Coaching Skills

Understand the role and responsibilities of a coach.

Roles and responsibilities of a coach:

• provide individuals and teams with opportunities for gaining new skills, and personal development
• offer learning opportunities geared to individual needs
• encourage a positive attitude to learning
• provide flexibility in the learning process
• allow person being coached to select what and how they learn.

Skills: Understanding differences and similarities between the skills of a coach and mentor. They overlap to some extent. Both mentors and coaches are ‘critical friends’ although they might use different methods. A coach is more likely to use direct feedback, while a mentor relies more heavily on the questioning process. A coach is a specialist who works with the person being coached on specific goals and objectives – the professional equivalent of a fitness trainer.

A potential mentor or coach will require the following personal qualities:

• ability to recognise changes in mood and body language
• observant
• ability to maintain confidentiality
• warm and confidence-inspiring personality
• objective and impartial in dealing with people
• willing to commit time and energy to learn mentoring or coaching skills.

Boundaries of coaching role:

• Setting out boundaries at the start of the interaction
• Crossing professional boundaries
• Confidentiality
• Where a client needs specialist support e.g. counselling

Models for coaching:

• GROW
• ACHIEVE

Theoretical approaches to coaching, e.g.:

• Cognitive behaviour coaching
• Gestalt coaching
• Humanistic coaching
• Mindfulness
• NLP
• Narrative approach
• Performance coaching
• Solution focused coaching
• Transactional analysis
• Transformational coaching

Assessment Criteria

• 1.1

  Summarise the role of the coach.

• 1.2

  Describe the values, attitudes, behaviours and skills required to offer effective coaching.

• 1.3

  Explain the boundaries of the coaching role.

• 1.4

  Explain how to act when boundaries of coaching role are reached.

• 1.5

  Summarise key elements of a coaching model to apply in practice.

Be able to establish a coaching relationship.

This outcome must be assessed in a real working environment.The coach must:

• Create a safe and comfortable environment for the coaching session
• Establish a positive relationship with the person being coached.

Assessment Criteria

• 2.1

  Create an environment in which effective coaching can take place.

• 2.2

  Establish a rapport with the person being coached which enables open and honest discussion.

Be able to provide coaching.

This outcome must be assessed in a real work environment.The coach must:

• Use at least one coaching model with the person being coached, e.g. GROW, ACHIEVE
• Set goals and SMART targets
• Develop an action plan
• Use appropriate techniques to support:
• sharing examples of good practice
• using motivational techniques
• offering constructive feedback.

Assessment Criteria

• 3.1

  Apply one or more models of coaching in own coaching practice.

• 3.2

  Support the person(s) being coached to set goals for development of skills or knowledge. 

• 3.3

  Develop an action plan to achieve the goals.

• 3.4

  Use appropriate techniques to support and challenge the person being coached including:

  • sharing examples of good practice

  • motivational techniques

  • offering constructive feedback.

Be able to maintain and conclude a coaching relationship.

This outcome must be assessed in a real work environment.The coach must:

• address issues and misunderstandings
• bring the coaching relationship to a timely end.

Assessment Criteria

• 4.1

  Address issues and misunderstandings within a coaching relationship.

• 4.2

  Bring a coaching relationship to a timely and positive end.

Be able to review own performance as a coach.

Analysis of own strengths and weaknesses in terms of coaching.

Models of reflection:

• Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle
• Kolbs’ Learning Cycle
• Johns’ Model for Structured Reflection
• Bains’ Framework – the five Rs
• Moons’ Levels of Learning

Assessment Criteria

• 5.1

  Reflect on own effectiveness as a coach.

• 5.2

  Summarise own strengths, giving examples of these from own coaching practice.

• 5.3

  Summarise own areas for improvements, giving examples of these from own coaching practice.