Coaching Model: K.E.E.P.

A Coaching Model Created by Belinda Needham
(Mental Wellness Coach, USA)

Albums are kept for reflecting on many things: experiences, places, events, people. The K.E.E.P. model of life coaching is to help clients to celebrate their strengths, measure their growth and become ever more resourceful after the coaching alliance has accomplished it’s purpose. It is my hope that this model will help a coach and coachee to look back, appreciate and leverage the time and energy they have put into their work.

The K.E.E.P. model has eight related components

KNOWLEDGE is the first page of the album.

• Knowledge of the coachee’s intent
• Knowledge of the self with its strengths, values needs and uniqueness
• Knowledge of the resources to be used in accomplishing the learning, growth, or change expected from this alliance

All of these pieces of knowledge fill the design, the ‘picture’ of the successful experience.

The coaches questions may be:

What do you want to accomplish and what makes this important to you? What progress have you already made? What experiences have already given you the confidence to pursue this? What is holding you back?

There are three ‘E’s. Exploring, Experiencing, and Examining.

EXPLORING is exciting because it opens up a new world and broadens horizons.

• Exploring possible paths and options
• Exploring new ways of looking at things and possibly news ways of being
• Exploring what is outside the comfort zone in the safe partnership of a professional coach

The coach’s questions to open courage and possibilities may be:

What are you willing to try? What keeps you standing at the crossroads? What may happen if you do nothing? What could be that first step if you commit to moving forward? What is possible if you take that first step?

EXPERIENCING moves beyond awareness.

• Alongside awareness, experience due to action is backbone of coaching
• Action with accountability is another essential in the experience
• Forward action can continue for a lifetime forming the blank pages at the end of the ‘album’

Questions may include:

What path seems more likely to bring success? What can you do today? If not today, when? How committed are you at this point in time? What pace is comfortable for you? What structures do you want to put in place? Do you want to be held accountable? If so, what sort of accountability would be helpful?

EXAMINING is the main reason for creating the ‘album’ upon which this model is based.

• Coach and client review the experiences and gather feedback
• At times the action is successful and the client wants it to become habitual. At times it is not as successful as anticipated and the client wants to adjust or change direction.
• The coaching conversation provides a unique opportunity for acknowledgement and celebration. These are on some of the most important pages in our ‘album’

A coach’s may be:

What were the gains by taking this action? What would you like to continue doing? What you like to do more of? less of? How did this change your perspective? Did this change you or your perspective? What new strengths or insights did you uncover?

PROCESS, PROGRESS, PERSISTENCE

• Trusting the process and working with it is essential for both coach and client
• Progress is the measurement of success during any particular session or the complete coaching agreement itself. The ultimate measurement is done by the client himself, although the coach has the responsibility to check in at regular intervals to see if the time and energy are having results even in small increments
• Both during and after the work persistence will sustain the forward movement and retain the results

K.E.E.P.  this album and continue filling up those blank pages with the experiences of a lifetime!