Behaviours of the best coaches

They can:

Listen fully and with real interest and concern for the learner
Communicate a genuine empathy and understanding
Adjust to another environment, terminology and work habits
Set challenging yet realistically high expectations
Diagnose accurately ?what is going on’ and see ways forward
Develop a shared interest in the learner and their issues
Experiment and explore, suspending judgements
Find patterns in information and processes

From: Paul Pohlman

Seven ways to manage a consultant

Check the consultant’s credentials
Clearly specify your needs
Ensure a positive organisational fit
Clarify evaluation arrangements and outcomes
Monitor closely – especially new consultants
Give clear feedback to the consultant throughout
Be prepared to ask awkward questions

Source: Phil Lewis

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The STRETCH model of coaching

S et the context
T ransfer issues to the learner – ensure ownership
R evisit what outstanding performance looks like
E stablish what’s in it for the learner
T ake time to agree what specifically must change
C atch them doing something right – praise and reward
H ave time set aside to celebrate success

Source: John Burdett

Seven levels of interest in your own development

I have development needs, but I’m not interested in working on them.
I have development needs, but I don’t know what they are.
I have development needs, I know what they are, but refuse to do anything about them.
I have development needs, I know what they are, but I need a push to do anything
about them.
I know about my development needs, I’m motivated to do something, but I don’t know
how to go about it.
I know about my development needs, I’m motivated to do something, and I’m doing so.
I have no development needs.

Source: Leslie Rae

Seven principles when helping people to learn

People know more then they think they know
Everyone has resources for improving performance
Useful questions are worth more than commands
Each person is responsible for their own contribution to the organisation
Every set back provides a learning opportunity
Experiments precede learning
Challenging but achievable goals bring out the best in people

Source: King and Eaton

Seven important coaching skills

Attending
Giving and receiving feedback
Drawing out
Silence
Suspending judgement
Recognising and expressing feelings
Paraphrasing

Source: David Megginson

Seven coaching competencies

Framing questions that make learners think deeply
Being a resource – removing barriers to learning
Holding back, not providing all the answers
Creating and promoting a learning environment
Using analogies, scenarios and examples
Engaging others to support the learning application
Providing feedback constructively

Source: Ellinger and Bostrum
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Six musts for a coach

Trust
Mutual respect
A sense of common purpose
Integrity
Openness
Honesty

Source: John Burdett

Six questions on self directed learning

1. Do people really want to be self directing?
2. Is everyone capable of being a self directed learner?
3. Is self directed learning the best option always?
4. Does top management, with its emphasis on personal accountability for results,really buy into it?
5. Are trainers capable of learning to be facilitators of self directed learners?
6. Are learning contracts an essential ingredient of self directed learning?

Source: Brian Knowles

Six barriers to learning

Perceptual
Cultural
Emotional-motivational
Intellectual
Expressive
Environmental

Source: Temporal and Boydell

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Six big problems with training and development

1. A failure to identify the specific needs of learners and for learners to own their own development needs
2. Objectives set by trainers, rather than the learners
3. Little acceptance by learners of the need to take responsibility for their own development
4. Constraints of time for preparation and participation in learning events
5. A failure to follow through learning beyond an event or course
6. Failing to achieve high value via transfer of the learning

Source: Jeff Gold

Six keys to value added development

1. Achieve management acceptance of responsibility for a supportive workplace that encourages the application of learning
2. All activities help achieve organisational goals
3. Assessing the readiness of the workplace to support learning skills
4. Everything is driven by business needs
5. Measurable results that can be tracked
6. Providing people with skills and knowledge needed to improve personal performance

Source: Robinson and Robinson

Six threads for learning

Ambition, which when properly focused, is an asset
Adaptability, the ability to work with others and respond to different challenges
Resourcefulness, the ability to use good judgement in different situations
Faith, both in yourself, and your team
Fight – the ability to pick yourself up and try again
Patience, reliability, integrity, honesty and sincerity

Source: Kaye and Kleiner

Six principles of adult learning

Adults are autonomous and self-directed
Adults need to connect new learning with previous life experiences and knowledge
Adults are goal-oriented – and will look for this
Adults are relevancy-oriented
Adults are practical – seeking application of learning
Adults need respect and recognition for what they can contribute

- Malcolm Knowles

Six ways to develop adults to mature learners

To support the development of adult learners there are a six ‘scales’ or preferences. helping to move learners from:

1. Dependency to autonomy
2. Ignorance to insight
3. Using shallow abilities to deep abilities
4. Selfishness to altruism
5. A need for certainty to a tolerance of ambiguity

Source: Malcolm Knowles