South Wales Coaching Network – May
01.06.2017
Our May session took the format of a panel discussion and we were pleased to welcome Paul Sampson (BBC Wales) and Donna Howells (United Welsh Housing Association) as our in–house experts.
We began by talking about the major challenges faced by internal coaches in businesses. Paul and Donna shared some of their experiences and challenges grounding coaching as a practice in their organisations.
We discussed how the coachee is referred – is it a self referral or from a manager? We questioned whether the commitment is hindered if coaching is recommended as a development tool in a 1:1 via a line manager.
We then spent some time discussing the all important initial meeting – ‘The Chemistry Test’.
It was highlighted within the group that coaching as an everyday style was considered as important as the more formal 1:1 sessions. Filtering through into ‘corridor conversations’ and day to day management style is where some of the real differences (using coaching) was evident.
In terms of the requirements for coaches, we discussed:
- CPD / Supervision
- Coaching hours – self managed with Line Manager approval
- Vetting / application process
- Network – sharing best practice
We also explored different methods for evaluating the impact of coaching, including:
- Surveys – staff surveys
- Belief vs data
- Culture – desired impact
Paul and Donna also shared their ideas on how to promote coaching and offered suggestions on practical activities that help promote engagement, such as drop in sessions to raise awareness.
Donna used such events to showcase coaching as a tool to be used for customer interactions. Many that tried the techniques found them empowering, enabling others to use coaching more widely throughout the organisation.
Others felt the offering of formal qualifications was a draw for internal coaches. We talked about the importance of supervision, on going personal development and maintaining a learning momentum.
A huge thank you to Donna and Paul for leading such an insightful discussion – all who attended found it really valuable and enjoyable.