Coaching

for

performance

This presentation has been taken from The Coaching Toolkit Shaun Allison and Michael Harbour, (SAGE) 2009.

Objectives for the session

• To understand the principles behind coaching and why it is useful in working with students and adults

• To clarify the differences between coaching, mentoring and counselling

• To use coaching skills and experience the benefits of coaching

Coaching helps us to:

• Identify and clarify issues

• Solve problems

• Commit to action

• Develop skills, motivation, confidence and self-esteem …

• … and that includes coaches!

Why coaching?‘Holding onto core beliefs about the people you coach is at the heart of what makes coaching so powerful as an agent of change. When you communicate confidence and trust in another person’s ability to make choices, their performance goes up.’ (Thomas W. and Smith A. (2004), Stafford, Coaching Solutions. Network Educational Press.) ‘… there is a much better chance of learning from someone in the next classroom than from someone 20 … miles away’ (Reynolds D. (2003) News & Opinions, TES 20 June.) ‘Training courses and workshops fail to make a long-term impact on classroom practice.’ (Joyce, B. and Showers, B. (1995) Student Achievement through Staff Development. White Plains, New York places: Longman.)

Why coaching?1 __% of teachers will transfer a new skill into

their practice as a result of theory

2 __% will transfer a new skill into their practice with theory and demonstration

3 __% will transfer a new skill into their practice with theory and demonstration and practice within the training 4 __% will transfer a new skill into their practice with theory, demonstration, practice and feedback within the training 5 __% will transfer a new skill into their practice with theory, demonstration, practice and feedback within the training, and coaching support in school

Why coaching?

5% of teachers will transfer a new skill into theirpractice as a result of theory

10% will transfer a new skill into their practice with theory and demonstration

20% will transfer a new skill into their practice with theory and demonstration and practice within the training

25% will transfer a new skill into their practice with theory, demonstration, practice and feedback within the training

90% will transfer a new skill into their practice with theory, demonstration, practice and feedback within the training, and coaching support in school

Beliefs

• We all have untapped potential to learn and to improve what we do

• The solutions to each person’s professional challenges are to be found within the school

• Those who share their skills as coaches will inevitably improve what they do

• The limits to achieving our potential are largely self-imposed.

Principles of coaching

• Confidentiality• Trust• Non-judgemental, non-critical support• A belief in the coachee’s capacity to

learn, develop and change• Recognising strengths; building and

maintaining self-confidence and self-esteem

• Challenging the coachee to move beyond the comfort zone

• A belief that there are always solutions to issues

• Breaking down big challenges into manageable steps

How is coaching different from other helping processes?

Non-directive

CounsellingCoaching

Facilitating Advising

Mentoring Guiding

DirectingDirective

Coaching

• A helping skill• Non-directive and non-judgemental• Focuses on solutions• Advice is not given• Belief that the coachee has the answers• Focuses on the coachee’s strengths• Commits the coachee to specific action• Enables the coachee to evaluate her/his

progress• Promotes a high degree of independence• Uses the skills of questioning, clarifying,

reflecting, observing and giving feedback

Counselling

• Looks backwards and at the present• Non-directive• Advice is not given• Not usually solutions focused• Tends to enable the client to

understand emotions and their source.(Why do I feel as I do?)

• Belief that the client has the answers• May promote a degree of

dependence• May use the skills of questioning,

clarifying, reflecting and observing

Mentoring

• Mentor has ‘expert’ knowledge or experience

• Specific advice (and direction) given• Focuses on solutions• Mentor has the ‘real answers’• Belief that the teacher can learn• Commits the teacher to specific action• Mentor’s evaluation of progress is shared

with the teacher• May lead to a degree of dependence.• Uses the skills of questioning, clarifying,

reflecting, observing and giving feedback

The Skills–motivation matrix

High skills

Inspire Walk with (Confidante) (Companion)

Low motivation High motivation

Direct Guide (Personal trainer) (Cox)

Low skills(Adapted from: Powell, G., Chambers, M. and Baxter, G. (2001) Pathways to

Coaching. Bristol: TLO. P. 10.)

Coaching skills

• Listening

• Questioning

• Clarifying

• Reflecting

The FLOW Model for structuring coaching sessions

• Find the challenge

• Look at reality • Open possibilities

• Win commitment

(Reproduced by permission of TLO Limited, from Powell, G. Chambers, M. and Baxter, G. (2001) Pathways to

Coaching. Bristol: TLO.)

The STRIDE modelCoaching sessions focus on:

• Strengths – awareness of the colleague’s or student’s strengths

• Targets – agree a focus and challenge to work on

• Reality – agree the present reality and what things need to change

• Ideas and options – help the student/colleague to weigh up the options

• Decide which is best and commit to action• Evaluate:

– is this the best place to start?– what has happened, over time, as the

result of the commitment?

Coaching helps people to:

Clarify and identify issues

Solve problems

Commit to action

Develop skills, motivation, self-esteem and confidence