Will Skype Add Value To Leading Advisor`s Coaching Process?

I just finished a Skype call with my Virtual Assistant, Deanne McAndrews, as a test drive of Skype for our telephone coaching calls replacing the phone and getting the added value of the video via Skype.

This is because one of my clients requested a coaching call on Skype to add the visual experience.

But will Skype really add value to Leading Advisor`s coaching process?

Will Skype take value away from Leading Advisor`s coaching process?

For years I`ve been using the telephone to do coaching and have racked up the best part of 30,000 hours of telephone coaching experience which has created these kinds of coaching results. About five years ago we added coaching call recordings via Audio Acrobat and we are using GoToMeeting to debrief our clients Budget Cash Flows, Hiring Assessments, Job Descriptions, Marketing Plans, One Page Business Plan, Web Sites and more.

As you know there are three primary learning styles:

• Visual – seeing and reading
• Auditory – listening and speaking
• Kinesthetic – touching and doing or physical, or tactile, or touchy-feely

It should be no surprise that my learning style is Auditory – Kinesthetic and it would make sense given the years of telephone coaching experience my coaching style is, or at least it has been, Auditory – Kinesthetic.

My Auditory – Kinesthetic coaching style means I listen to what my clients are saying, sense what they are saying and offer my thoughts.

But there is another aspect to consider.

It is said that we communicate through:

• Words
• Voice Quality
• Physiology

Words make up 7% of communication, Voice Quality make up 38% of communication and Physiology makes up 55% of communication.

It is said that people talk through their eyes, face, hands and body which means that 93% of what you communicate is non-verbal so why bother focusing on that tiny 7%?

So I am going to give the 55% + 38% a try to see how this can help with the Leading Advisor Coaching Process.

But not so fast.

In order to make this work we will use:

• Skype – for the visual
• Telephone – so that we can use Audio Acrobat for the coaching call recordings
• GoToMeeting – so we can debrief our clients Budget Cash Flows, Hiring Assessments, Job Descriptions, Marketing Plans, One Page Business Plan, Web Sites and more.

After all of this, there is still one more challenge. What I am finding is that with me looking at my client’s assignments, file and my own computer monitor, I am not looking into the camera so there isn’t really the eye contact so how much more of a coaching connection will there be.

I was just going to joke and say “stay tuned for film at 11”.

I don’t know how this will turn out but I am up for the visual challenge!