Consultants & Coaches

Whether we call ourselves consultants, coaches, educators, facilitators, or some other title, we belong to a tribe of learners and guides. We want to bring our best to our work and our lives, and we want to bring out the best in our clients and organizations. Syntax for Change was founded to apply evolving knowledge and awareness to the way we get things done with each other.

For people who are part of this tribe, we invite you to

• Join the Syntax for Change Community
• Sign up for the Syntax for Change Messenger
• Share your thoughts and experiences on our Community Facebook page.

That way we can keep you informed of special events, learning opportunities, and other hand-picked information.

The Special Skills of Effective Coaches and Consultants

Excellent consultants and coaches are particularly skillful at uncovering their clients’ known and unknown issues and resources, helping them defining the outcomes they are seeking, and guiding them to full achievement of those goals.

As experienced practitioners know, this looks and sounds easier than it is.

On the way to mastery as someone helping others change, engagements may not go as expected. Consultants and coaches can at times feel discouraged, underpaid, and frustrated that their talent is not being utilized. Here are some common reasons for this.

Unclear Contracts

It’s hard to get valued and paid when neither one of you really knows what the deal is and when it’s complete.

Misunderstandings

People listen and act for their reasons, not your reasons. Being able to speak their language and ensure that you are on their agenda rather than yours are skill sets that clients respond to and value.

The Wrong Goal

The reason that you have been asked for help may not be the real need.  In fact, it rarely is. Getting the client to recognize the issues and the possibilities for their best and highest good may the best value you offer, as well as avoiding time and resources spent on futile endeavors.

Lack of Flexibility

We all have a certain bandwidth of perception and behavior. The broader our bandwidth, the more we can respond to clients’ realities and lead them to more effective actions. When we go in with a fixed mindset, we lose many opportunities to serve and to be appreciated for what we do.

All of these pitfalls are avoidable, not just on a case-by-case basis, but consistently, by applying knowledge of the implicit structure of successful communication, its natural “syntax.”

The Syntax for Change

While the five titles in the graphic below are seen as intertwined and essential to each other, each one is a world of possibility in itself. In Syntax for Change learning programs, we place our attention on them one by one, and then integrate all into our important priorities and ongoing learning. By working with the deep structure of successful human behavior, we help ourselves and others stay aligned with our purpose and intentions.

More than a tool kit…the learning labs and depth of understanding in the Syntax for Change, along with sharpened perception, lift your awareness and in-the-moment responsiveness to a whole new level.

Consultants and coaches who draw on the Syntax for Change framework in their client relationships create consistent results, using the best resources of themselves and their clients.

We welcome you to be part of our tribe, in whatever way serves you. Please keep us posted on your learnings, ideas, and successes.