TestBash Brighton 2019: Morning Workshop on "Context Driven Coaching... There is no script."
In the morning I attended Martin Hynie’s and Chris Blain’s workshop on Context Driven Coaching… There is no script.
Here are my takeaways on what I learned in this workshop:
1. It’s common for people to be promoted to managerial positions but not have the skills to coach people.
Martin and Chris have coached managers, who are in charge of coaching people. But people promoted to managerial positions aren’t necessarily promoted to these positions because they have the skills to coach people.
2. If you want people to work together, you need to give them a chance to get to know each other, to build trust and to show some vulnerability
To kick off the workshop, Martin and Chris had us answer four questions to our table groups (roughly six people each table), so we can (presumably) achieve this goal.
3. The person you are coaching needs to trust you and to trust that you know what you’re doing.
4. When you are coaching, there is a high probability that you need to explain why the skill (you are coaching) is important/needed
5. No major change has come from logic; it comes from energy
6. It’s important to remember that everyone is trying (in their own mind) make the world a better place.
If things come up that stress you out, think about:
- What can I control?
- What can’t I control? –> What can I influence?
7. The difference between Feedback, Coaching and Mentoring
- Feedback - giving someone information about past behaviour, in the present, to affect future behaviour
- Coaching - trying to transfer knowledge/skills
- Mentoring - reflecting on a journey you\’ve taken; sharing your experience with the mentee and how that experience can be related to the mentee\’s current experiences
8. Coaching vs. Training
- Coaching - more likely to be individual
- Training - more likely to be a larger audience
9. Johanna Rothman’s 4 step approach to coaching
- Verify help is wanted/needed
- Generate options - at least three
- Review options, let them choose
- Create an action plan (both the coach and the person being coached are responsible for this)