Want More Coaching Presence? Start With Your Desk
When the Desk Gets in the Way
I finally got round to clearing my desk this week.
The clutter has been building up over the last few months as I’ve been busy with La Dolce Vita for Coaches, reviewing materials in the light of ICF updates, and a whole host of things that seemed to be more important.
My desk extension was covered with scribbled notes about webinars, half-used notebooks, a printout I was definitely going to read, a keyboard and a trail of post-it notes that have lost their stick.
It wasn’t horrendous but every time I sat down to focus, it distracted me.
It was like my attention was being pulled in lots of different directions.
So I cleared it. It took me 20 minutes to file what needed keeping, wipe down the surface and bin the rest.
The moment I sat back down, I noticed my head felt clearer too.
What Are You Carrying Into Your Coaching?
It made me think about how often we carry that same kind of clutter in our coaching mindset.
We carry stuff we don’t need:
- Thoughts about “doing it right”
- The pressure to ask the perfect question
- Worrying if the session is “deep” enough
With all the inner noise of:
- “Should I be doing this differently?”
- “What if I’ve missed something important?”
- “Did that question land?”
None of it’s wrong. It’s just noisy and distracting and like my messy desk, it quietly builds up until it takes more energy than you realise.
Presence Needs Space
Before you know it, there’s not much space left to really be with the client.
Clearing that space, both physically and mentally, makes room for something else to show up:
⚡ Clarity
⚡ Calm
⚡ Presence
which is actually what our clients need most from us.
Not a perfect question.
Not another tool or model.
Just you, fully present and uncluttered.
What the ICF Means by “Maintains Presence”
When we talk about ICF Core Competency 5: Maintains Presence, this is what it means in practice.
It’s not about zoning out and being zen.
It’s about clearing just enough internal space so you can really tune in to yourself, to your client and to what’s trying to emerge in the moment.
A Few Questions to Reflect On
So here’s a little reflection for you:
📎 What clutter, mental or otherwise, might be getting in the way of your presence right now?
📂 What’s one thing you could clear today that might create more space to coach from clarity?
Mine was my desk.
Yours might be the pressure to get it right, or the thought that presence only comes after you’ve developed the skills.
But the truth is, it doesn’t.
The Real Work is in the Space Between
This is something we explore a lot in my Coach Development and Mentoring Programme. We cover how to create more space in your coaching (and in yourself), so that deeper shifts can happen.
Because coaching presence isn’t something you pull out of a toolkit.
It’s something that shows up when there’s space for it and sometimes, all it takes is a clear desk to remind you.
Until next time,
Cath
P.S. If coaching presence is something you’re looking to deepen, you might love my Mastering the Art of Coaching Presence Toolkit. It’s a self-assessment and reflection resource designed to help you tune in, clear the clutter, and coach with more calm, clarity and confidence.
🧭 You can check it out here
Because presence is a mindset you can cultivate, one quiet moment at a time.