Good coaches deliver skill in the room around words, tone and timing. Great coaches pay attention to their humanity and engage in their own transformation, so that they can demonstrate mastery in the room.

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Introduction: Where did our humanity go?

How to use this book

PART 1: HUMANITY WITHIN

Chapter 1. Silence

Chapter 2. Control and not knowing

Chapter 3. Humility

Chapter 4. Vulnerability

Chapter 5. Distance

Chapter 6. Courage and Insight

PART 2: HUMANITY BETWEEN

Chapter 7. Partnership

Chapter 8. The Dance

Chapter 9. The Words

Chapter 10. The Music

Chapter 11. Trust

Chapter 12. Using Recordings for Reflective Practice

Afterword

Bibliography

Index

Ever come away from a coaching session feeling it didn’t quite hit the mark, despite your skills and knowledge?

It’s not just the words we use, it’s the music, the lyrics and the dance of the conversation that make a difference to the quality of the outcome, and getting these right demands not just skill but humanity.

Explore the human qualities that great coaches need to develop - humility, vulnerability, courage, and more - based on research from thousands of real coaching sessions, with stories, reflections, practical examples and tips on how to develop yourself and your work.

This is a book for anyone who wants to deepen their work without adding more tools and techniques, and who is willing to do some deeper work in service of having more transformational conversations.

Claire Pedrick and Lucia Baldelli are Master Certified Coaches with thousands of coaching hours. Running coach training companies with global reach, they speak at events across the world. Lucia brings extensive experience from Organisational Coaching and is a Coaching Certification Reviewer in the Agile world. Claire is the author of Simplifying Coaching and holds the Outstanding Contribution to Coaching Award 2022 from Henley Management College.

Cuts through coaching jargon, simplifies the journey and offers a lived personal and practical approach to the dance of coaching. I connected with this in a different way from any other coaching books. Lewis Moody, Performance Coach, Former England Rugby Captain

This is a must read. The lessons learned in this book will stick with me throughout my coaching career, and I thank you for the amazing insights. Jane Hanson, Emmy award winning television journalist and coach

This book made me pause, ponder, smile, reflect, take courage. The authors offer a synthesis of becoming not only a coach, but a grounded and wise human. Step by step, they create a safe space for personal reflection and growth, for recognition of our strengths and our weaknesses as humans and as facilitators. This is a book that feels more like a personal encounter, a conversation with a coach whose interest is in the reader’s flourishing. This isn’t just a book about coaching, it’s a book about how to live. Doctor Kathryn Mannix, Author of Listen

A refreshing contribution to the field of coaching. It offers deep wisdom in rare bite size easily digestible nuggets. It peels back the layers and courageously interconnects our core humanity to coaching. It emphasises the power of true silence and eloquently elaborates the true meaning of shared power and partnership. I would highly recommend the book to anyone seeking a deeper, more intimate and authentic connection with oneself and others. Shruti Sonathlia ICF Young Leader Award 2022, Executive

Artful coaching is not about DOING better techniques. It is about BEING more human. The Human Behind the Coach is a definitive guide for who we need to become in order to demonstrate greater ease, flow, confidence, and deep partnership in our coaching. This is a personal growth guidebook for anyone wants to be a transformative presence in the world. Fran Fisher MCC, Author of Calling Forth Greatness

Coaching is at its best when the coach can navigate the full breadth of their humanity in service of their clients. This book gives you the keys for how to do that. Lori Shook MCC, Author of Coaches Going Corporate

In this remarkable work, the authors skilfully weave together personal anecdotes, insightful reflections, and thought-provoking wisdom to delve into the depths of what it truly means to be human. A poignant reminder for coaches to do their own work within – otherwise they will never be able to go deep with their clients. Prepare to be moved, inspired, and forever changed by this transformative literary masterpiece. Dr. Don Eisenhauer, Coaching at End of Life

An invaluable resource for coaches seeking to enhance their coaching skills…. The Human Behind the Coach is a compelling invitation to join the dance of masterful coaching by becoming more mindful and intentional within the coaching space. Lyssa deHart, LICSW, MCC, BCC, Author of StoryJacking and The Reflective Coach

Whether you are starting out as a coach or are a seasoned practitioner this book forms an excellent and very timely guide to becoming an ‘artful’ rather than a ‘masterful’ coach… essential reading for all coaches and supervisors in professional relational work. Fiona Adamson, Author and Award-Winning Supervisor, Co-founder of CSA.

Whether you coach teams or individuals, this book is bound to contribute to your effectiveness by demonstrating how a true coaching mindset relies above all on a series of universal human qualities that can and must be developed. It shows you how to avoid letting the professional in you mask the human in you, reminding you that – in essence – you are already enough and showing you the way to become a more transformative practitioner by letting go. A book that will make you a better coach… and quite possibly a better human. Allard de Jong (Director) and Georgina Woudstra (Founder) - Team Coaching Studio

Humanity not pedigree: this is a wonderful contribution to the coaching profession focusingon the beauty and magic of humanity in coaching. Claire and Lucia encourage coaches to look further than the rules to focus on the human element. Drawing on spirituality, psychology, and personal wisdom to inform a coach’s way of being makes this a must read. Karen Foy, Programme Director Professional Certificate In Executive Coaching, Henley Business School

Claire and Lucia have categorically laid to rest the concern that coaches would be made redundant by technology, especially artificial intelligence. The Human Behind The Coach is central in effecting transformative conversations that would change lives for the better. Whilst tools and techniques are important to our trade, it is our humanity that enables transformational coaching sessions. Ivan Yong Wei Kit, Adjunct Professor, Coach & Mentor Hong Kong

I wish I’d had this book at my elbow earlier in my coaching career. Wisdom pours from every page. Katharine St John Brooks, Author Internal Coaching: The Inside Story

This is a book with a unique and vital perspective. It’s looking inside the coach at their humaneness—from within and between the coach and other humans. It profoundly explores aspects rarely or too lightly touched in other books. But these are the essence of being a great coach, for example, navigating silence, humility, partnership, and trust. Two master coaches freely share their craft secrets clearly and powerfully, all focused on becoming a more aware human and, of course, a better coach. Bob Galen, Principal Coach at Agile Moose

This book is a true gift to our coaching profession – I have so appreciated and enjoyed reading the words of Claire and Lucia with their wisdom, deep experience, inspiration and reflection. The book de-mystifies the journey towards mastery and provides some tangible focus areas for coaches when thinking about their development. It will be a go-to resource for me as a Mentor partnering with my coach mentees on their journey of discovery. Anna Inama ICF MCC Coach, Mentor and Team Coach.

Claire and Lucia bring their wealth of experience as coaches to explore the techniques and the human states that lie at the heart of being an artful coach. They offer really practical ways for coaches to engage with the humanity within all coaching relationships and in doing so hone their craft. This book is stacked full of practices, questions and examples of how to continue to grow as a coach, offered in a highly accessible way, by two coaches at the top of their game. A must read for coaches wanting to deepen their practice at any stage of their development. Becky Hall, Coach and Author of The Art of Enough; 7 Ways to Build a Balanced Life and a Flourishing World.

A unique and timely blend of voices. In addition to the voices of Claire Lucia, the reader is introduced to the insights and commentary of countless artful coaches and a diverse group of influential thinkers. The result is a robust, compelling and unique presentation of artful coaching. Dr J. Val Hastings MCC, President and Founder of Coaching4Today’sLeaders

The Human Behind the Coach is not only for coaches but for anyone who wants to engage with others in a more meaningful way. With clear, effective, and actionable steps, Claire and Lucia demystify the coaching process, distilling it down to the most simple and effective structure and strategies. This book will not just make you a better coach, but a better human. Jamie Fiore Higgins, Coach, Speaker, and Author of Bully Market, My Story of Money and Misogyny at Goldman Sachs