NLP Podcast 89: The attitude of the learning coach – Modelling in coaching with Ralf Stumpf

Ralf Stumpf started with NLP in 1986 to learn about modeling – unfortunately, he did not learn how modeling works and is applied in his NLP training. Therefore, Ralf Stumpf spent years exploring the topic of modeling himself and became the leading modeling expert in the German-speaking world. He is an NLP trainer according to DVNLP and leads our NLP location in Berlin.

The Attitude of the Learning Coach

An important aspect of the coaching structure model of change is the step of building rapport – that is, trust – with the coachee. When a coachee comes to coaching with multiple issues and seeks support, it is not so easy to meet the coachee at eye level. The modelling approach can help at this point.

The 'Modelling' Attitude of a Coach

In self-coaching, it is often exciting to ask oneself this question: 'How is it that with all my competencies, skills, and resources, I am stuck at this one point?' As a coach, one can easily adapt this question in coaching and relate it to the coachee: 'How is it that this great, wonderful person sitting in front of me, with all their competencies and skills, is stuck at this one point?' When one sees the coachee with this question, it often becomes easier to pick the coachee up from where they currently are. As the next step, modelling expert Ralf Stumpf suggests setting a specific framework around the coaching: 'I, as a coach, want to learn from my coachee.'

This changes the positioning in coaching so that the coach wants to learn something from the coachee, and the coachee thus has something that the coach needs. If the coachee is given this feeling, resources build up almost by themselves, and the coachee enters a resourceful state. The modelling approach here is that the coach essentially models their coachee – the coach wants to learn how the coachee approaches problems, with what structure and strategy. In the complete episode, Ralf Stumpf shares several examples where the attitude of the learning coach was very helpful. He also reveals to you why adopting the attitude of the learning coach makes the coaching profession much more interesting and exciting.