Performances of Legitimate Expertise Among Life Coaches: Three Rhetorical Strategies.

This article examines the global crisis of expertise, where professionals are often met with skepticism. Within this context, it focuses on life coaching in Israel, analyzing how life coaches establish professional legitimacy and perform their expertise. It highlights the tension between asserting authority and fostering clients’ sense of agency. The study is based on ethnographic fieldwork at three life coaching training schools in Israel. It identifies three key strategies through which coaches establish their expertise:

1. Defining the problem as simple, significant, and fixable – Coaches present personal challenges in a way that makes clients believe they are solvable.
2. Using authoritative and charismatic speech – Coaches employ a decisive yet empowering tone that frames clients as strong, independent agents.
3. Creating self-revelatory experiences through semi-intelligible jargon – By using partially understood terminology, coaches facilitate moments of self-discovery and reflection.

The article argues that expertise is not merely a set of objective skills but is co-constructed through interactions with clients, shaping both professional authority and clients’ self-perception. Key Conclusions and Recommendations:

1. Expertise as Interaction – Professional expertise is not just about knowledge but also about communicative and performative processes between coach and client.
2. Impact of Rhetorical Style – Authoritative yet empowering speech can enhance clients’ independence but may also be manipulative if they do not fully grasp the concepts.
3. Legitimacy through Client Empowerment – To establish credibility, life coaches not only assert their authority but also cultivate clients’ sense of agency.

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