What are the most effective ways to communicate expectations with new vocal clients?

As a vocal coach, you want to help your clients achieve their singing goals and improve their vocal skills. But how do you make sure that you and your clients are on the same page when it comes to what you expect from each other? Communicating expectations and boundaries is essential for building a trusting and productive relationship with your vocal clients. Here are some of the most effective ways to do that.

1 Establish goals and objectives

Before you start working with a new vocal client, you need to understand what they want to accomplish with your coaching. Do they want to prepare for an audition, a performance, or a recording? Do they want to improve their technique, range, or style? Do they have any specific challenges or concerns that they want to address? By asking these questions, you can clarify their goals and objectives, and tailor your coaching plan accordingly. You can also set realistic and measurable milestones and outcomes, and track their progress and feedback.

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2 Define roles and responsibilities

Another important aspect of communicating expectations is to define your roles and responsibilities as a coach and a client. What do you expect from your client in terms of commitment, attendance, practice, and communication? What can your client expect from you in terms of guidance, support, feedback, and availability? By outlining these expectations, you can avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, and disappointments, and ensure that both parties are accountable and respectful of each other's time and effort.

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3 Set boundaries and limits

As a vocal coach, you also need to set boundaries and limits with your clients, especially when it comes to the scope and duration of your coaching. How often and how long will you meet with your client? How will you communicate between sessions? How will you handle cancellations, rescheduling, or late payments? How will you deal with difficult or inappropriate situations? By setting these boundaries and limits, you can protect your professional and personal integrity, and prevent burnout, frustration, or resentment.

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Jacqueline Ann Surin

Facilitates individuals and teams for smarter, more strategic meetings that build attention, alignment and action. Works internationally with corporations, communities and civil society organisations.
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I often say to clients that I'm a terrific facilitator. But my facilitation is not a "magic wand". For example, clients sometimes expect that a 2-day team building will solve long-standing problems their teams have. In one conversation with a client whose team was experiencing burnout, I said, "Here's what I can do to facilitate everyone so they feel heard. And when they feel heard, they will likely feel motivated to share ideas about what needs to change." However, having those ideas doesn't mean the problem is solved if nothing else changes when they return to work. A 2-day facilitation using Clean Language processes creates a network of attention and raise group intelligence, but change still needs commitment and action from the top.

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4 Use clear and positive language

The way you communicate your expectations and boundaries with your clients can also affect how they perceive and respond to them. You want to use clear and positive language that conveys your respect, confidence, and enthusiasm. Avoid vague, ambiguous, or negative words that can cause confusion, doubt, or defensiveness. For example, instead of saying "Don't be late for our sessions", say "Please arrive on time for our sessions". Instead of saying "You need to practice more", say "You can improve your skills by practicing more".

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Jacqueline Ann Surin

Facilitates individuals and teams for smarter, more strategic meetings that build attention, alignment and action. Works internationally with corporations, communities and civil society organisations.
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Instead of saying, "I can't do that", I often aim to say, "Here's what I can do instead." That lets the client know not everything they ask for is reasonable or fit for purpose, while at the same time demonstrating I have their best interests at heart.

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5 Review and revise expectations

Finally, you want to review and revise your expectations and boundaries with your clients regularly, as their needs and goals may change over time. You can use feedback forms, surveys, or conversations to check in with your clients and see how they feel about your coaching. You can also ask them if they have any questions, concerns, or suggestions for improvement. By reviewing and revising your expectations, you can ensure that you and your clients are always aligned and satisfied with your coaching.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Jacqueline Ann Surin

Facilitates individuals and teams for smarter, more strategic meetings that build attention, alignment and action. Works internationally with corporations, communities and civil society organisations.
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I think it's really important, when a client is new and they don't yet know how Systemic Modelling facilitation works, is to underpromise and overdeliver. Because Systemic Modelling facilitation inspires capability in teams, it can be easy to oversell what I'm capable of doing. But that would be a mistake as a successful facilitation depends not just on my expertise, but on a whole host of other factors. So, it's always better to underpromise and then trust that a robust process like Systemic Modelling will deliver much more than the client expects.

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What are the most effective ways to communicate expectations with new vocal clients?

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2

3

4

5

6

1 Establish goals and objectives

2 Define roles and responsibilities

3 Set boundaries and limits

4 Use clear and positive language

5 Review and revise expectations

6 Here’s what else to consider

Vocal Coaching

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What are the most effective ways to communicate expectations with new vocal clients?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Establish goals and objectives

2 Define roles and responsibilities

3 Set boundaries and limits

4 Use clear and positive language

5 Review and revise expectations

6 Here’s what else to consider

Vocal Coaching

Rate this article

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