APPLIED COACHING RESEARCH JOURNAL 2021 , Vol . 7
Providing structure at the start allowed the CoP to grow
Although CoPs are not meant to be structured , some structure was necessary at the start to introduce the CoP concept to the coaches . The Coach Developer felt that this was important to help guide the coaches when the CoP was in its infancy .
Coach Developer
“ The semi guided approach was good to start . It gave a scaffold for the coach leading the CoP to do their planning and allowed it to become less guided as it went on … The scenarios we used to prepare the coaches gave real clarity about how to set up a conversation .”
Potential Value
CoP members developed new skills , especially when leading CoP meetups
As a result of the CoP , coaches were able to develop new skills including preparing and leading sessions . In particular , they developed their questioning and listening skills through leading a CoP .
Coaches
“ Leading the session made me think and prepare slides for planning so I enjoyed this and learned more from this .”
“ I ’ m more confident to ask questions . I had a perception that my natural way of questioning was annoying ! But now I see the value of it !”
Coach Developer
“ The coaches improved their confidence and skills from leading sessions : questioning , listening , patience , picking up on cues , holding a silence are all things I ’ ve noticed , or they have told me they have improved .”
Not only did the coaches benefit from the CoP , but the Coach Developer also developed personally as a result of the sessions .
Coach Developer
“ Exploring other approaches made me reflect ( eg using the CIF tool gave me something more objective to reflect about as a CoP organiser , whereas I used to focus too much on more subjective , general or less meaningful factors - eg how many turned up ) … My personal understanding of CoPs has gone to another level . I feel I can tell other people about them now .”
Online CoPs created new relationships and shared learning
The CoPs gave the coaches the opportunity to connect with each other and develop relationships that go beyond the PF programme .
Coach Developer
“ It has gone beyond the ‘ we are on a programme together ’ relationship ; they have made connections and mention other coaches often in our conversations . Some have developed real relationships .”
It also enabled them to share resources and learn from one another , particularly about topics they wouldn ’ t normally have time to discuss .
Coaches
“ People uploaded research papers to our WhatsApp group , sent in additional reading and shared their personal reflection summaries of the conversations .”
Coach Developer
“ I think the coaches used the CoPs as sense making space … for knowledge topics they wouldn ’ t normally have time to digest as much as this . Learning this way has shown them the value of a different way of learning .”
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