How to hold powerful coaching Conversations (Examples and script template)

Aug 17, 2022

Conversations with coaches are an effective transformative leadership technique. Find out how to conduct a coaching conversation with this template.

Nowadays, numerous companies are moving towards creating the so-called coach culture. The aim is to empower, encourage and teach with a dialogue between employees and managers.

A culture of coaching can help organizations to stop making decisions about what action needs to be followed to address specific difficulties and issues. This creates a unique culture that requires two-way discussions to define objectives and determine the best course of course of action.

When sufficient people in an organization are taught to have coaching conversations the entire organizational structure begins to change. This creates it creates an environment where people are willing to share their ideas and ideas for improvement more openly. The result is a boost in morale across the entire organization.

Whether you're a professional coach or an employee or manager, everyone can benefit from learning basic coaching skills. In this post we'll discuss how to effectively conduct a coaching discussion and provide some examples of scripts or questions to ask during your own coaching sessions.

What are the characteristics of an effective coaching conversation?

All effective coaching conversations start by asking the right questions. When you ask the appropriate asking questions to coaches, you can help others understand their issues or problems they're facing. The coaching conversations are a fantastic opportunity to help people build their strengths, and also help them assume responsibility for their actions, improvement, and overall achievement.

Conversations with coaches can take place in formal settings, such as a coach session or employee evaluation. But, shorter and more informal sessions can take place at the elevator, in lunchtime or on the corridor.

The initial step in having an effective coaching session is to be sure the person you are about to engage in a discussion with is open to offering and receiving feedback. Not all conversations lend themselves to coaching, therefore it's crucial to start by asking the following questions:

  •    "Can you please help me to understand an idea?"  
  •    "If you have some time, I'd love to test something with you."  
  •    "Are you open to feedback on X"  

By opening a coaching conversation with questions similar to those above, you prepare yourself to receive feedback on an idea you're about to share. You also prepare others for scenarios where you'll likely be offering your feedback.

Three key elements to a successful coaching session

The three keys to any coaching session is to approach the conversation from a position of positive energy, support, and collaboration. It is about entering into a conversation with a judgment-free mentality and knowing how to keep your attention on the bigger effect rather than the specific reaction to the conversation.

  1. Positivity

It's crucial to approach every coaching conversation by bringing positivity into the conversation. It allows you to remain flexible to different goals and outcomes without any assumptions about what you'll get out of the discussion. Being positive can also help you avoid the human instinct to become defensive and get a bit personal in a dialogue.

  2. Collaboration

Collaboration is the key element in any coaching discussion since it offers the participants to learn through a two-way conversation. Collaborative means being interested about what the other person is asking for. It also means staying present and attentive to what the other person's thoughts are.

  3. Support

It is also crucial that coaching discussions come out of a supportive place. This means giving the other person your full concentration and attention that may need you to set aside a few minutes ahead of the coaching session to set aside any worries or issues.

5 Tips for creating better coaching discussions

These 5 tips will help you hold more powerful and powerful coaching discussions.

  1. Pay attention to your surroundings

In a discussion with coaches It is crucial to listen intently. Beware of interruptions and our very human tendency to fill in uncomfortable gaps or silences with phrases.

The best guideline is to follow the 90/10 rule. It means spending 90% of the time listening, while just 10% talking. Remember to ask one question at a time, instead of putting a lot of questions together. Also, it is important to start the discussion with an open mind , and a willingness to listen to avoid making assumptions regarding the outcome of the conversation.

  2. Reflect back

Reflecting back means summarizing what you've heard in order to confirm that you correctly understood the person with whom you're conversing. Try reflecting during coaching conversations for clarity and understanding into what the other person wants to convey. An excellent way to do this is to ask questions like:

  •    " What I have heard from you is ......."  
  •    "Am I hearing you correctly, you said ...."  
  •    "It appears that you're saying ..."  

After that, stop and wait for the other person's answer. They'll either say yes or continue to explain to the truth about what they said.

  3. Keep an eye out for

Inquiring about the thoughts of someone else has to tell them allows them to freely share their ideas more freely. When people can speak freely and openly, they usually reach their own conclusions about the best plan of action.

Practice asking simple yet powerful questions such as:

  •    "What might occur if you investigated the subject more?"  
  •    "Is there something that is holding you back from trying it day-to-day?"  
  •    "What steps would you have to follow for that to happen?"  

When you ask simple and powerful questions, it gets people thinking and thinking about solutions but without the feeling that you've just handed an answer.

  3. Do not try to force your opinions on others.

When someone asks for feedback, our natural reaction is to find a solution. In order to conduct a productive coaching session, you must get away from this human tendency. Instead, the focus lies on making sure that the person who is in front of you feels heard. Doing this requires developing the capacity to remove your opinions out of the discussion. Practice using phrases like:

  •    "Your smile is a sign that you're really excited about this. Is that right?"  
  •    "How do you feel? you think?"  
  •    "What is the first thing that comes to mind for you when you consider trying that?"  

  5. Make time to takeaway meals

In every conversation with a coach be sure to reserve time so that you can give time for the coachee to decide what actions they will take following the conversation. You can do this by setting 5-10 minutes aside after the conversation, and then ask questions that include:

  •    "What stage do you feel most eager to start on?"  
  •    "What three steps would you follow to reach your goal this week?"  
  •    "What did you think had the greatest effect on you in the last year?"  
  •    "What two things do you take away from this conversation today?"  

The creation of a coaching discussion template

The following is a rough model for a 1-hour coaching session. Be aware that each coaching conversation is different. However, when you're first making the transition to coaching an outline of the plan and timeline may aiding your coaching sessions stay focused.

  1. Distinguishing the purpose of the conversation 5-10 minutes  

Ask questions like:

  •    "Does this still feel relevant to talk about today?"  
  •    "You have mentioned that you would like to speak about X, is that correct?"  
  •    "Are you open to comments on X?"  

  Second Step: Discover the challenges and problems: 30-40 minutes  

Ask questions like:

  •    "What I'm hearing you saying is ..."  
  •    "How do you feel? you think?"  
  •    "Is there an area you see for improvement?"  

  Step 3: Set goals 5-10 minutes  

Ask questions like:

  •    "What could you do differently in the event that you could?"  
  •    "How do we improve upon X"  
  •    "Do you have any tips? "

  step 4: Define takeaways and action steps 5-10 minutes  

Ask questions like:

  •    "What next step should you start with?"  
  •    "What three things can you learn from today's conversation?"  
  •    What are the steps you're willing to take in the coming week?"  

To learn more about holding powerful coaching conversations We recommend Jerry Connor & Karim Hirani's book The Four Greatest Coaching Conversations .

When you've become proficient in holding successful discussions with coaches and have mastered the art of coaching, why not make it a point to share that knowledge with the world. Help more people learn the benefits of having conversation with coaching by taking an online class.

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