The coaching industry has taken leaps and bounds in the last few years and it’s still changing all the time. As the online business world continues to grow, more and more opportunities and ways of working are being discovered, particularly in the coaching space. It’s an exciting time for this industry and I’m really enjoying discovering and finding out more about future trends and behaviors—not only to be able to tell you about them, but for my own benefit too! Here’s what I’ve picked out as being some of the most recent trends in coaching that are worth keeping an eye on.
1. Virtual Coaching Still Rules
We live in a digital world now, which is making strides in development and growth all the time. And the inconvenience of location-based coaching means it’ll continue to lose its importance in the coming years. When you can literally talk to any coach in just about any place on the planet from your own office or home now, this fact is hardly a surprise. It’s important to find a balance though—there is such a thing as Zoom fatigue! So finding a way to incorporate more personal and “live” touch points is key to keeping people engaged in a virtual world.
2. Honest to Goodness Authenticity
I feel like it hardly needs to be said that authenticity is a key marker in being a successful coach. But, for a while back there, it seemed like the reminder was very much needed. Thankfully, there appears to be a return to genuine authenticity, honesty and realness. There’s literally no better way to build trust with your clients and audience than just to be 100% you in everything you do and say. And in an industry like coaching, where having the trust of your clients is vitally important, I, for one, am pleased to see this is a “trend” that continues through 2023 and beyond. It’s one of the key elements I bring to the De•Coaching program (along with many others!) which you can find out more about right here.
3. Life Coaching Is Shifting, Too
Trends come and go, that’s hardly surprising. But what we see is that, right now, what clients are looking for from their coaches has shifted and this is having an impact on how coaching is moving forward too. We’re seeing an increased importance being placed on things like flexibility and accountability. More clients are looking at an overall holistic approach to their health, where coaching plays a vital part in this. The importance of credentials is increasing, particularly now the coaching industry is becoming saturated and even the term “coaching” is being misused by some. And we’re definitely seeing a shift in offering coaching services in the workplace in order to better support employees.
4. AI Is Here And Continuing To Rise
If you’ve managed to miss all the AI hype going on in the online space right now, then I’m guessing you’ve been basking on a desert island somewhere (lucky you!). You can’t miss the buzz going on around this topic at the moment, it’s everywhere! And while you might think AI is purely for systems and workflows and couldn’t possibly have any bearing on the coaching industry… well, you’d be wrong. Running a coaching business involves a lot of tasks and moving elements that need to be managed. From creating content for marketing the business, to admin tasks like transcribing, the use of AI can significantly support a small coaching business while it grows and starts to build a support team.
5. Executive Coaching
It’s hardly surprising that as the business world grows and becomes more complex and chaotic by the day, executive coaching is increasing in popularity. Executives need to lead their organizations through any number of changes and challenges. They’re definitely feeling the constant pressure to succeed. Executive coaching is kind of like having a personal trainer for your leadership skills. Leaders are able to work on enhancing their self-awareness while also maximizing their potential. It’s a win-win so this trend is one I’m sure we’ll see sticking around for quite a while yet.
As you can see, the coaching industry is constantly evolving, and it’s super important to stay up-to-date with the latest trends. From virtual coaching to authenticity, life coaching shifts, AI, and executive coaching, there are a lot of exciting developments to keep an eye on. As the world continues to change, the coaching industry will absolutely keep up the pace, and it’s up to coaches to stay informed, adapt, and grow with it. Embracing new technologies, approaches, and methodologies means coaches can keep meeting the ever-changing needs of their clients and help to make a real impact in their lives. I think it’s a bright future for the coaching industry, and I can’t wait to see what other new trends and innovations we’ll see coming up in years to come.
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