Coaching techniques

Coaching involves providing guidance and support to help individuals achieve their full potential. 

Managers can use coaching to develop their team members, and we can also incorporate a mixture of feedback and coaching together. Coaching has some defining principles that are important to remember before we discuss techniques. These are:  

• the person being coached is resourceful and the coach’s role is to develop this 
• coaching addresses the person holistically 
• the person being coached sets the agenda 
• the person being coached is equal to the coach 
• coaching is all about change. 

Now, when we take those principles, we can consider some techniques that managers can use below: 

1. Setting specific and measurable goals for our team members using a framework such as the SMART goals framework is a useful technique. 
2. Asking guiding questions and getting more detailed answers will allow team members to become independent and feel empowered to have the answers to the coaching questions. Ask them questions that reflect on areas of improvement or any hurdles to their success. 
3. Maintaining a positive approach to and outlook on the team member’s skills and abilities is a technique that can be very effective for coaches. 
4. Showing empathy and attempting to take the viewpoint of the team member is a way to improve engagement. By taking this approach, we can consider individual needs, personality types, and motivations when we think about the type of coaching we might employ. 
5. Setting clear expectations for each coaching session and letting the team member set the agenda for the meeting by asking them what they would like to focus on is a useful tip for incorporating coaching techniques into our work. 
6. Looking for moments where we can teach by observing the team member’s behaviour and words during the session and identifying areas for further questioning through listening is a very powerful tool in the coach’s toolkit. 
7. Following up on any agreed action points and bringing these up straight away at the next coaching session is a valuable technique and keeps both parties accountable.

Share your thoughts

Think of a time when you had a fruitful relationship with a coach or mentor, or vice versa if you were in the position of the coach or mentor. What were the top two defining characteristics of that successful relationship? They may or may not come from the list above. Please share with your peers in the comments below and observe what common themes surface from the answers.

References

_{7. Indeed Editorial Team. 2021. Coaching Techniques: What They Are and How To Use Them at Work [online]. Indeed. [Cited 2022 Dec 23]. Available from: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/coaching-technique}