I work with coaches in schools around the world, and one of the challenges everyone struggles with is the transition from consulting to coaching.
I have another post on the difference between the 3 coaching stances: consulting, collaborating and coaching, but what I’m talking about in this context is that it’s super easy to get stuck in the consulting stance of continually offering solutions, instead of helping your coaching partners recognize they already have an idea or a possibility within themselves.
It’s important to note that you can’t pull out something that’s not there (so you can’t just ask questions forever and hope they come up with an answer), but sometimes you genuinely don’t know what your coaching partner knows or doesn’t know, and you have to figure it out.
That’s what today’s post is about!
If this is something you’re struggling with in your coaching practice, or you’re ready to be more intentional with all the work you do as a coach, please consider joining us for our next cohort of The Coach Certificate and Mentorship Program. This is the kind of in-depth strategy that we help you develop so that you can truly find your unique voice as a coach and become as comfortable with coaching conversations as you are with any other kind of conversation!
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My “Secret” Coaching Assessment
When I share this, you’re going to think, Kim, that’s so obvious!
And it is, I’m not claiming anything amazing here, it’s easy, and practical, and you can use it anytime, but it’s SO POWERFUL once you start making it a habit.
It’s probably my second favorite simple coaching question that I ask all the time. (I shared my first favorite in this post).
OK, here we go.
When a coaching partner is asking for a solution to a problem, but you’re not entirely sure if they have a possible strategy or idea already so you can assess their individual needs and readiness, the super simple question you can ask is:
“What have you already tried?”
And then say “and what else” as many times as you need to get everything out
When I’m doing this, I like to take notes on what they say so I have a clear documentation of all the things they’ve tried.
By asking this simple question, probably a few times, you can get a better understanding of where the person is at, and then determine if:
- You might need to offer a consulting response (perhaps sharing something they they might have missed, or offer an other suggestion)
- Or a ask a coaching question question
Transitioning between stances in this context becomes very easy, you can simply say
- If the person seems ready for consulting: “You’ve tried so many different angles here, would you like a suggestion or a strategy that may work?”
- Or if you can tell in the response that they already have a strategy they just need to think about it a little differently: “You brought up something really interesting here, can I ask you another question about it?”
This VERY simple question can lead to a really deep conversation, and help you practice moving between coaching stances.
I told you it was simple.
I think some of the best coaching strategies are.
Sometimes we make coaching conversations more complicated than they need to be.
When we listen with genuine interest, curiosity and empathy, we can have deep and meaningful conversations that support our coaching partners exactly how they need to be supported.
Watch the Video
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One of the things we’re most proud of here at Eduro is that there’s no one-size-fits-all learning – you always have choice and voice in how you learn with us. Today’s posts highlights one of the key themes that you’ll find in all of our courses for coaches, and if you’re curious to take your learning deeper, we have two great options for you.
New Coaches:
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Ooooh this is a good one. Another one I like to ask, which is very similar to yours, is “What have you done in situations like this before?”
That can also give me more information to figure out if this person really does need a consulting answer, or if they need me to keep mediating their thinking for them to work through their own solution.
YES! Love that question Adrienne! Teachers (and coaches) often have so much more capacity than they think, helping them see what they already know so we can build independence is one of the important steps we can take when navigating those stances.