Coaching and mentoring

The secrets to success are Passion, Knowledge, Deep Practice and Balanced Feedback. A combination of training, mentoring and coaching can give you the knowledge; guidance and balanced feedback that will aid you develop effective Communication Skills. Effective communication coaching helps build interpersonal skills; helps us develop great customer relationships and stronger businesses. Communication skills training helps you create clear and powerful communication.

Training could be described as an organised activity aimed at sharing information, ideas or instructions to improve the learner’s performance or to help them attain a specific or required level of knowledge or skill. e.g. Training on the use of PowerPoint – show us what the programme can do.

Coaching could be defined as helping another to improve awareness, set goals in order to improve specific behaviour. A coach follows a set agenda to develop, reinforce or change skills and behaviours. The coach sets an objective/goal for each discussion. e.g. Coaching on PowerPoint helps us understand how the programme works and how to do specific tasks to achieve specific goals.

Mentoring could be described as an expert helping another sharpen or shape their beliefs and values in a positive way. Mentors should demonstrate best practice, passion and be actively engaged in their own personal development, owning the personal benefit of the two-way relationship. Mentoring is a mutually beneficial relationship in which both parties are able to grow and develop in an individually chosen direction. The four words most often chosen to describe a mentor’s style are: questioner, direct, clear and friend/confidant. Mentoring is the why, the thought process behind the decisions.

Knowledge is the necessary understanding required to perform an activity or develop a skill.

Deep practice is the focused awareness and correction of actions in order to achieve mastery. The specific conscious application of knowledge making it experience.

Balanced feedback acknowledges what the person has done right and suggests possible areas for improvement as well as demonstrates these suggestions.

This principle is used in teaching hospitals to train surgeons. Watch one, do one, teach one. By watching an operation, trying the procedure (under supervision) and then teaching the process the learning becomes integrated experience and part of the new skill set. Another principle important in mentoring and coaching is the concept of Kaizen, small steps, to create meaningful change. Some change is too daunting to many people so they procrastinate and it never happens. Through deep practice and Kaizen the mentee is able to create lasting change. Breaking an activity down into smaller steps, bite size chunks, makes it easier to begin. Once a task is begun it is often easier to keep going. Think of getting off the couch to do one hour of exercise… vs getting up to do 5 minutes of exercise. The smaller chunk is easier to digest. Once exercising, it it easier to continue. Even 5 minutes of exercise done regularly is better than no exercise. It builds new habits over time.

The power of stories in Coaching and training is that we are able to put ourselves in the “shoes” of another and understand differing views and experiences and incorporate these attitudes, skills and experiences in with our own. This enables us to change our personal and business culture through these stories and share our message more effectively.