Presence – For the sake of what?

Being fully present to others is one of the greatest gifts we can offer. In a state of presence, we are fully attuned to our own sensations, feelings and thoughts while being in direct contact with and impressed by those we are meeting. When leading coaching circles and other types of groups, the quality of our presence enables:

• Attending to the many layers of the process
• Supporting people, individually and collectively, in their learning experience, struggles and successes
• Dealing with the unpredictable flow of events and emotions
• Being under the limelight while skillfully enabling people express themselves fully and authentically
• Having the stamina and attention needed to support the group over time
• Doing one’s own development work and life practices with dedication and compassion

Cultivating presence is at the core of what we do in coaching circles. It’s the bottom line. It’s what enables people to do everything else: skillfully dealing with challenging issues, supporting others wholeheartedly in their own process and, engaging in their own self-discovery, one that releases their brilliant energy and contribution to the world.

Not surprisingly, it’s also a critical part of our training for those wanting to lead coaching circles. Cultivating presence requires building and honing a whole set of muscles. In our self-guided Online Course on Facilitating Coaching Circles, we take you through what we consider to be four critical levels of capacity for presence: pausing, self-observing, inquiring and attuning. For each level, we describe what they mean, what they make possible, the practices available to build these capacities and, what typically gets in the way of holding our presence at these various levels.

Check out our programs on this website and explore the other coaching and facilitation skills that will help you take your practice to a whole new level!