Introduction - What is coaching?
Many people in the workforce learn their skills through on-the-job training. This often takes the form of informal but highly effective coaching. Think of a situation where you provided one-on-one support and focused on the needs of an individual to help them achieve a goal. That was coaching.
You may have used discussion and guidance to:
- show a new team member how to complete a routine
- help a colleague solve a problem
- work with someone to improve the way they do a task.
When you help someone in this way, you intuitively customise the learning to suit the individual; this is what makes coaching so successful. You automatically:
- ask questions to clarify what they do know and don’t know
- find resources appropriate to their needs
- draw diagrams to support your verbal explanations
- rephrase explanations to help them understand
- show them how to do something, as well as give them written or verbal instructions
- repeat a demonstration for them
- watch how they do the task and offer advice
- respond to their questions.
Coaching can be a formal process or an informal process which can be part of your everyday work schedule when a colleague needs your assistance in completing a task or understanding a process.
Coaching is more than teaching or training. Learn more about it by completing this activity.
Activity: Coaching is many things
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