5 An introduction to coaching in practice

In this section we provide an introduction to professional coaching skills, with a focus on practical approaches and techniques.

Watch the video below, in which our panel of HRD experts – all experienced coaches – talk about what they believe are the features of successful coaching and what they look for in a coach in terms of skills and behaviours.

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The HRD professionals highlight the following key areas of coaching behaviours and skills:

The remaining sections will present a brief introduction to professional coaching skills, with a focus on practical aspects, such as planning the session, delivering the sessions, and some of the basic skills involved.

5.1 Planning a series of coaching sessions

There are a number of actions that a coach needs to take in order to set up a series of coaching sessions. This checklist sets out the main things you will need to consider.

  • Arrange dates (and venues if not virtual) for the agreed number of coaching sessions.
  • Coachee welfare and contracting:
    • What are the boundaries of the coaching relationship?
    • What professional code of ethics are you following (these can be found in the main Coaching and Mentoring associations websites)?
    • What agreement will you make between you about confidentiality? Normally in coaching you would offer qualified confidentiality – that is, you would undertake not to repeat anything said to you in the session unless there are overriding ethical considerations, such as concern for the welfare of the coachee, or concern that the law was being broken.
    • Are there any other ethical issues you want to discuss and come to an agreement on? You may, for example, want to agree that you will all commit to working together constructively and supportively, and/or that you will all attend punctually and be fully prepared.
  • Agree aims and objectives for the coaching sessions (usually set with line managers/HRD partners).
  • The first session details: where? when? how if virtual?
  • Prepare to introduce and use a range of models and techniques as appropriate.
  • Question approaches – prepare some initial questions.
  • Note-taking: how will you do this? Will you signal that you are going to do it?
  • Reflection after the session by both parties.

In the next section we will introduce a well-known framework for coaching.

5.2 Using the GROW coaching model

The GROW framework helps to structure the coaching session(s) (Whitmore, 2009). (GROW stands for Goals, Reality, Options and Will.) There are other models (you may know others, or, if you are already an experienced coach, you may have develop your own). We offer this model as a useful example which is often used by coaches.

5.2.1 GROW: Goals

The coach begins by asking exploratory questions to establish the overall goals of the coaching, and then sets objectives for the first session and subsequent sessions to meet the overall aims. This can be more difficult than it sounds as the coachee may not be aware of the reasons for the coaching or find it difficult to put it into words. Before starting to discuss goals, however, it is important for the coach to develop a rapport with the coachee, so that they feel a sense of trust.

In the next two activities you will watch good examples of this important phase in the coaching relationship.

Activity 4: Building trust and rapport

Allow around 60 minutes for this activity

Part A

Listen to the following short audio recording on building rapport.

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Building rapport

Now watch the video below for an example of how a coach attempts to build trust and rapport at the beginning of the coaching session. Notice the ways in which the coach tries to put the coachee at ease before starting to progress on to the objective of the session.

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How to build trust and rapport at the beginning of a coaching session

Part B

Consider how you can put a potential client at ease in your practice sessions. Make some notes in the text box below on ways to ‘break the ice’ at the beginning of the session and so start to build trust.

Provide your answer...

Activity 5: Goal-setting techniques

Allow around 45 minutes

You will now have an opportunity to watch experienced coaches probing more closely and setting goals with their clients. This is a crucial first step and part of the ‘contracting’ process of setting a clear direction and purpose for the dialogue.

Part A

Watch this series of five short videos showing coaches setting goals with coachees. Sometimes it is difficult for both parties to get to the heart of the issue, so pay attention – and make notes – on how the coach uses language and questions to try to draw out the coachee’s ‘real’ objective each time.

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Good practice in setting workable goals


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Good practice when goals threaten to be too vague


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Good practice in prioritising goals


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Good practice when a goal is about someone else other than the client in the room


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Good practice in setting positive rather than negative goals

Part B

In the text box below, make a list of questions that you could use to elicit ideas and set goals with a potential coachee. Consider how you will deal with someone who says they don’t know what their goals are.

Provide your answer...

5.2.2 GROW: Reality

The second stage of the GROW framework involves questioning the coachee about their understanding of the reality of the situation or the context, and issues or problems they wish to address. At this point, the coach will be asking questions to establish the facts and feelings involved.

Here are some possible opening questions that the coach could use:

  • What is happening now? (Use the ‘5 Ws and H’ questions: What, when, why, who, where, how?)
  • What actions have you already taken? What happened?
  • What have you learned from the experience?
  • What is keeping you from finding a solution?
  • What is really going on, do you think?

The following video illustrates some examples of good questioning. Notice how the questions are framed. Note the importance of ‘open’ questions (questions without a direct, one-word answer) to elicit fuller answers.

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Examples of good questioning

A complementary skill to effective questioning is active listening – using language and gestures to signal to the coachee that you are following their description of the issues or explanation of the background. (While specifically referred to here, questioning and active listening are key skills to use throughout the whole process.)

5.2.3 GROW: Options

The third step in the GROW model is specifically used to move on from the description of the issues, to generating options for actions to take forward. This is a crucial step, as it gives the individual time to come up with a range of ideas without the coach suggesting action or giving advice. The coach may encounter some opposition or barriers here, where the coachee may have tried to take steps in the past which have not been fruitful. It may be that the coach has to interrupt the flow and ask what prevents the coachee from taking any particular option. This may also be the stage where the coach will need to challenge any assumptions made; this can sometimes be uncomfortable for the coachee.

Box 2: Exploring options

Here are some suggestions of questions you might ask to encourage the coachee to explore options. Make a list of the ones you prefer for your practice coaching session and add any others, from your own experience, which you would find useful.

Actions

Which options do you think might work best for you? To what extent does this option meet your goals? When will you prepare an action plan? When are you going to start?

Support

What help or support do you need? What could I do, as a coach, to help and support you in your plans?

Obstacles to action

What could prevent you from taking action, and how will you get around it? How committed are you to taking the plan forward?

Evaluation/measures

How will success look and feel? How will you measure or evaluate success?

After generating some options for action, and agreeing on the ones which seem viable to the coachee, there is a final stage in the GROW model to seal these ideas and agree on an action plan to take forward.

5.2.4 GROW: Will

The final step in the framework is to elicit a commitment to take up some of the ideas suggested in the options conversation: to turn discussion into action. Both parties will have taken notes and will agree an action plan at this point. Towards the end of the session, the coach can remind the coachee of the importance of writing a reflection on the session, considering the whole experience, as well as the details for action going forward. There will be some discussion of the aims for the next session, as they may have developed further (and practicalities, such as where and when it will happen).

Coaching is a demanding activity on both sides; so coaches need to be strongly qualified, and adhere to rigorous ethical standards and coachees need to be in relatively good health to consider engaging in this activity. If you want to deepen your understanding about coaching or become a coach yourself, you may want to check the different paths in one of the widely recognised coaching and mentoring bodies – for example, the International Coaching Federation (ICF), the European Coaching and Mentoring Council (EMCC), the Association for Coaching (AC), and the Association for Professional Executive Coaching and Supervision (APECS).