Applied Coaching Research Journal Research Journal 3 | Page 14

APPLIED COACHING RESEARCH JOURNAL 2019, Vol. 3
The Research Conference
Inspired Me to Change
Reflections from David Walsh
UK Coaching Ambassador, Sporting Communities Coach and Coach Manager
Two days after attending the UK Coaching second
Applied Coaching Research Conference, I am at
an operations meeting implementing some of the
research, practice and ideas shared into my own
organisations.
I was excited to be invited in my role(s) as a
UK Coaching ambassador, coach and manager
of coaches to attend the research conference at
Derby County Football Club, venue for lots of great
coaching.
Working with Sporting Communities (an organisation
that uses sport to achieve great outcomes in local
communities), I attended the conference to:
• gain an insight into what’s happening with
coaching development
• understand the latest coaching research and how
this is shaping coaching for the future.
If we have up-to-date knowledge of what’s
happening, we can include this insight and best
practice into our broad range of services.
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At the conference, I was particularly taken by
discussions and prominence of the importance of the
health and well-being of the coach.
The benefits of ensuring the health and well-being
of the coach are obvious (although sometimes
forgotten). As coaches we can be under pressure
when delivering to a group of participants; their
mental well-being as a person and a coach is so
important, so the participants can get the most out
of your sessions and engage with you the most.
I attended a session looking at the different styles
and types of coaching. The same coach delivering
to different audiences should have very different
styles. For example, those working with five-year-
old participants should have a persona that’s playful;
for a coach delivering sessions with an older age
group they may need to be more conversational.
To understand the needs of the participants and
adapting the coaching style is crucial.