1. During the coaching session, as we exquisitely listen,
the orchard of the Client’s conversation is plentiful with
fruitful words, analogy, and metaphor.
This fruit, when carefully selected and repurposed, empowers
a coach to mirror, reflect, and reframe the Client’s choice
words into powerful questions & direct communications
-- resulting in actionable progress and sustainable Client
transformation. Client owned words, analogy, and metaphor
are not per chance, they are their personal fruit, fed from the
very roots of their conscience and sub-conscience lives.
Metaphor liberates the Client to process their personal
coaching objective with full utilization of their conscience and
sub-conscience minds. Gregory Bateson stated, “Metaphor,
that’s how the whole fabric of mental interconnections holds
together. Metaphor is right at the bottom of being alive.”
Clean Language,
Revealing Metaphors
and Opening
Minds authors,
Wendy Sullivan
and Judy Rees,
state, “The word
‘metaphor’ comes from the Greek language ‘amphora’, a
storage container used for transporting valuable goods. The
word metaphor is a metaphor itself.” As coaches, metaphor
provides a marvelous opportunity to employ the client’s word
phrases, so that they may transport themselves from their
present state of situation to their fully realized desired state.
The Paddle Ball Gremlin -- A Case Study
During a business retreat with a driven, successful, yet
frustrated business man, he expressed a deep desire to expand
his business. All the elements for positive business expansion
were forming around him; however, the next step seemed
elusive at best. The Coaching Agreement: Identify the obstacles
to expansion and success, and remove them.
Client, “I grew up pretty poor. So poor, after a barefoot
summer prior to 7th grade, the only shoes I had for school
were a hand-me-down pair of red canvas shoes from my Dad.
They were literally falling apart. The impact, the chiding by
my schoolmates, even my friends laughed at me, was lasting
and profound.” Unknowingly, the Client became chained to
his current economic situation in life. A few years later, in his
teens, the chains grew even heavier with his Dad’s comment
that his son ‘should not date outside of his economic class.’
37 years later, with over 30 sets of shoes ready to go and a
wonderfully loving & beautiful wife; the client yet remained
bound by those childhood chains. Client, “I have this idea
that I deserve to be blessed by God, but only to a limit! In my
eyes, I have already gone beyond that limit.” Coach, “And, if
‘limit’ had a name, what would it be?” The Client reflected,
“My gremlin’s name is, Wealth is Bad.”
Coach, “What do you really want to have happen with your
“Wealth is Bad Gremlin”?” Client, “Get rid of it!” And, the
Client went off for the evening to prayerfully search the Word
for God’s Truth about wealth. As the Client noted in John 8:32,
“The Truth sets you free.”
The next morning, Client, “The truth that God revealed to
me through the night is that ‘Wealth is good in the hands of
the righteous who use it in accordance with God’s will. God
selected me and ordained me with a gift to make money and
a heart to be generous and give. I now embrace my ability to
make money and look forward to the wealth that God will bring
to enable me to be generous and bless others.”
Given this new awareness, continuing coaching around the
client’s agenda, the Coach & Client took a walk along the
beach. This time of peaceful reflection offered a teachable/
coaching moment via metaphor. Client, “During the walk on
the beach, you asked that I pick up a token of my gremlin.
Eventually, I selected a broken and worn out red paddle
ball.” “Once it was brand new, useful, true to itself. Now it
is broken, exhausted, and not even useful for its intended
purpose. This broken paddle ball is much like my youth
that is no longer true nor purposeful in my life.” “You asked
what I planned to do with it (the Paddle Ball “Wealth is Bad
Gremlin).”
“I heaved it into the ocean, because I purposefully choose to
not believe the gremlin anymore. I do not need a reminder of
the gremlin. I just want the gremlin gone, so I threw it away!
That was powerful for me! The gremlin tries to come back
from time to time; but, I remember throwing ‘him’ away. As
Enlightened Coaching
Coaching sessions are an orchard. Our Client’s chosen words are the select fruit itself.
Client owned words are not per chance,
they are their personal fruit, fed from
the very roots of their conscience and
sub-conscience lives.

2. I move forward in life, I will reject that preexisting lie in my
life by confronting it with God’s truth that He revealed to me;
wealth is good in the hands of the righteous.”
Summary
A peaceful, safe place, allowed the client to clearly
articulate their God gifted desired future. That set the stage
for the client to uncover the hindrances to successfully
accomplishing his vision. As noted in David Rock’s interview
with Jeffrey M. Schwartz, M.D., “If we want people to change,
they need to come to an idea themselves, to give their brain
the best chance of being energized by the creation of a wide
scale new map.”
The Client created
highly personalized
metaphors, named
them, and then
“made tangible”
the gremlins so as to break free and throw them away. This
powerful means literally removed the newly named gremlins.
A secure enlightened future protection from the gremlin was
the Client’s greatest joy for the entire weekend.
Professional Coach Kelli Schulte stated in her White Paper,
Perspective, “We don’t see things as they are. ‘We see things
as we are.’ Anais Nin. Sometimes we are muddied by what’s
going on in
our heads
that we
don’t see
what’s really
in front of
us.” So a
question
arises,
how can a
coach help
a client clear the waters via metaphor? Sullivan and Reese
challenge us, “Before exploring someone’s metaphors with a
view to them making a change, it is important for there to be
an agreement for you to do this, or shared intention. Don’t
just dive in! Also, be sure to work only at a level that fits you
experience and competence.”
About The Author
Steven P. Mattingly is a coach in training with Professional Christian Coaching International, “PCCI.” Senior Vice President for Southern
Lithoplate, an entrepreneurial, privately held, American owned and operated manufacturer serving the graphic arts marketplace world-wide.
He specializes in Strategic Partnerships, Business, Marketing, Sales, and Financial Strategy. He employs his Coaching skills professionally
throughout the workplace and personally in ministry. Steve’s Life Mission is to be a loving facilitator helping others fully realize their God Gifted
and Spirit Empowered calling through support and demonstrated example.
Connect with Steve: linkedin.com/pub/steve-mattingly/5/782/b71/
©2014 -- Steve Mattingly
Resources
Clean Language, Revealing Metaphors and Opening Minds
Wendy Sullivan and Judy Rees
Available in Print and Kindle
www.Amazon.com
Perspective
Professional Coach Kelli Schulte
www.crossroadcoaching.org
A Brain-Based Approach to Coaching
David Rock, based on an interview with Jeffrey M.
Schwartz, M.D.
Great Metaphor Resource
www.metaphors.com
Powerful WWJD Resource
www.knowing-jesus.com topics/Metaphors
Coaching with Compassion Can ‘Light Up’
Human Thoughts
think, the online news source for Case Western Reserve
University, November 15, 2010
Enlighten
“Comes from the metaphor that ignorance is a state of
being “in the dark,” and that knowledge is illuminating.
We use enlighten as a verb meaning to clear up, to remove
confusion. Light is also a powerful metaphor for spiritual
insight. If you have a great revelation about the divinity of
the world, you could say you have been enlightened.”
www.vocabulary.com
“Words are the most powerful drug used
by mankind.”
- Rudyard Kipling
By spending 30 minutes talking about a
person’s desired, personal vision, we could
light up (activate) the parts of the brain 5-7
days later that are associated with cognitive,
perceptual, and emotional openness and better
functioning.”
- think, case western reserve university