Introduction

Welcome to Session 1 of this free course which aims to improve your capability as a coach developer.

It is common to describe the process of learning to become a better coach as a journey, one that is unique to every coach. This journey has many twists, turns and difficulties. This course assumes that as a coach developer you are a ‘skilled helper’ (Egan, 1998); you guide a coach on their way, helping them with a particularly difficult challenge, suggesting an alternative path or a different way of getting them to where they want to go. Your role can add value to their journey by enriching the learning that takes place along the way.

In this, the first of 8 sessions, you will consider the different roles coach developers can undertake and follow the case study of a relationship between a coach and a coach developer that has been transformational. You’ll then examine ideas about what makes an effective coach developer and how the expertise of a coach developer can be described. Finally, you’ll begin to explore the ways your practice as a coach developer can be developed. There are a lot of fascinating things to consider, so it is time to get started.

By the end of this session, you should be able to:

• understand the different roles coach developers undertake and the contexts in which they are undertaken
• describe the process of building relationships in a model of behaviour change
• explain how coaches describe an effective coach developer
• consider how the expertise of a coach developer can be articulated.

The Open University would really appreciate a few minutes of your time to tell us about yourself and your expectations for the course before you begin, in our optional start-of-course survey. Participation will be completely confidential and we will not pass on your details to others.