Contents
Tools make change happen. Whether you’re using simple scissors to transform a bag of peas into a plate of peas or the Wheel of Life exercise to trigger the start of a coachee’s transformation, tools for coaches make us more efficient.
More specifically, tools for coaches allow you to take your clients from awareness to choice and execution. Without the right tools, your clients are in danger of never integrating their intellectual curiosity into higher stages of development.
So, what do these tools for coaches look like? On the one hand, you have the range of digital platforms to streamline your processes and on the other, you have impactful coaching exercises.
Quenza does both exercises and process improvement. You have to experience it to truly see the power of having an online platform that covers all your back-office needs whilst offering you a treasure trove of exercises, worksheets, meditations, and more.
The good news is that you can experience it for only $1. Sign up for the 1-month trial and you’ll get access to the whole suite from personalized client journeys to scheduling, invoicing, tracking, note-taking, group settings, filing and so much more.
Chapter 1
The Evolution of Coaching Tools
The word “coach” is perhaps only a few centuries old (when used to refer to a developmental guide), with Socrates being one of the most famous early coaches. He was one of the first to ask questions in order to encourage self-reflection and insight to lead to change.
Although, interestingly, the word coach seems to have initially been a slang word for a private tutor back in 1830 at Oxford University. Just like a carriage, or “coche” in old French, could take you somewhere, so a private tutor could also “carry” you through your learning experience[1].
In those days, coaches relied on the art of questioning alongside blackboards and whatever environment they chose to stimulate ideas. Today, we have videos, virtual reality and hand-held devices.
Furthermore, the field of psychology, built on several centuries of research, feeds the wide range of coaching styles that exist. So, some might choose the ACE (Awareness-Choice-Execution) cycle of change from the humanists, the GAPS (Goals/Values, Abilities, Perceptions, Success Factors) grid of the behaviorists or the sense-making forms of constructive developmental theories[2]. This is by no means an exhaustive list as there are many more frameworks and tools for coaches.
Depending on your background and style, you’ll gradually develop your own methodology. The question now is, how can digital tools for online coaches help you make a difference?
Chapter 2
General Tools for All Coaches
As all coaches know, tools for executive coaches, among all the others, need to support the coach-client relationship. Without trust and safety, no matter how amazing your tools are, clients won’t get very far.
For many coachees, that means using tools for coaches that manage all their back-office processes. This leaves them the time they need to focus completely on their clients.
Depending on which stage of your business journey you are in, you might not have any tools yet. In that case, you have the benefit of a blank sheet of paper. Otherwise, you’ll need to choose tools for coaches that integrate with what you currently use. Although, most of the top platforms have integration options.
To get you started with some common platforms that can cover your back-office needs, we’ve compiled a summary of the best ones in the table below.
Overview of Top Tools for Coaches to Cover Back Office Support
| Key Features | Examples | |
|---|---|---|
| CRM / Marketing | Client data management, client acquisition process, activity tracking, sales and leads reporting, insight analysis, compliance | Hubspot, Zoho, CoachVantage, Keap CRM |
| Communication | Security, quality, choice of channels, compliance | Zoom, Teams, Skype, Vonage, Brosix |
| Scheduling | Calendar sync, website and payment integration, reminders, reporting dashboard, compliance | Calendly, Acuity, Setmore, Doodle, |
| Payments | Multiple currencies, transaction fees, security, customer support, compliance | Wise, Stripe, PayPal |
| Accounting | Clear process, solid accounting knowledge, customer support, compliance | Xero, Quickbooks, Freshbooks, Zapier, Odoo |
| Feedback | Dashboard reporting, multiple languages, choice of NPS, CES and CSAT surveys, customization, compliance | Google Forms, SurveyMonkey, Mopinion, Wootric |
Chapter 3
Tools for Health Coaches
As a health coach, you might already know that there exists a wide range of tools for coaches. When it comes to looking at the various methodologies, you might also find yourself using motivational interviewing, CBT or simply Positive Psychology along with goal setting, among others.
With Quenza, you can get creative. Thanks to its library of hundreds of exercises and worksheets, you can make your clients’ journeys more experiential. For example, you can kickstart your clients’ right brain creativity and imagination with Quenza’s “Goal Visualization” Activity.
Whatever your approach, you’ll need tools for coaches to give you the right data to keep your clients moving forward. You’ll be able to track goals, create tailored programs, and, most importantly, keep your clients motivated.
Changing habits to support our health isn’t easy. With Quenza’s “Motivational Vision Board” clients reflect on their goals and how to link them with rewards. The mind is then more likely to support the change they need.
Alongside these exercises, you’ll need digital tools for coaches that take care of the planning and logistics side of things, as detailed in the table below.
| Type | Key Features | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Client Tracking Systems | Communication, calorie and nutritional intake, exercise log, vitals monitoring | MyFitnessPal, TrainingPeaks, Healthie, MealGarden, HoneyBook |
| Workout Planners | Customizable, video demos, progress tracking, assessment tools, community resources | Trainerize, PT Distinction, My PT Hub |
| Virtual Training | Feedback options, website integration, device compatibility | Everfit, Virtuagym, TrueCoach |
| Health Analytics | Ease of use, compatibility, tracking features, wearables integration | Runkeeper, Sleepscore, Glucose Buddy, Fitbit |
Tools for Life Coaches
Tools for life coaches come in many variations especially if you consider that life coaching can touch on many different aspects of life. Furthermore, topics such as relationships and well-being often come with heavy emotions that people struggle to talk about.
In those cases, tools for coaches leverage art to tap into the mind’s creativity and imagination. Visuals have the power to capture reflections that words might not be able to cover. Moreover, art, as inspired by art therapy, leverages more sensory inputs than simple talking does.
Life coaching with the arts goes beyond simple creativity. It also allows clients to externalize their goals and inner worlds. As such, goals appear more tangible and inner worlds less frightening. Perhaps most importantly, using tools for coaches that revolve around art can also bring out subconscious thoughts while also creating a deeper emotional engagement. All of this better supports change and ongoing growth[3].
For example, Quenza’s “Self-care Vision Board” Activity is for clients to define what self-care looks like for them can be done as a drawing or with photos. Alternatively, with the right tools for coaches, it can be digitally drawn in session. For example, you could use Canvas’ Vision Board Maker or simply ask your coachee to copy and paste photos onto a Word document from free sites such as Unsplash, Pixabay, or Pexels.
Tools for life coaches don’t just use the visual arts. As you’ll see in the table below, there are many other ways to enable clients to make new connections in their minds.
Another powerful tool that isn’t just for life coaches is the Wheel of Life. Although, Quenza has adapted it to suit various scenarios. So, in the vast library, you’ll find the “Leadership Styles Wheel”, the “Emotion Regulation Wheel”, the “Wheel of Needs” and of course, the “Wheel of Life” as well as the following “Wheel of Awareness”.
The “Wheel of Awareness” starts with a meditation and follows up with some reflective questions to guide clients to connect with their senses, inner worlds, mental activities and interconnectedness. Adapted from neuropsychiatrist Dan Siegel’s Wheel of Awareness, the aim is to explore how our awareness of ourselves can help us connect more deeply with others.
Naturally, all these tools for coaches can also be used for other coaching niches. The art, as always, is how you adapt them to your style and practice.
Overview of Life Coaching Tools and Exercises
| Features | Examples of Digital Tools for Coaches |
|---|---|
| Goal Setting | Trello, ClickUp, Asana, Kerika, Hive |
| Mind Mapping | MindMeister, XMind, Coggle, edraw MindMap, Miro |
| Meditation and Mindfulness | Headspace, Calm, BetterSleep, Healthy Minds Program, Aura App |
| Journaling and Reflection | Day One Journal, Reflectly, Evernote, Daylio, Penzu, 5 Minute Journal |
| Values | Values.institute, Personal Values Test |
| Visual cards | Deckhive, DigiCard Therapy |
| SWOT analysis | Visual Paradigm, Lucid Chart |
Chapter 4
Tools for Nutrition Coaches
How many diet crazes and fads have we all seen over the past few decades? It’s only natural to want to find ways to be healthier especially now that we know this leads to a longer life. Most of those diets never stick though and so the nutritional coaching industry was born.
Research shows that energy-restricted diets don’t usually last and people put on weight again as soon as the program ends. Instead, the data points to moving to behavioral change which is where tools for coaches come in[4].
Similarly to other coaches, nutritional coaches use motivational interviewing, reflection, metaphors, visualizations, and more. All these tools for coaches aim to test a client’s readiness for change while building a more rewarding and exciting future.
You often need to get creative with your tools for coaches to ignite the change in habits that are needed for healthier lifestyles. Quenza’s “The Narrative Self As A Shopping Cart” Activity can serve as a powerful stepping stone on the journey. In this exercise, clients explore things they identify with such as beliefs, activities, things, appearance, and so on. You can easily customize this to help them make the link with how clients identify with certain foods and how this links to healthy or unhealthy choices.
Just like with all the other tools for coaches, there is a word of caution. Not only do you have to make sure that your software is secure and compliant but also that it’s ethical. This is particularly true for nutritional coaches who constantly have to juggle between coaching without telling and giving advice.
In addition, there are religious and other beliefs to take into account that your clients might have[5]. As always, coaching is a juggling act and it starts with awareness so that you can remain transparent.
Finally, tools for coaches can make a huge difference to your practice when it comes to planning and tracking. See if any of the following examples would work for you.
| Examples of Digital Tools for Nutrition Coaches | Potential Features | |
|---|---|---|
| Diet Planners | MyPlate, Eat This Much, | Meal suggestions, caloric goals, nutritional needs summarized, customized shopping lists |
| Nutrition database | Cronometer, USDA Database, FooDB | Details of macro and micro-nutrients, chemistry and biology of the food constituents |
| Meal tracking | MyFitnessPal, Yazio, MyNetDiary, Noom | Meal logs, nutrient trackers, carbohydrate and protein monitors, food label scanning function |
| Intolerance tracking | Spoonful, AllergyEats, mySymptoms | Scans and alerts potential allergens, restaurant recommendations, digestive health tracking |
| Interactive exercises | Quenza | Worksheets, exercises, meditations as well client management and automated processes |
Chapter 5
Business Tools for Coaches
Naturally, it’s also worth exploring business tools for coaches. Digital technology is still in its early days when it comes to practicing empathy and human connection. In fact, its main value-add is in streamlining your processes.
As you can see in the table below, we’ve listed the main business processes you’ll have to manage as an independent coach and summarized the examples of business tools for coaches you might need.
When it comes to deciding how to run your practice, you’ll need to work out your growth strategy. Although, sometimes you have to remember that we learn and evolve by trial and error. As such, don’t expect the perfect solution on day one.
Nevertheless, the coaching industry is competitive as we constantly strive to demonstrate our impact on businesses and the bottom line. The more data you can gather to prove your value-add, the more likely you’ll expand your reach.
Last but not least, there are legal requirements when running a business, especially in finance and compliance. So, whatever you do, get a platform that allows you to be HIPAA & GDPR compliant without having to overthink things, such as Quenza.
Have a look at the table below to give you a feel of the top business tools for coaches.
| Domain | Examples | Potential Features |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting | Quickbooks, Xero, Freshbooks | Accounting methodologies, reporting, compliance, security |
| Marketing | Mailchimp, ConvertKit, Canva, Albacross, Brevo | Customizable templates, customer insights, easy to use for content creation, industry & market analysis, CRM, customer communication |
| Online course creation | Teachable, Thinkific, TrainerCentral, Learnworlds | Diversity of training formats, customizable templates, built-in journeys |
| Social media management | Hootsuite, Buffer, Sprout Social | Supports multiple social media channels, analytics, automation and scheduling |
| Website builders | WordPress, Wix, GoDaddy, Squarespace | Mobile features, ecommerce, customization |
Chapter 6
Choosing the Right Tools for Your Coaching
It can be overwhelming trying to sift through all the different tools for online coaches. We’ve given you some examples but there are more out there. Moreover, every coach is different with various needs and clients to cater for.
You’ll have to do your own research when it comes to choosing generalist, specialist or life coaching tools. Some coaches might prefer to build up their digital tools one at a time whilst others might decide to go for the all-in-one platform, such as Quenza. In that case, you’ll have everything covered including back office processes and creating client experiential journeys.
In terms of the best tools for coaches, that depends on you. A tool is only as good as its user and you add the human touch. In the end, it isn’t so much about the tool but about how you use it. So, make sure you feel comfortable with it such that you can also easily onboard your clients.
Nevertheless, when reviewing tools for coaches, you will want to consider the following top categories:
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Niche | The more you can detail who you work with and what you focus on, the easier it is to list your needs. So, a life coach might look for multiple interactive exercises but a health coach might prioritize health metric tracking. |
| Client type / style | Understanding your ideal client’s digital habits and concerns will also allow you to focus on the right tools for coaches. |
| Growth plans | You might want to start with simple tools but don’t forget that your needs will expand as your business grows. Try to think ahead when you have multitudes of clients and what that might look like. |
| Budget | As always, you’ll need to find the right balance between cost and effectiveness that works for you. |
| Evidence backed | With so many apps and platforms that haven’t been vetted, it’s worth checking how they’re designed and on what evidence they base their approach. |
| Reviews | Look for customer reviews and testimonials but also make sure you look into who is behind the platform. In other words, what does the team bring to the coaching world through their platform in terms of knowledge and expertise? |
Chapter 7
The Future of Tools for Coaches
As an industry, coaching has been on quite a journey. In ancient times, coaching was dialogue although Socratic questioning is still very much a modern technique. Around 50 years ago, we then had professional bodies along with accreditation and the start of the modern profession. Today, the niche industry is becoming increasingly widespread and common practice[6].
With the growth of online platforms and digital tools for coaches, there is some debate as to whether the industry is becoming a commodity. Yes, digital tools can cover the coaching process but can they dig deep with the empathy that’s needed for behavioral and emotional change?
Currently, tools for coaches are just that, tools. They exist to serve as aids but it’s up to every coach to stay on top of their own development. As a result, they can offer more intricate and dynamic methodologies that need the human touch, whilst being aided by digital tools.
Final Thoughts on Tools for Coaches
Whether people seek happiness, success, or inner balance, there will always be a need to help each other. We are, after all, social creatures who need the support and guidance from those around us.
Coaches will always have a place but their roles will continue to evolve alongside the digital world. The more you can partner with digital tools for coaches, the more likely you’ll stand out from the crowd.
We’ve given you many examples of the various possible tools out there but before you go, why not try out the Quenza platform for only $1 for 1 month’s full access? For no risk, you’ll experience what all-in-one software looks like and how it can transform your practice. Moreover, your clients will be more wowed than ever before.
Frequently Asked Questions
Coaching tools play a crucial role in boosting your effectiveness as a coach, allowing you to guide your clients from awareness to choice and execution. These tools, both digital platforms and coaching exercises, streamline processes, manage back-office tasks, and provide valuable resources to make your coaching more impactful. The guide explores various tools, emphasizing the significance of incorporating them into your practice for better client transformation.
Selecting the right tools for your coaching business involves careful consideration of your niche, client type, growth plans, budget, and evidence-backed effectiveness. The guide advises coaches to tailor their choices based on specific requirements, such as interactive exercises for life coaches or health metric tracking for health coaches. It emphasizes the importance of reviews, understanding the development team behind the platform, and future-proofing your tool selection as your coaching business expands.
Quenza is highlighted in the guide as a versatile platform offering both exercises and process improvement capabilities. Coaches can experience its power through a $1 one-month trial, gaining access to a comprehensive suite covering personalized client journeys, scheduling, invoicing, tracking, note-taking, group settings, and more. The guide encourages coaches to explore Quenza’s features and see how an all-in-one platform can transform their coaching practice, providing a unique blend of efficiency and client engagement.
References
- ^ coach | Etymology, origin and meaning of coach by etymonline. (n.d.). Etymonline. https://www.etymonline.com/word/coach.
- ^
2. Grant, A. M., Stober, D. R. & Editors (2006). Evidence-Based Coaching Handbook. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. - ^ Van Coller-Peter, S., & Olinger, H. N. (2022). The drivers of reflection in arts-based coaching. South African Journal of Business Management, 53(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/sajbm.v53i1.2765.
- ^ Dayan, P. H., Sforzo, G. A., Boisseau, N., Pereira-Lancha, L. O., & Lancha, A. H. (2019). A new clinical perspective: Treating obesity with nutritional coaching versus energy-restricted diets. Nutrition, 60, 147–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2018.09.027.
- ^ Calvaresi, D., Carli, R., Piguet, J., Contreras, V. H., Luzzani, G., Najjar, A., Calbimonte, J., & Schumacher, M. (2022). Ethical and legal considerations for nutrition virtual coaches. AI And Ethics, 3(4), 1313–1340. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-022-00237-6.
- ^ Passmore, J., & Evans-Krimme, R. (2021). The Future of Coaching: a conceptual framework for the coaching sector from personal craft to scientific process and the implications for practice and research. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.715228.
