Business coaching session through the lens of user research
‘Would you be interested in producing and publishing an essay on your experience being a business coach explaining an aspect of User Research?’ asked Andrew Ward my former MBA fellow last Christmas.
This felt very timely as I had recently lost two special people to Covid and any donations made for the essay, would be going to Covid relief charities.
Having some background as an editor, I thought I should be able to write on experience. And research? Haven’t I just spent the whole last year studying research methods as part of my doctorate? A piece of cake, I initially thought. However, explaining how it relates to UX was not so clear as it is something I was not that familiar with.
However, during my call with Andrew, he pointed out a few times how I’ve developed my practice to the needs of users.
After further reflection, I realised that I have been, indeed, employing a structured method of coaching reflecting ‘user’s need’ from session to session.
From my novice perspective, the introduction to UX appeared like a market researcher meets a journalist and perhaps I have been using it unaware of it at the end.
Introduction
In my humble contribution I will be focusing on the experience of developing a business coaching session, reflecting my needs as a business coach and employing my research over some time to adjust my practice in line with the ‘users’ needs.
Business coaching varies from one coaching school to another, a coach to a coach and also a session to a session. There are a few common variables of business coaching that separates professional coaches from wannabe coaches.
Any professional coach listens more than talks, asks strong questions, holds her or his clients accountable and guides, as opposed to, tells clients what to do.
Pre-performance stretching
For the business coach, each session starts about 30–60 minutes before the agreed time with filling an online A4 Logbook form. This form sets some tasks and asks the coach a series of questions, preparing them for the upcoming session. This can be compared to pre-performance mental stretching.
For the mind, the process helps the coach to prepare for the session and helps them to leave their own agenda behind and be fully present for her or his client and their needs.
Some of the tasks include:
- refreshing coaching rules
- owning the coach’s current thoughts and feelings
- reviewing the client’s last week’s work
- checking the technology and some other tasks.
For the body, adding a few short physical stretching exercises releases tension and helps the coach to start the coaching session on a happy, relaxed note. When the time does not allow for physical stretching, the difference in the coach’s energy is observable. Once this is done the coach is ready to start the coaching session.
About 5–10 minutes before the coaching session is due to begin, the coach sends her or his client a message via their preferred online communication service letting the client know that he or she is ready whenever they are. A good practice tip is to also send a confirmation/reminder to the client a day before their meeting, often saving the coach’s time and preventing embarrassing moments for the client about a missed session.
Since the pandemic has started all the sessions have been moved to an online setting and Skype, Zoom, Hangouts and FaceTime are used.
Use of assignments and accountability
During the coaching session, both the coach and the client use the Coaching protocol. It is a two-page hardcopy or online form with a variety of questions that give the session a structure. It is completed by both parties every coaching session as a separate document.
Following clear guidelines makes use of the allocated time efficiently and delivers tangible results.
It is not unusual for clients to arrive at their coaching session in a bit of a state — with too much to do and not enough time. It is surprising, and reassuring, to find out how effective just one hour of clear focus and asking the right questions and pulling answers out, can shift the initial disturbing mindset of the client to “I can do this and I know how”.
The session starts with a so-called check-in. A few short questions that check the frame of mind, physical condition and so forth, allows the client to let go of whatever is going on for them out there and be present for their session.
Once the check-in is done, an accountability part follows. The client completes a self-assessment of the assignments they set for themselves at the last session. The scoring provides a percentage and the total shows how much the client accomplished. Of course, in an ideal world, a score of 100% is desirable. Yet, in real life, it is more common for people to score anywhere between 60% — 90%. A client might score 60% and be very pleased with her or his achievements whereas another client scoring 90% might feel some disappointment. No score is good or bad, it is simply what it is. Although, the higher the goals the client sets, the greater the resourcefulness and grit need to be. Assignment assessment is a critical aspect of coaching as it measures progress, improves learning from mistakes, and boosts confidence and creativity.
In regards to the assignment section, most clients usually have something to share from having completed this activity. Therefore, providing a space for a few minutes to allow them to do this makes the session more complete for them and helps them prepare for the most creative part of the session — goal setting and designing their action plan.
Setting clear goals
The objective of this section is to help clients become clear on what they want from the session. Further, they need to provide a clear indication of how they, and the coach, will know goals have been accomplished. Such goals can range from tangible ones, such as creating a plan or a list, to less tangible ones like gaining clarity, making a decision or other things the clients have on their minds. The session’s goal or goals should generally be connected to their big goals that are set during the first or the latest the second coaching session. Progress can then be tracked in subsequent sessions so that achievement of goals can be assessed and celebrated when achieved. Sometimes a goal might be set irrespective of the cycle objectives, which is fine, and sometimes even necessary to move forward. Either way, we aim to set SMART goals which refer to ones that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. Measurable goals are set more easily for tangible objectives. When dealing with less tangible ones we aim to measure results using scales instead.
When the goals are not clear the rest of the session will be out of place or simply not worthy.
The chances are that if the goals are not clear to the coach, they won’t be to the client either. There is no shame in spending time, even a whole session, on setting goals. Extra time on this can ensure the client is crystal clear on what they are trying to achieve. Clients that are new to coaching might struggle initially and will need more guidance, as opposed to more senior clients that often come to the sessions with their pre-prepared goals.
Once goals are clear, a commitment from the clients is required. This simple task makes them aware of their responsibility to come up with the best possible action plan that is designed to achieve their goals by the end of the session.
Creating an action plan
Now is the time to deal with the content of the coaching session. We always work on one goal at a time and the client chooses which to work on. Designing an action plan requires the coach to be fully present, connected to the client and skillfully using a variety of questioning techniques. Knowing when to pause, to listen, and let the client think is also important. Silences might sometimes feel a bit awkward, especially in an online setting where it is challenging to read the client’s energy and body language, but here more than in any other part of the coaching session, it is good to remember that “silence is golden” and pays off.
A variety of questioning techniques are helpful and include those that are:
- supporting clarity, discovery, possibility
- generating a responsibility
- opening vision
- raising awareness and many more.
It is the coach’s experience and creativity that needs to be employed to get the clients to work at their maximum capacity and get them into the flow where they are completely absorbed in the process of the coaching.
This stage should provide a complete list of possible solutions or actions for that particular goal. The coach then supports the client to make the list manifest in their life and asks about what needs to be done and by when. This process is completed for every goal that needs to be accomplished in the session. It might sound like a straightforward process but it is often not. Clients might get stuck or need to make a difficult decision. There are special coaching tools for such cases that need to be sensibly used for the clients to move on. To close up this part of the session, the coach needs to check with the client if they received the results and if there might be anything else needed for them to feel complete.
Maintaining momentum
Having set clear goals and created a plan, the objective of this last section is about maintaining momentum. Further, it can encourage the clients to make inspiring, challenging or out of the comfort zone commitments to be put into action between coaching sessions. Clients choose their commitments and they can also take on so-called holistic add-ons that further challenge them mentally and physically. I have noticed that most of my clients, once they are confident in the creation of their chosen future, they become unstoppable and these add-ons are more of a cherry on top, complementing their key goals.
We then proceed with session closure where the client is asked about their biggest learning point from the session.
And before saying our good-byes, double-checking if there is anything else they need to share or that they have to ask to be complete is required. And voila, the coaching is over.
It would be good to hear about any coaching relationships you may have had and how would you describe your experience?
I’d like to express my sincere appreciation to Andrew Ward for giving me the opportunity to be part of the Charity Collection of Essays for Pandemic Relief and to Jo Herlihy for her excellent editorial support.
