Introduction

Everyone is talking about coaching. As people who work within the field of learning and development, we find that we are constantly asked for training in coaching skills and to help organizations introduce coaching schemes. Line managers are told that an important part of their role is coaching. Trainers are increasingly asked to coach individuals.

In researching background material for training courses we have found that much of the training and reading material available focuses on the skills of a coach “ the art of active listening, asking questions, and summarizing action points. Whilst the skills are essential, there seems to be a lack of an agreed process “ as a coach, at what point do I use which skills? Where do I start when asked to coach a colleague? How long will it take? What methods do I employ ?

When we started discussing coaching, we discovered that we both had different views of what it is and how it takes place. We had originally assumed that, having worked together for some years , we automatically meant the same thing by the words we were using! The differences were not immense, but were sufficient to make us question and probe further into defining the whole subject area. Having reviewed coaching within a number of organizations, read a number of books and talked to various different line managers and trainers, we realized that we were not alone in our different understandings of coaching. Definitions of the term ˜coaching that we have come across range from on-the-job training to performance management discussions.

In this book the definition of coaching we have used is:

The process of helping someone enhance or improve their performance through reflection on how they apply a specific skill and/or knowledge.

Chapter 1 discusses in depth this definition and how it relates to the fundamental principles of learning. It also gives you the opportunity to think about the similarities and differences between coaching and training, mentoring, counselling and line management.

Our aim in writing this book is to provide you with a straightforward and practical process for coaching others. We hope that it will help demystify the coaching process so that you have a structure to use regardless of the situation or your past experience with coaching. It is about giving you the confidence to coach others without feeling that you need to be a ˜qualified coach to do it. Whether you have attended formal training in coaching or not, our purpose in writing the book is to provide readily available hints and tips for you to access as and when you need them.

The model of coaching that we offer is based upon our own experiences as we have developed from classroom trainers into line managers for whom coaching is an essential part of the role. At the same time as we were making this personal transition we found ourselves working more with our client groups to assist in implementing coaching programmes and providing coaching for individuals outside our teams . We have built a model that we believe to be flexible and easy to use; we make no apologies for our practical, rather than academic, approach to the topic.

This book is divided into three parts (read it from cover to cover, or dip in and out, whichever suits your own learning style):

• Part 1. Along with the definition of coaching, you will find a practical model of coaching here. Each stage of the model is discussed in detail with tips for helping you implement it, thoughts around the skills required at each stage and ideas to use if things don t go quite as you had planned.

• Part 2. This gives a series of case studies from people who have coached or been coached in their professional, sporting or personal life.

• Part 3. Here you will find a range of activities and exercises for you to adapt and use in your coaching sessions.

The book also contains a Further Reading section that lists useful publications for your reference as you develop in your coaching role.

We hope that you enjoy using this book. We would welcome your feedback and would like to hear about your personal coaching experiences. Contact us on [e-mail]

Sara and Jackie