What you do | Coaching Handbook: An Action Kit for Trainers and Managers

Build rapport

In order to identify the development needs effectively you need to build rapport with your coachee . Rapport is having a relationship where you are comfortable with each other, there is no competition and the flow of conversation is very natural. Each person feels that they are being listened to and often, if you watch people who have rapport, you will notice that they have similar body language, tones and breathing patterns “ they are ˜in tune .

Rapport building means establishing common ground and showing each other mutual respect. It is about establishing a relationship based on trust and honesty. It is important to begin the rapport building at this stage because at this point you are laying the foundations for the whole coaching experience. Rapport building involves good communication skills and showing the other person that you understand his or her view of the world “ empathy. This in turn involves having a genuine interest in the other person.

Small talk is useful in helping build rapport; you might want to start by talking about the sort of day you have had, your journeys, shared or similar experiences, the latest news etc.

In order to establish credibility as a coach and build the trust of your coachee, you probably need to share some information about yourself, if you haven t already done so. At some point consider sharing information about your background and experience, explain your working style and perhaps why you have been selected to coach. Be wary, however, of coming over as patronizing or as a ˜know it all “ nothing can kill rapport more quickly! In addition to telling coachees what you think they want to know, or what you want them to know, ask them what they would like to know about you. Some coachees may like to know this first, others will be happy to leave it until you have talked about their needs.

To get onto the other person s wavelength, watch and listen “ what is the non-verbal communication telling you? We all give away clues to our preferences by the words we use: if someone you are talking to is using visual language, use the same sort of words and note that he or she will like to see things on paper or in reality. By matching and mirroring other people s behaviour (not mimicking ) you can help make them feel more at ease and comfortable with you, and you will notice that in return they will become more responsive and receptive with you. (See Chapter 13 for more about using language and nonverbal communication).

As a coach, you are responsible for helping the coachee become comfortable “ with you and with the process. This involves thinking about the environment as well as what you say and do. Meeting somewhere that the person will feel at ease, having drinks available, and good seating all helps.

Identify needs

Identifying needs requires two things to be established: first, what the current position is; second, what the desired end position looks like.

Let s look at the first one “ what is the current position? This is about clarifying where individuals are “ what skills and knowledge they have and how they would rate their existing ability in the specific area. It is important here to use self-appraisal and open questioning as much as possible.

Discuss with the coachee what has brought him or her to this point “ what training and what experience has he or she had? As the coachee answers these points, encourage him or her to give examples and evidence to back up his or her views, especially if the coachee has had feedback from others.

A good technique is to ask a coachee how he or she feels when doing the task; as a general guide, we usually feel good about the things we are better at, and vice versa. Negative feelings can arise from some doubt in our heads about our capabilities or uncertainty about what others think.

Try to get the person to think wider than the immediate task or process; and to relate any similar activities that he or she has experienced which may be relevant. Considering other tasks that use a similar set of skills can also help coachees identify the areas that they want to look at.

Some questions for clarifying needs are:

How did you learn what you know about this subject/activity?
What training have you had on this subject/activity?
What experience did you have before your training?
What experience have you had since your training?
How do you feel about this subject/activity?
What feedback have you had about your performance around this subject/ activity?
What examples can I see of your performance in this subject/activity?
What skills do you use when you are performing this activity?
In what other situations do you use these skills?
Is there any specific part of this task that you find easy or enjoy doing? Why?
Is there any specific part of this activity that you find difficult or do not like?
Why do you think you find this aspect of the task problematic ?
What factors do you think influence how you perform this task?

Next it is vital to describe the desired outcome. This is the second part of identifying needs “ assessing current competency depends on having a clear benchmark against which to assess.

Rather than assume or work towards an invisible goal, an essential part of coaching is asking coachees what they want to achieve and how they will know when they have been successful. Some will have a clear goal in mind: ˜I want to be able to do. . . , others will initially just want to get better or feel more confident. These latter statements need to be explored and made more visual. Asking the following questions will help:

What would you like to be able to do by the end of this coaching experience?
What does ˜better look like?
If others were to give you feedback in two months time, what would you like them to say?
How will you know when you have improved?
Do you know anyone else who is better than you at this?
What do they do? When do you think you can apply this skill? What do the good performers do that you would like to be able to do?

In identifying the desired outcome it may be useful to refer to corporate or nationally recognized standards or competency frameworks.

While you are having this discussion, you may want to make some notes. We all have different ways of recalling conversations. Some of us are able to rely on our memory; others (including us!) need to jot notes down. These are not formal, but are aide memoires. If you decide to make notes, explain to your coachee what you are writing and the reasons for writing it as people worry about what might happen to the notes. Another option is to ask the coachee to write the notes “ although be careful that this does not distract the coachee away from thinking about the questions that you are asking.

Develop the objectives

This is the stage of the process where you agree what the coaching process is going to achieve “ what are the outcomes and targets you will work towards together. This can take place during the meeting or you can go away with your notes and produce a list of what you perceive the objectives to be and send them to the coachee for comments “ they can then be discussed, either at another meeting or over the telephone. If you choose to correspond about the objectives via e-mail, follow up the final version with a phone call or meeting to check how the coachee really feels about things.

The broad goal(s) that you agreed during Stage 1 (see Chapter 6) now needs to be broken down into more detailed objectives, which reflect the needs you have analysed. Coaching objectives turn the goal into measurable outputs. An objective is a specific statement of something the coachee will be able to do at the end of the coaching process.

Before agreeing the objectives with the coachee, in addition to remembering the needs that you have already identified, it will be worth revisiting the following questions:

What is any third party (eg line manager, HR department) expecting to see at the end of the coaching process ?
How much time has been allocated for the coaching?
What factors are likely to impact upon the coaching, eg changes of work deadlines for the coachee, available resources, working hours?

Effective objectives

When creating objectives, focus on the coachee “ what will this person be able to do as a result of being coached? It is vital to remember that the coaching process is not about the coach and what he or she wants to achieve. The process is about what the coachee needs and wants to achieve and therefore all the objectives that are written must be about the needs of the coachee.

A good opening statement for objectives is: ˜Having completed this coaching programme you will be able to. . . . Starting each objective with this statement will focus it on the specific behaviour that the coachee will demonstrate as a result of the coaching and will cause the coach to concentrate on ˜SMART objectives.

SMART objectives

SMART has become a well-known acronym to describe well- constructed objectives. SMART objectives have the following characteristics:

They are specific “ they focus on a particular aspect of the individual s performance or on the job/task in question.
They are measurable in that their achievement can be assessed and there will be a visible outcome when they are achieved.
They are agreed . This is particularly pertinent to the coaching situation where it is absolutely vital that the coach, coachee and, where applicable the third party, have all agreed on the objectives for the coaching programme.
They are realistic . Again this is vital in the coaching process. If the objectives are not realistic then the coaching will fail. This may result in demotivation of both coach and coachee and in the line manager losing faith in the coaching process.
They are timed in that there is a time frame set for their achievement. From the perspective of the coach, coachee, manager and organization, setting time frames for the coaching programme is very important so that all concerned will know what to expect in terms of how long the process will take and what can be achieved in the time allocated.

Another acronym which is often applied to objectives is SMAC: specific, measurable, achievable and challenging.

Take time to think about the words that you use when you create your objectives. These words will inform your choice of method and provide a guide for measuring the achievement of the objectives. Non-measurable words include ˜understand , ˜value , ˜appreciate , ˜enjoy , ˜feel , ˜believe and ˜know .

Good words for objectives are:

Describe

Explain

List

Write

Demonstrate

Operate

Perform

Complete

Deal with

Run

Facilitate

Achieve

Create

Produce

Process

Communicate

Make

Check

Train

Having finalized the objectives the coach should put them in writing so that the coachee and any other individuals who have a stake in the coaching programme can review them. This way there can be no misunderstandings about what the programme is and is not setting out to achieve.

At this point the coach and coachee need to agree that achievement of the objectives will meet the identified needs. Are all the needs reflected in the objectives or has anything been missed or misinterpreted? Of course, as the

coaching programme proceeds objectives may change. If this happens then the new objectives should also be put in writing and circulated to all those involved. It may be useful for the coach, coachee and line manager to sign the objectives

document to confirm that all are in agreement about the objectives for the programme.