But variation also relates to how speakers change they way they speak within themselves, often based on mood, topic, location, health or other factors. Variation is about the differences between speakers, from languages to accents and dialects, and even less perceptible details such as vocal quality, pitch or even gesture. With all that in mind, these are some of the things I might be picking up on with a client in a coaching session, either consciously so or not. Both are necessary conditions for curiosity, discovery, exploration and growth.īeing able to sit with a client in an open and non-judgemental space, listen fully while taking in all the sociolinguistic cues at a high level, and respond insightfully is where training, experience and intuition come together. In linguistics, this is centered around being descriptive (rather than prescriptive), in coaching it's centered around creating an open and safe space. Which of course, goes against the whole point of coaching.Īdditionally, in both linguistics and coaching, being non-judgemental in your approach is a core value. This is because listening takes a lot of attention.Įven for those trained in spotting linguistic features at a deeper level, to direct your attention on the task of analysing language means that you are not fully present. It's actually very hard to overtly analyse language while you're in a conversation, even if you're silent. We may not have much awareness that we're doing this. We are constantly absorbing social information in speech, processing it, and reacting accordingly. That all of these features have social meaning is the reason all this complexity and nuance exists in the first place. The ability to pick up on sociolinguistic cues is something that happens naturally, with humans everywhere, all the time, without much conscious thought. In this article, I look deeper into sociolinguistics and coaching, and how I use these skills to gain deeper insights on what my clients may be experiencing in their lives as they go through change.īefore I dive into the list of sociolinguistic features, I want to ease any fears about being analysed or judged when being coached, especially when coached by a linguist. But you may be wondering what that is like in a practical sense. The link between sociolinguistics and coaching makes intuitive sense. More importantly though, it allows my clients to understand themselves better, as I share observations, models and expertise, bringing awareness and confidence to all that they do. Learning the mechanics of language and how it is used allows me to understand my clients better and develop my coaching practice. Long before I became a coach, I trained as a linguist, specialising in the sociological aspects of language and communication.
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