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Coaching others to coach
Coaching others to coach

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4 First impressions count

The first impressions you portray can have a very important impact on how a relationship develops. How you begin relationships should involve careful thought.

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Figure 5 How do you welcome over one hundred learners for the first time?
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Looking at the rear view of someone standing at a lecture podium, the audience out of focus behind them.

Figure 5 How do you welcome over one hundred learners for the first time?

You will now explore this further in two activities, the first in a large group educational situation and the second in an individual mentoring context.

Activity 4 Meeting over one hundred new learners at once

Timing: Allow about 15 minutes

A first meeting is slightly threatening for both parties since those you meet might have inaccurate perceptions of you and you will be concerned about getting off on the right foot.

What about the challenge of meeting over one hundred new students at once in a lecture situation?

Listen to this audio of course author Ben Oakley and identify five strategies he adopts for this type of situation and notice any links made to person-centred humanist ideas.

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Transcript: Audio 2

BEN OAKLEY
When I'm meeting a large group of new students, I make sure I greet people at the door. I'm trying to create a welcoming atmosphere, setting an enthusiastic tone that, together, we've got an interesting time coming up. I want people to connect with each other and the team running the sessions, so I figure I need to model a good example of this from the start.
I try to be authentic in my communication. I try to be myself, saying occasional words like, "welcome, do come in," to people at the door and looking people in the eye. And I also attempt to smile a lot. I say attempt, since I've seen pictures of me at work, and sometimes I look very severe and grumpy. So I'm still working at being more approachable.
Then I have a little routine. I deliberately share personal information to help establish connection and some empathy with the audience. I say something like, "A few decades ago, I was just sat where you are. I was initially very nervous, but gradually, I realised I enjoyed the challenge of coaching." I give some personal experiences of my coaching influences and journey and my family. However, I'm careful not to go OTT. I just think it helps build rapport if people know a little bit about you.
I talk about one of the most powerful learning resources being the people in the room, the range of experiences they have when combined and used in discussions. I'm trying to show that I value their ideas and varied experiences in different sports.
I then ask a series of easy, non-threatening questions to show my familiarity and empathy with the audience. They're mainly demographic questions, like, "How many of you have about two or three years of coaching experience, or more than that, or less?" Another one might be, "Find someone near to you who you don't know, and chat about what the greatest influence on their coaching has been."
What I aim to do is sow three seeds in their mind. First, that their responses are an expected part of our sessions. Second, that each person can see that there are others like me in the room. Finally, I want the group to see the diversity of different backgrounds and interests in the audience.
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Discussion

In his strategies Ben ensures the following:

  1. He greets people at the door – this provides a welcoming atmosphere and sets an example of the environment he wants to create.
  2. He is authentic in his communication – both in his opening remarks and also while talking to people at the door he speaks genuinely from the heart in a way that is congruent and person-centred. Smiling warmly also helps.
  3. He discloses biographical information to support his relationship with the group – he talks about trying to show empathy (i.e. person-centred) with those in the audience although there is a balance as to how much of this is appropriate.
  4. He demonstrates that he values the learners and what they can offer.
  5. He asks easy safe questions and in so doing talks about his distinct aims connected with:
    • his familiarity with the audience
    • encouraging participation
    • showing that the audience is varied, and
    • acknowledging there are people with common experiences.

This activity demonstrates the importance of planning the initial meeting with building rapport in mind. Beyond group situations how would you go about planning an initial one-to-one meeting? How might the situation and context of this meeting influence your plan?

For example, would it change if you were meeting a beginner coach or a highly experienced, respected and well-known coach in your sport?