Active Coaching and Follow-Up

Obtain Agreement on Goals

Agreement is the foundation of coaching. You build agreement in the beginnings as you commit to
working together and throughout your relationship as you pursue the coaching objectives. The
agreement process includes the following steps:

1. Inquiring into and advocating different perspectives

2. Presenting proposals
3. Checking for understanding
4. Checking for agreement
5. When agreement is in question, revisiting step 1 and beginning the process again

Note: The person you are coaching must see a clear benefit in attaining the stated goal.

The goal is reach a point of mutual agreement on the goal of coaching.

Create an Action Plan

An action plan contains:

1. A statement of goals
2. Measures of success
3. A timetable
4. A clear indication of how the coach and the coachee will work together

The benefit of a formal action plan is the both parties know exactly what is expected,their mutual
obligations, and how success will be measured.

Sample Action Plan:

Problem: Employee routinely interrupts others during meetings

Goal: A more collaborative approach to discussion during meetings; specifically, allowing others to make
their profits

Action to Be Taken Measure(s) of Success Review

Employee will refrain from
interrupting colleagues during
staff meetings
Employee will listen carefully to
views of others and respond
with follow-on questions, not
speeches
Manager/ coach will comment
on progress after each meeting
No interruptions observed 2/15
during two successful meetings
No complains from other staff
members
Number of follow-on questions After two more joint meetings
asked with employee
Begin Coaching

- Does ________________ what I’ve shown / tell you make sense?

- If you had to ________________, how would you _________?
- Which of these choices A, B, C is the best/strongest? Please tell me why?

Inquiry engages the other person’s attention and encourages problem solving behavior. Telling is also
another part of problem solving. Strike a balance between two.

1. Describe the individual’s situation in a neutral way based on observations

2. State your opinion – your interpretation of what you have observed.
3. Make the thoughts behind your opinion explicit.
4. Share your own experiences if they might help
5. Then encourage the other person to provide his or her perspective.

Overreliance on inquiry can result in the other person not receiving the full benefit of your advice.
Conversely, if you emphasize telling too heavily, you create a controlling atmosphere that can
undermine the coaching partnership. This balance of telling and inquiry assures that you’ll make your
point and that the other person will have opportunities to make his point heard.

Give and Receive Feedback

Give and receiving feedback is an essential part of coaching- supervision in general. Give-and-take
throughout the active coaching phase as the coach and coachee identify issues.

1. Focus on improving performance. The goal is to bring attention to the task/responsibility that is
done poorly but is equally important to give affirming, reinforcing feedback on work that is done
well.-that helps people to learn from what they did it right.
2. Keep the focus of feedback on the future. Focus on issues that can be reworked and improve.
3. Provide timely feedback. Arrange to give feedback as soon as you can after you observe the
behavior you want to correct or reinforce. If you are upset, wait to calm down.
4. Focus on behavior, not character , attitudes or personality. This will prevent the other person
from feeling that he is being personally attacked.
5. Avoid generalizations.
6. Be sincere. Give feedback with the clear intent of helping the person to improve
7. Be realistic. Focus only on factors that the other person can control.

2 Types of Approach

1. Direct coaching -involves showing or telling the other person what to do; it most helpful when
working with coaches who are inexperienced or whose performance requires immediate
improvement
2.