Here are the final 10 coaching tips. Strategy execution needs great coaches. Re-read part 1 and part 2.
1. Two might be better than one
You may find it easier to coach two people at the same time. It might sound strange as, like most people, you probably have the image of coaching as a strictly one-to-one process. But it’s rewarding to look beyond that preconception.
I found that coaching two people at the same time can reduce tension and provide a great opportunity for role-playing.
2. Describe versus evaluate
You should use, and encourage your coachee to use descriptive, rather than evaluative words. The more specific and descriptive words and phrases become, the less criticism they tend to carry, and the more productive the coaching will be. So don’t just tell a speaker his presentation was poor or inadequate – this will only make him feel bad. He wants to know that the presentation was clearly structured, brief but rather monotonous and pitched at too low a level for the audience. Remember that description adds value, criticism detracts.
3. Coach your boss
You probably won’t get very far by telling your boss what to do. But applying some of the coaching principles and coaching upwards can increase your success rate dramatically.
4. Go back and forth
The GROW methodology helps you structure your coaching conversation. It gives a proven, logical sequence to your questions. But even though there is a sequence, you need to go back and forth between the different steps.
You might start with a vague Goal that only becomes clear after examining the Reality in some detail. It will then be necessary to go back and define the Goal more precisely before moving to the Options. Even a clearly defined Goal might prove itself wrong or inappropriate once the Reality is clear. Similarly, when listing the Options, it’s important to check back if they help to move towards the desired Goal or not. And finally, before the Will is finalised, it’s crucial to see if the action plan, once realised, achieves the Goal.
5. Don’t over prepare
Too much preparation destroys your flexibility. Develop a general road map for your next session rather than a detailed, step-by-step instruction manual.
6. Build your communication skills
These are crucial. Coaching is all about human interaction. Make sure you master a basic communication model. It’s better to have a thorough understanding of one model that you can actually apply in practice rather than have only a theoretical background on a few of them.
7. Don’t strive to put everything into a single session
If your coachee is motivated for the next session, it’s often a first sign that something positive has been put in motion.
8. Just do it
Often your coachee will say something like ‘When I started the presentation I gave a short introduction. Then it all blocked’. Instead of talking about something, I often find it useful to ask the coachee to replay a certain situation. It makes it more concrete and offers a great opportunity to test out some of the Options. When your coachee is able to do a successful role play exercise, the motivation, self-belief and learning curve receive a huge boost.
9. Provide quick and easy feedback
Here’s a simple but effective feedback method you can use all the time. It’s called LCS – which stands for Like, Concern, Suggestion. Start by saying something you liked, then add your concern and end with one or more suggestions. Here’s an example: ‘I’m happy you have almost finished reading all these tips. But by only reading them, I’m concerned it will not boost your coaching skills as it is more important to actually put them into practice. So I would suggest picking your three favourite ones and thinking about how best you could use them in the assignment I gave you earlier’.
10. Everything your coachee says is important.
It’s your job to find out how it is important.
