends. Therefore, every coach, specialist, and expert must be fully aware of the main directions the world is developing and what changes people should be prepared for. Read more: Boosting Engagement through Learning and Personal Growth.

What are the trends in the world of coaching?

Basing on evidence

Reliable, evidence-based training is in high demand. Whether you are based on positive psychology, neuroscience, or any other discipline, it is important to clearly state what the training process is based on and emphasize and update your certificates. The involvement of science, empirical research, and other facts in coaching are significant. Still, at the same time, it does not mean that the importance of various human factors is reduced. Increased intuition and advanced communication skills will be as important as always.

Simplicity

People have an innate need for simplicity. We need to simplify complex concepts so that we can adjust to them. Previous generations lived in a much slower world and experienced massive changes, perhaps once a generation. Our nervous systems can withstand such a rate of change. However, huge changes now take place about every ten years, and this process continues to accelerate. Coaching reveals simplicity. In the future, people will need continuous training, as most will not be able to cope with the level of change, and this is perfectly normal for human nature. One of the main coaching tasks will be to help people simplify their lives and make learning and acceptance of everything a person’s second nature. It is very likely that in the future, with the help of coaching, people will need to discover that prosperity means not only material well-being, but also strong values, that can help you think faster and make better choices.

Digitization

Virtual coaching will become more and more common. The use of effective digital learning tools will increase, and coaching will evolve in a new direction by automating some management tasks through innovations. The technology will provide coaches with great opportunities to train clients internationally while maintaining connectivity with local clients and integrating technology for online and offline work. In a corporate environment, coaching is likely to take place using computers, smartphones, and other mobile devices. Training will be provided in multimedia e-learning formats, but face-to-face training in universities or hotel conference rooms will become less common. It should be noted that taking advantage of technology, it is worth adding some real elements to your offer. The best coaches will supplement the training with micro training sessions, gamification, and other interactive solutions. [2] Check out the opportunities of the Efectio platform for coaches and specialists!

Positive psychology

Positive psychology focuses on an individual’s potential and seeks to prevent those aspects that stand in the way of fulfilling that potential. When used in conjunction with coaching, it involves thoughtful questions, empathetic listening, self-awareness, and the search for the solutions to help achieve the best possible results in a given setting. Positive psychology is fast becoming a relatively comprehensive approach. The reason is simple – it looks at the individual and life as a whole. This is already a common form of training in organizations, where it acts as a key tool to guide employees towards their goals. Most likely, this trend will continue in the future. Positive psychology coaching is especially useful in a business environment because it allows managers and the company team to understand better their values, strengths and weaknesses, resilience, and inventiveness. According to the SHRM survey, 93% of company managers answered that they need coaches and experts to train their employees. [4] It will be important for coaching to offer greater precision regarding specific ambitions. This will help clients focus on the changes needed to achieve the desired goals. 

What do these coaching trends mean to you as a training leader?

In today’s age, people are no longer so preoccupied with survival, which allows them to devote time to self-reflection and self-growth. Efforts to find fulfillment in work and relationships, bring meaningful values and culture to companies, and improve one’s abilities and promote productivity are becoming more and more important in society. These are all ambitious goals that will be very difficult to reach without coaches and industry professionals’ guidance.

Continue to develop your knowledge and skills throughout your career – this includes certification, process simplification, digitization, and evidence-based training. This will help you be more aware of the most important trends, earn more and stay in business even with increasing competition.