How to Be an Online Coach or Consultant During Covid-19

Given the current Coronavirus outbreak, stress levels have increased for everyone. Some problems are just put into perspective even more during these difficult times. Measures have been put in place by corporations, so their services remain uninterrupted. Many people now work from home, where they are mostly accompanied by their partner and children and this can, of course, present various mental challenges. Social life is strongly limited, and many people have questions or fears about the COVID-19 virus. With the right attitude and awareness, online coaching and consulting remain very valuable during this remarkable period.

Remote Coaching

Many coaches and consultants are currently looking into the possibilities of remote coaching and are offering sessions via video call, telephone, or chat. The transition to the at-home and remote working enables people to virtually stay connected, boost mood and team morale, track trends, and tackle plans for the future.

Coaching via Video Call and Telephone: A worthy Alternative to Remain Productive

Research shows that coaching via video call or telephone is a great alternative to an in-person coaching session with your coach. Especially now that face to face coaching is not recommended during the coronavirus stay at home order. It may take some getting used to in the beginning, but you will soon notice that you also come to new insights from your comfortable seat at home. Your coach is still there to guide and support you.

Coaching via Zoom, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp or Skype

Virtual meetings and videoconferencing will be with us for the foreseeable future. Even if science finds an appropriate vaccine that will allow us to return to our life pre-coronavirus, many of the habits we’ve grown accustomed to whilst being confined to our houses or apartments will stick. Health, tech, and online communities are bound to take a big leap forward. 

One of the things that many people are currently raving about is the use of Zoom (or other virtual meeting applications like Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp or Skype).

Set-up a Home Office to Organize Video Conferences

We advise that coaches and consultants set-up an office in their own home or a dedicated space where they can work and participate in these types of Zoom video calls. 

Although Zoom allows you to change the background, we believe it is a good idea that you would use a professional office setting in case the camera angle would need to be changed at any time during the call. 

We also suggest you watch various instructional videos to get yourself acquainted with the system in order to not run into any technical difficulties during a coaching session. Be sure to know how to initiate a call, how to invite multiple people, and how to end the meeting.

Although videoconferencing is not similar to live-sessions coaching, it would be best for our coaches and consultants to adapt to this new system as none of us know how long the current stay at home orders will last for. 

Tips for Zoom Calls

If you want to coach multiple people or large groups, be sure to check out the handy tips and tricks on the zoom blog, such as hitting the spacebar to mute yourself when in large groups (if you have children or pets running around this can be a handy trick) or how to add contacts. 

Whereas in an office you would sometimes take a walk to the coffee machine or water cooler, this is not the case in your home office. Be prepared when you start your call and have all your necessities near you. Don’t forget to take a break from time to time or at least stretch.

Be sure to dress up for your video calls as if you were going to the office. We understand that in the first few days of working from home most of us did so in our sneakers and sweatpants, by now it is commonly accepted that you should always be dressed like going to the office as you never know when someone calls in for a Videochat. Yes, your boss is allowed to disturb you during the day for a Facetime call and he will not be pleased if you answer in t-shirt and sweatpants. Be sure to mute your phone while on a call with someone else and try to be in a silent environment. 

Stay Up to Date with Technology

We advise coaches to read up on new social media apps and how they operate. Your clients will ask you for tips during calls so it would be advisable if you know how all the different technologies operate. Even if technologies that younger generations use frequently, like TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, or Telegram, are odd-sounding words at this moment, it would be good to read up on it so you can explain if a question comes up during your coaching session. 

Make sure that you know the latest news about Zoom and can, if necessary, easily make the switch to other videoconferencing apps if needed.

Are Your Clients Corona-stressed? Tips to Coach Calmer Minds

The coronavirus crisis is not only dangerous for our physical health but also a real challenge to our mental health. 

People tend to worry about what will happen when this is all over and for the first time in their lifetimes, have difficulty thinking about the future. This can, of course, be very stressful. 

We, therefore, give you some tips that you can communicate with your clients in order to help them take care of themselves (and others in their surroundings) mentally.

Stay Social

In times of quarantine, people quickly feel isolated from the world and the persons they love to see and communicate with. It is not inconceivable that a feeling of loneliness overtakes them. Yet you have to warn them that they don’t have to be alone while facing the coronavirus pandemic.

Thanks to modern technology, they can easily call, video chat, or text other people.  So, ask them to check on their direct family, to catch up with their friends or colleagues, and instruct them to think in particular about their grandparents or any person they know that is high risk. 

Turn off Netflix

Of course, your clients will tell you that it is nice to snuggle up in the chair with a series or a film and put their troubles away while binge-watching Netflix. We all occasionally need some escapism for the daily stress and bad news. 

However, it is good to challenge your own brain from time to time. This way you stay on your toes and you avoid mental fatigue.

Advise your clients to fill their free time with a few different activities. For example, ask them if there is a book they have been wanting to read? Coaches could look up what is trending on the bestseller lists of the New York Times or Amazon and make a suggestion. 

Or perhaps there is an old hobby that they can pick up again? For this YouTube can be a true source of educational material. Another good site to look it Etsy, where people sell homemade items. 

Tell your clients to share their learning process on social media if they want to, this can be funny and inspiring to others as well.

Go Out for a Walk in the Fresh Air

Instruct your clients to make their way to the nearest park, forest, or any other piece of greenery, taking a gentle stroll and take a few deep breaths in and out. (Obviously, keep in mind the necessary social distancing between themselves and other people.)

When spending time outdoors, you not only experience the calming effect of nature, but you also keep moving, which is good for your body and your head.

The Value of Being Bored

Most people have a crowded agenda with many appointments every week. Many of us get our energy from getting together, soaking up culture, and other things. But this overcrowded agenda also means it can difficult to relax.

Tell your clients to use this time to enjoy an empty agenda. Allow them to make room to pause, literally and figuratively. To do nothing at all. Does that feel uncomfortable? Then you may ask why that is, and whether they want to change that. So, staying at home can be the perfect time for introspection. 

Continue Coaching Sessions

If your clients are currently involved in a coaching program, they may not be sure about their next session. Tell them not to cancel! Coaching can do extra well in times like this.

Contact all your clients, preserve the relationships, spell out the steps you are undertaking, assure them you are complying with government measures and that you will continue to provide the sessions they have come to know and love. 

You can provide sessions via telephone or video chat, which can be just as good as a live session!

If you can keep their session as planned in any way, you offer them some security for the future.

During these coronavirus times, there is a collective sense of uncertainty. But it doesn’t all have to be doom and gloom. Search for possibilities together, come up with new initiatives or, for example, share your daily positive thought. And support each other where necessary. Solidarity and citizenship are now more important than ever, and they boost everyone’s mental health!

Online Health Coaching During Coronavirus

Now that we’ve been at home for weeks, self-care is critical to our morale, experts say. Take care of your appearance and your inner self. The lockdown is also a good time to ask yourself the question, “Do I want to go back to that busy agenda?”

Take Care of Your Inner self

The lockdown has changed our daily lives. Everyone is on break. However, a long list of new limitations, feelings, and frustrations rages within the four walls of everyone’s house. 

How do we prevent our mental well-being from faltering? In times when nothing is what it used to be; it makes a lot of sense to stick to a routine. Routine provides predictability, which creates a sense of control. That, in turn, produces substances in your body that make you feel good, which increases your positive perspective. Our body is made to stay active, both mentally and physically. It is therefore important to make a daily schedule. Set up your schedule so that there is enough variation. Do not only focus on the absolute “musts” but also put things that you enjoy. 

10 Tips for those who are Newly Active During Corona Stay-At-Home Orders

The stress of all the Covid-19 news can have various effects on people, but for those of us who are middle-aged, picking up an old sports routine can be a great way to feel better overall. Advise your clients to go running or biking if they can. And if they need to stay home, tell them indoor fitness is always better than no fitness. 

Here are ten tips any coach can advise their clients during this time.

1. If you are only now starting to do sports again, then take it slow. Don’t stretch yourself. It is good that you want to get healthier but remember that your muscles need time to get used to this new pace as well.
2. Exercise, train, or do some fun sports, but take it easy. Don’t be too intensive and don’t do it for too long at a time
3. If you normally do endurance efforts, choose interval activities now
4. Practice when possible in the open air (outside, garden, courtyard, balcony) or otherwise clear an area within your house or apartment. 
5. Remember that exercising and even exercising indoors is still much better than not exercising at all.
6. Prefer to exercise alone (or limit yourself to your housemates or 1 non-housemate).
7. If you come close to others while exercising, keep your distance, and don’t do high fives, handshakes, or hugs.
8. Do nothing together during your sports activity, try to keep your distance at all times. 
9. Only touch your own equipment: use your own drinking bottle and towel, and only your personal sports equipment
10. Do not exercise when you are ill, not even individually. Also keep in mind that you should not start exercising again immediately after a fever, but that you should rest for as many days as you have had a fever.

Online Nutritional Coaching During Coronavirus

If you are a coach who needs to convince his clients of a healthy and nutrient-rich diet during a pandemic, be sure to set a good example yourself. Tell your clients to eat healthy during these stressful times and perhaps show pictures or recipes of what you’ve made. You can even organize a Zoom call from your kitchen whilst you are making a healthy nutritional dish. 

By eating healthy, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly, their health and mood will remain positive far easier than if they were to sit on the couch and just watch the (depressing) Covid-19 news.  Although it differs for many people according to taste and personal preference, most specialists agree that healthy food looks something like this:

• At least 250 grams of vegetables per day.
• 2 servings of fruit.
• Whole-wheat products.
• 2-3 servings of dairy.
• Vary with meat, fish, legumes, nuts, eggs and vegetarian products; and
• Be sure to drink enough water.
• Below you will find some tips to get enough fruit and vegetables:
• Use vegetables or fruit as toppings on bread (for example apple, banana, strawberries, grilled aubergine/zucchini/bell pepper or add tomato or cucumber);
• For breakfast take yogurt with fruit (and cereal);
• Make a vegetable omelet for breakfast or lunch;
• Have a salad for lunch;
• Take raw vegetables or fruit as a snack;
• Take a piece of fruit for dessert. Be sure to set a good example for your children. 

Online Life Coaching During Corona

These are difficult times, for everybody. Whether it is the stress of having to deal with your work and your children all at the same time or having to worry about a family member that is more susceptible to the disease, the coronavirus pandemic will prove to be one of the most stressful periods the current generation has ever experienced. 

In most people, it brings about anxiety and stress. How can you, as a coach, help your clients deal with this added stress on top of their daily lives?

For one, you can coach your clients on how to improve their work sessions from home. Working from home can be a solution, but it isn’t a perfect solution. But at the moment there is no other option for many of us. It is clear that working at home has an impact on our habits, but it also demands a lot from our mental fitness and flexibility.

People are creatures of habit, and if you are someone who needs the structure and social contact of a workplace, it can be quite difficult if this is all lost. Add to this the sometimes disturbing presence of people living with you and the uncertainty about expenses and uncertain future prospects, it makes sense that compulsory working from home creates mental and practical problems for many people. 

Everyone deals with working from home differently. This is determined by individual differences, such as personality traits, preferences, and circumstances. But are also determined by the way in which the organization supports working from home. These differences mean that there is no single solution or advice for everyone. There are, however, distinctive themes that play an important role in the risks of working remotely. 

Work and private life will merge. You have to create the conditions for a good working environment from home yourself. You do this by adding structure to your day, determining beforehand what you will do and when. 

A second risk is that employees work more because they work from home. Even if they take care of, for example, parents or their children. In fact, some of the people tend to work longer hours because you are also expected to work effectively for eight hours at work. They tend to overcompensate because they are afraid that colleagues or executives think they are going to cut corners.

Teach them that this is not necessary. These are exceptional times but no one is expecting you to do more than what you did before. Be a listening ear to their worries and instruct them not to worry too much themselves. 

Your Online Coaching Career