How to Coach Yourself and Others Techniques For Coaching

and the creativity that comes from a conversation that if it had not occurred would not have lead to the same result. Coaching is creativity. My friend and mentor, and outstanding author, Dave Ellis has created a Coaching Continuum in which he outlines the role of the coach from least intrusive to the most intrusive coaching response. In this continuum, as printed below, the dotted line indicates the boundary between classic coaching and advising. It is a line for all coaches to be cognizant of. Listen fully and affirm Listen fully and feed back the problem (or desire) Ask the client to generate a few new possibilities Ask the client to generate many possibilities Add to the client's list of possibilities Present at least 10 possibilities ( some contradictory) Present at least three possibilities Teach a new technique Offer an option Give advice Give advice by sharing or questioning Give the answer Listen to your coaching, maybe even tape record your conversations for awhile to see if you slip into the realm of advising. We all do it so naturally, but as coaches we need to be intentional to eschew advice giving. (The reader can find this explained in detail in Ellis's book Life Coaching which can be ordered at www.lifecoachbook.com .) I believe that the beginning of the coaching continuum is most useful early in the coaching relationship. Even though I am very much a "possibility thinker" with my clients, I never offer my possibilities until I have drawn out my clients creative thinking first. And sometimes, the powerful questioning we utilize from our coaches toolbox, can be disguised advice if we are not careful. There is a difference in the kind of questions you ask and why you ask them. Powerful questions should 438

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