When it comes to business, listening is an essential skill for leaders to have. As a manager, if you assume the role of coach, you must learn to listen with real concentration, suspending all your judgments and opinions. Not only should you listen to words, but also to nonverbal cues, such as body language. It's also important to pay attention to your own speaking to listening ratio.
Challenging, open questioning, and providing support are key elements for success in training, mentoring, or parenting. Stout-Rostron's book (2001) gives a great description of a coach who has enacted this framework. A coach who supports clients to develop a growth mentality can help them accept their flaws and any mistakes they make on their journey, which increases their self-confidence and impels them to implement their intentions for improvement (Driver, 201). Cognitive training is a person-centered intervention model that helps coaches become self-directed students with metacognitive skills that optimize professional practice.
To keep clients motivated, evidence suggests that coaches can provide constructive, informative, and performance-related feedback as much as possible. It's also a great way to check if the client is satisfied with the training or if there's anything she wants to change in the next session. The ability to maintain a good presence as a coach is another skill that the ICF considers essential. This involves being present, being adequately sensitive and self-managing, among other things. Sir John Whitmore's GROW model adopts a four-step approach to developing the relationship between coach and client.
Effective coaches make a conscious effort to understand their communication styles and, in turn, pay attention to the communication trends of their clients. In general, a coach helps his client achieve specific goals or solutions, processes of change and personal development. To do this successfully, coaches need skills such as active listening, asking the right questions, spotting strengths, and managing progress. The ability to manage progress is an essential training skill that allows professionals to meet the commitments of their clients and take responsibility for those actions. Leaders must be able to effectively use these skills in order to be successful in their roles as coaches. Listening is key in understanding what the client needs and wants from the training session.
Asking open questions allows for further exploration of the topic at hand and provides an opportunity for the client to express themselves more fully. Spotting strengths helps build confidence in the client and encourages them to take ownership of their progress. Finally, managing progress allows leaders to ensure that they are meeting their commitments and helping their clients reach their goals. These nine essential training skills are essential for leaders who want to be successful coaches. By mastering these skills, leaders can ensure that they are providing the best possible experience for their clients and helping them reach their goals.
