APPLIED COACHING RESEARCH JOURNAL 2020 , Vol . 6
Coaching the Person in Front of You ( UK Coaching , 2018a ) to help coaches foster a stronger connection with participants and players , and ultimately improve their relationships .
This article presents the findings from an independent evaluation of the Coaching the Person workshop , including how the CPD has benefitted learners to date .
Keywords Person-centred , relationships , soft skills , understand , connect , thrive .
Background High quality coaching in sport and physical activity requires expertise in technical skills , soft skills and self-management ( Cote and Gilbert , 2009 ). Effective soft skills ( or ‘ interpersonal ’ skills ) include the ability of coaches to communicate , inspire and build relationships with participants and athletes ( UK Coaching , 2019 ). In particular , there is a large body of work that highlights how important it is for coaches to foster positive and genuine relationships with the people they coach ( eg Activity Alliance , 2014 ; Jowett , 2017 ).
The most recent sector strategies also call for more to be done to help coaches improve their soft skills and build better relationships ( HM Government , 2015 and Sport England , 2016 ). The principles of ‘ Great Coaching ’ developed by UK Coaching strongly emphasise the importance of relationships and person-centred coaching ( UK Coaching , 2018b ).
Coaching the Person in Front of You In 2018 , UK Coaching developed Coaching the Person in Front of You , a three-hour interactive CPD workshop , designed to help anyone involved in coaching ( coaches , trainers , leaders , activators ) hone their soft skills to have the greatest possible impact with their participants . The workshop included :
• how coaches can develop and model a person-centred philosophy
• strategies and tactics to help coaches identify a person ’ s individual needs , motivations and goals ( using the understand + connect = thrive framework )
• how coaches can provide the most engaging experiences for all of their participants . were delivered throughout 2019 and into early 2020 . In order to understand how effective the workshop was at nurturing soft skills , and to identify any feedback that could improve delivery , an independent evaluation was commissioned . This was conducted by the research agency BlwBo Ltd . The evaluation had the following aims :
• To understand the impact of the workshop on the coaching workforce , including any reported changes to practice or behaviour .
• To understand how the workshop had helped , and specifically , which elements of the content were the most beneficial .
• To provide recommendations for improvement .
Methods Feedback was gathered using surveys and semistructured interviews *. In particular :
• A pre-workshop survey was completed by 18 workshop participants ( who all attended workshops in January and February 2020 ).
• A post-workshop survey was completed by 28 workshop participants ( of which three attended workshops in 2020 and the remainder attended workshops during 2019 ).
• Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 individuals including 14 workshop delegates , workshop tutors , as well as staff from UK Coaching and partner bodies .
* The number of learners providing feedback was lower than anticipated because several workshops were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic .
Results New skills and approaches
Workshop participants identified a range of new soft skills which the Coaching the Person in Front of You workshop had helped them to develop ( Figure 1 ). Just over 60 % of learners reported they had developed skills and approaches that helped them create positive first impressions and helped them to understand what motivates different participants . Over 50 % felt they had developed better relationships , were delivering more tailored effective coaching , and had greater understanding of people ’ s needs .
Independent evaluation Coaching the Person in Front of You workshops
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