Life Coaching Workshop Ideas: 7 Coaching Tools and Exercises to Grow Your Audience!

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Emma-Louise
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Coach using Coaching Exercises for Workshops with attendees around a large table

When running webinars and workshops, it's important to engage our audience—and hold their attention. And of course our attendees all have different learning styles and needs. So in this article we'll look at some life coaching workshop ideas—tools and exercises you can use to elevate your events!

And remember that the essence of coaching is change, whether it's something we do—or how we think. Which means that it's essential that people leave our coaching workshops with at least one new idea, action—or new perspectives.

Why use Coaching Tools in Workshops?

From the very beginning of my life coaching career I used coaching tools and worksheets in workshops: handouts where people would write down their learnings—and identify actions. In fact, many of our coaching tools and exercises began as a workshop handout.

Because when someone completes a coaching form or worksheet, it helps them 'see' what's going on inside their mind. And we all know that something happens when we take our thoughts out of our heads and speak them aloud—or put them on paper. We get perspective. We get insights: whatever has been rummaging around in our brain suddenly becomes tangible and 'real'.

And then, when the attendees leave your workshop and take their coaching tool home, it also becomes something they can refer back to.

BUSINESS TIP: Remember to add your branding and contact details to your worksheets so if people have questions or would like to follow-up, they know how to get in touch with you!

So, using coaching tools and exercises in workshops is a great way to mix things up for your different learning styles. Coaching tools also stimulate interest and attention, help with learning and growth and can give a much needed energy boost or shift. Finally, they provide a handy reminder, reference and become a marketing tool for you.

7 Life Coaching Workshop Ideas using Coaching Exercises

Below I share 7 specific coaching exercises I've used regularly for workshops—plus why and ideas how you could use them too.

Each of these coaching exercises and worksheets can be used in many different ways. And, as discussed in 5+ Powerful Tips for Running Coaching Workshops & Webinars (Including my Big Aha! Moment), remember to get people into smaller groups to work through exercise sections or brainstorm and bounce ideas off each other.

1) Energy Zappers Coaching Exercise

Energy Zappers Coaching Exercise
Get your Energy Zappers Exercise here

These days people are almost always stressed, tired and/or overwhelmed. And it's draining!

So—whatever your workshop topic—the Energy Zappers Coaching Exercise can be used to help people reclaim energy, feel better and then make change in their lives.

Coaching Workshop Ideas

Workshop Applications: Life-Balance, Health and Wellness, Self-Care, Moms and Parent Coaching (more energy helps us have more patience and time for our children), De-Stressing especially in the Business, Executive or Career Coaching worlds.

How to: Put people into small groups of 2-4 people to discuss and share what zaps their energy. Then ask your workshop attendees to write on the worksheet where their energy is being zapped. Then, after they identify their 'Energy Zappers' help them see which zappers they can make a difference on right away. And make sure they leave your workshop or webinar with at least one action to boost their energy! Ask them to share one action with the room or the person next to them.

Tip: The things that zap people's energy are things for them to stop doing, find alternatives, do less of or do differently.

Other ideas to use the Energy Zappers Exercise

  • Use as a warm-up or intro exercise for any workshop.
  • Use as a way to introduce the idea that our energy levels and how we feel impacts our motivation and ability to get things done...

2) FREE: Tolerations (Clear Your Mind) Coaching Exercise

Identify Tolerations Free Coaching Exercise
Your Tolerations Coaching Exercise here

Similar to the Energy Zappers worksheet above, people always seem to be trying to do more than they have time for. They are overwhelmed and tired. And all those little things that you're tolerating in your life? Well they add up!

Those 'Tolerations' that need doing, that you think you should or shouldn't do, that get on your nerves or get in the way all add an extra burden to your brain!

So, as for the Energy Zappers Coaching Exercise, whatever your workshop topic—the "Tolerations" coaching tool can be used to clear our minds, help people reclaim energy and feel better.

Coaching Workshop Ideas

Workshop Applications: Life-Balance, Health and Wellness, Self-Care, Moms and Parent Coaching (less things on our plates helps us have more patience and time for our children), De-Stressing especially in the Business, Executive or Career Coaching worlds.

How to: Put people into small groups of 2-4 people to discuss and share what they are tolerating in their lives. Then ask workshop attendees to make their own list of things they're tolerating. Then, after they've identified those "Tolerations" make sure they leave your workshop or webinar with at least one action to do something about it! Ask them to share their one action with the room or the person next to them.

Tip: Use this exercise with executives, leaders and business owners. Help them remove distractions, delegate and stop doing things they're tolerating for a clearer mind and more focus!

Other ideas to use the 'Tolerations' Exercise

  • Use in any workshop to introduce the idea that too many distractions and 'tolerations' damages our focus and drains our energy.

3) The Urgent-Important Matrix

Urgent Important Matrix Template Page 1
Get your Urgent Important Matrix here

People are busy—and there is just more and more to fit into each day. Social Media, the latest gripping TV shows and the internet has provided us with countless ways to spend time—jumping from one thing to the next, and it all seems so normal. So people don't have an awareness around how they are spending—and wasting—their time.

The Urgent-Important Matrix is a classic tool that quickly brings people to an awareness of unhelpful cycles of activity. The big idea is that we get caught up doing urgent things and then run out of time for the important things. Then then the important things become urgent—an endless, exhausting cycle.

Coaching Workshop Ideas

Workshop Applications: Workplace/Career time management and effectiveness. Life Balance (help people use their time more effectively). Can also be a great concept for Mom and Parent Coaching—reducing stress and eliminating distractions to create constructive self-care time...

How to: Explain the concept of the tool and the 4 quadrants. Then put people into groups to discuss what they do that falls into each quadrant. Next ask attendees to write out their own unique tasks and timewasters in each quadrant including a percentage of time spent there. Then use the questions on page 2 to review and consolidate what they've learned. Finally, get attendees to set at least one action to implement their learnings and improve how they use their time going forwards.

Tips:

Other ideas to use the Urgent-Important Matrix Exercise

  • Makes for a great short workshop in organizations and for Business, Career and Executive Clients. If they already know the tool, then focus on the personal mapping (how they spend their time) and what they will do differently.

4) Guided Meditation/Creative Visualizations

Guided Meditation Script Image for Toolkit to Help Clients Find Calm
Get Your Guided Meditation Scripts here

We know people are busy and stressed these days. And we also know that most people (eventually) find meditation helpful. But there are many people who love the idea, but can't bring themselves to sit still—or find it hard to prioritise amongst their many other tasks and activities. Bringing meditation or creative visualisation into a workshop can be a great way to help people (re)experience the benefits for themselves.

Coaching Workshop Ideas

Workshop Applications: Life-Balance, Self-Care and Health and Wellness workshops. Also use in the work environment to help people find calm and become more present at work—for a clearer mind and more focus, or for generating ideas!

Ideas for using Guided Meditations in ANY Workshop include

  • To begin your workshop and get people relaxed and connected to themselves (especially good for workshops which need high levels of self-awareness).
  • To calm and ground your attendees after an energetic or challenging activity.

Specific workshop ideas! Use guided meditations to help attendees:

  • Connect within, get creative and brainstorm ideas.
  • Meet their 'wise' selves for inspiration, support and encouragement.
  • Get into their bodies and be more present.
  • Learn how to calm themselves
  • Get distance from their inner critic

How to: Let people know the reason you are going to share a Guided Meditation or Visualisation with them (see ideas below). Ensure your guided meditation has a small calming piece at the beginning (often focused on feeling our bodies or breathing), then read a guided meditation script that takes your attendees on a journey.

More Tips and Ideas:

5) The Wheel of Life Template (FREE)

Free Wheel of Life Template! Page 1
Get your FREE Wheel of Life Template

The Wheel of Life is simply the BEST coaching tool with endless applications! And even if people have done it before, their scores are always different depending on our client's current life situation and how they're feeling.

Coaching Workshop Ideas

Workshop Applications: The Wheel of Life is best known for Life Balance. However, no matter what realm of coaching you're in—or what subject you're covering—if you're EVER stuck for an exercise, get a blank wheel of life and adapt it to your attendees and the workshop topic.

How to: Ask your attendees to review the wheel's 8 segments, and rename if they want to. Then ask attendees to score each segment according to how satisfied they are. Review the wheel results with the group and ask question to go deeper. If that was their 'wheel of life' would it be a bumpy ride? What surprised them? What didn't? Then ask attendees to come up with at least ONE action for each segment and make their wheel (life) more balanced. Finally, ask them to choose and commit to 1-3 actions.

Some examples of how to make this fun in a workshop. Put people into groups to discuss:

  • Their scores and any surprises
  • To review their lowest and highest scores—and why they think that is
  • Come up with actions (which will be easiest and hardest and why?)

Tips:

  • Ask attendees to share at least one action with a partner or the group for added commitment.

More helpful tips and ideas for using the Wheel of Life Exercise in a workshop

6) Mentor Magic Coaching Exercise

Find Your Inner Mentor Coaching Exercise
Get your Mentor Magic Exercise here

The "Mentor Magic" coaching tool helps people connect with their inner wisdom and identifies 'mentors' (from their imagination) to give them personal and meaningful advice.

Coaching Workshop Ideas

Workshop Applications: Careers Workshops, Youth Coaching, Confidence Workshops, Transitions Workshops or any workshop where people feel stuck and want to find solutions.

How to: Ask your audience to think of someone they admire. Someone wise whom they look up to and respect. Next ask your attendees to imagine they ARE that person. What advice would that person would offer you? Now ask your attendees to think of up to 4 more people they admire or who are experts. What advice would they give you? Finally, ask attendees to set at least one action, or describe at least one situation where they would use that advice.

Tips:

  • Ask your attendees to share with the room who they thought of. This can be both enlightening and entertaining—and helps people who can't think of anyone too!
  • At the end, ask attendees to share at least one action or learning with the group for added commitment.

Other tips and ideas for using the Mentor Magic Exercise

  • Once you've shared this tool, let people know they can use it themselves—any time—for a quick "fix" and ideas!
  • Use this exercise to boost people's confidence and belief in themselves when you're running a workshop which challenges people to go outside their comfort zones.

7) Role Model Review Coaching Exercise

Confidence Boosting Coaching Exercise
Get your Role Model Review Tool here

People are often so busy admiring others that they don't realize: we can't recognize a quality in someone else unless we have that capability ourselves.

The "Role Model Review" Exercise inspires our audience to recognize qualities they admire in others, then model and take action to integrate those qualities they admire into themselves.

Coaching Workshop Ideas

Workshop Applications: Youth Coaching, Confidence Workshops. I have used this with great success in both Confidence Building Workshops—and Stress Management workshops with Teens.

How to: Ask your audience to think of their Top 3 Role Models. Then ask how those people impacted them? Next ask which of their role models' qualities they would like to have for themselves? IMPORTANT: let people know they can't recognize a quality in others unless they have the capability for that in themselves. Now ask your attendees to think of 5 ways they could begin to bring some of those qualities into their own lives. And wrap-up by asking people to identify ONE action they will move forwards with.

Tips:

  • Put people into groups of 2-4 to help them brainstorm their 3 role models.
  • Then ask all attendees to share one of their role models with the room.
  • At the end, ask attendees to share their action with a partner—or the group—for added commitment.

Other tips and ideas for using the Role Model Exercise

  • Use as a development tool with individual career coaching clients.
  • Use in your life coaching programs!

 

If you liked this article with Life Coaching Workshop Ideas, you may also like our:

Want to know more about Coaching Tools & Exercises? Read our Complete Guide to Coaching Tools (with examples) >>

Emma-Louise Elsey Headshot

Contributing Author:

Emma-Louise Elsey has been coaching since 2003 and is the Founder of The Coaching Tools Company and Fierce Kindness.com. She's passionate about coaching and personal development. Originally a project and relationship manager for Fortune 500 companies she combined her love of coaching, creativity and systems to create over 100 brandable coaching tools, forms and exercises including 30+ completely free coaching tools. She now serves coaches and the coaching world through her exclusive newsletter for coaches, Coaches Helping Coaches Facebook Group and many other great tools for coaches, plus resources and ideas for your coaching toolbox. The Coaching Tools Company is an official ICF Business Solutions Partner.

Learn more about Emma-Louise & see all their articles here >>

Categories: Coaching Tips, Coaching Tools 101, Coaching Tools for Workshops, Lists of Helpful Tools

6 Comments

  1. Jacinta

    Thank you so much for all the wonderful tools and guideance that you provide on your website. It is extremely valuable and very much appreciated.

    Keep up the fabulous work that you do.

    Jacinta

    Reply
    • Emma-Louise

      Thank-you so much Jacinta! I really appreciate your kind words - and that you took the time to comment. Warmly, EL

      Reply
  2. Joy

    This is a great article! I'm struggling with starting a group coaching seminar/workshop. I'm just not sure where to start or rather how to do it, but I like the part in part one about doing free seminars first just to get an idea how it works.

    Thanks,
    Joy

    Reply
  3. Sasha

    I want to truly thank you for these amazing tips and examples. They will be so helpful while I'm building my life coaching business. 🙂

    Thank you!

    Reply

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