Linguistic Interpretation

In some instances, linguistic interpretation is a simple process. A message is sent, either by a speaker or through a signal, to a target audience. The message and the meaning are then immediately understood. For example, “Good Morning”/ “Goodbye” is a phatic function of language. This is because this type of language is often used to start or stop a conversation. The intention of this language is to create or maintain a comfortable social connection between two or more interlocutors without really communicating any meaningful information.

However, assigning meaning to language is often a complex process that involves taking into account the context, tone, body language, and words that are spoken. In essence, language is the filter through which we interpret the world around us (Larson, 2018) The ability to interpret language is critical to conduct effective communication. Language is how we share information and therefore can easily be considered an important ingredient in successful coach-client interaction.

Research: The role of coaching and coach language in clients’ language and individual change

In 2019, Fölscher-Kingwill & Terblanche completed a study that focused on the under-researched area of the effect of coaching on a client’s spoken and internal dialogue. The study aimed to link coaching to the rich world of language studies through the concept of individual change.

The study posed two questions: To what extent does coaching change the language of clients? and how does coach language influence client language during a coaching intervention? The study concluded that clients and coaches reported significant changes to client language through coaching and that coach language had a notable influence on client language.

Clients reported that the first step of individual change was to become aware of the language of their inner voice. Clients felt that they needed their coaches’ help to bring the actual words of their inner language to the surface. Most clients also emphasised that once awareness had increased, they were able to use improved language to define themselves. Clients attributed their increasing sense of stability to being taught to identify their own emotions with linguistic interpretation through coaching.

In the second part of their linguistic change journey, clients described how they used changes in their internal reasoning (internal voice) to make positive changes in how they interacted with others, especially in conflict situations. Clients felt that they had learned to listen more effectively by considering listening as an act of linguistic interpretation.

This study recommended that coaches should increase their awareness of language and upskill in linguistic techniques because focusing more specifically on client language helped activate individual change. The coaches also identified positive shifts by supporting their coaches to have ‘more’ language at their disposal to build their emotional vocabulary. This resulted in enhanced levels of contentment, self-understanding, and confidence. The implication is that language has possibly been undervalued as a change agent in coaching. The research begins to address some of the gaps in the literature around effective language use in coaching. The findings challenge coaches, coach trainers, and coach supervisors to increase their scientific knowledge of how language functions and how to use this knowledge in techniques that would enhance positive individual change.

In summary, the coaches identified an array of helpful shifts by supporting their coaches to have ‘more’ language at their disposal. This resulted in enhanced levels of contentment, self-understanding, and confidence. This study found that linguistic interpretation supported coaches to work more intentionally with the words of clients to help activate individual change. This study recommended that coaches should increase their awareness of their language use and upskill in linguistic techniques.