What you resist persists. If your client is challenging your advice, you can choose to be defensive or you can get curious. If you choose curiosity, you can stay calm and ask thoughtful questions to understand how the clients' perspectives differ from your own. - You may learn something. - You may refine your own understanding. - Or, you may identify the miscommunication that is driving the client to challenge you in the first place. You might also ask the client how challenging advice in the past has served them. Some people follow a pattern of rejecting, then considering, then integrating new information as a way of protecting themselves.

If a client challenges advice in group coaching, I’d listen to their perspective first, making sure they feel heard and respected. I’d then gently redirect the conversation by constructively exploring their concerns and encouraging open dialogue without dismissing their point of view. Maintaining a positive group dynamic is important, so I’d focus on keeping the discussion respectful and solution-focused, inviting the group to share insights as well.

To effectively handle a client challenging advice in group coaching: Acknowledge their perspective respectfully Reframe the challenge as a learning opportunity for the group Ask open-ended questions to understand their concerns Invite input from other participants Find common ground between your advice and their viewpoint Suggest experimenting with both approaches if appropriate If needed, offer to discuss further one-on-one after the session Use the situation to model constructive disagreement Remind the group of coaching's collaborative nature Reflect afterwards on how to improve future sessions This approach maintains group momentum while respecting diverse opinions and turning potential conflict into a growth opportunity.

When a client questions your advice in a group coaching session. It only helps to be curious: Where is this coming from? Maybe the client is right. Maybe they don't feel heard or understood? I know this situation very well from my time as a manager. Group coaching in particular requires you to deal with many different personalities. I would suggest a personality assessment at the beginning of group coaching so that you can create clarity for everyone. The aim is not to change individual personalities! The aim is to find a common basis for working together and, most importantly, to create clarity about how to communicate within the team so that everyone feels comfortable.