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- Coaching Skills Training: A tale of two managers
What are managers to make of all this talk of coaching? Despite the rhetoric is there really any place for this type of approach is the real world of work? Can managers really adopt a coaching style without losing sight of other skills that have made them successful? This article starts the debate.
Date of Article: 30Sep2008
Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation
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- How to establish rapport in coaching
Rapport is a somewhat exotic English word derived from the French verb rapporter, meaning to bring back, to refer. The English meaning, a relation of harmony, conformity, accord or affinity, indicates the importance of rapport to communication and consequently coaching. This article examines what coaches need to know.
Date of Article: 05Sep2008
Category: Business - General
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- The arguments against introducing coaching
In a previous article I set out what I believe to be the compelling reasons why organizations should implement coaching. This article examines the counter arguments which we beleivers in coaching must sometimes respond to.
Date of Article: 17Aug2008
Category: Business - General
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- The arguments for introducing coaching
This article provides a sound rationale for introducing coaching in an organisation so that those responsible for doing so can maximise their chances of securing the necessary support.
Date of Article: 14Aug2008
Category: Business - General
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- When to coach
Deciding when to instigate coaching can be tricky, especially in a work situation. This article considers the factors that need to inform your decision.
Date of Article: 11Aug2008
Category: Business - General
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- Why Coaching?
Coaching, coaching, coaching.... really good stuff, yadda, yadda. Great organizational benefits, blah, blah. This article sets out the REAL case for coaching
Date of Article: 06Aug2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching Skills Training: How to work with coaching questions
My Coaching ARROW, the ubiquitous GROW model or any of the dozens of other acronyms out there are often thought of and referred to as coaching models but this is a mistake. This article sets out how coaches and managers can be sure their questions achieve the desired result.
Date of Article: 02Aug2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching Skills Training - The ARROW sequence - Way Forward
In previous articles I introduced the coaching ARROW, a questioning sequence designed to help coaches navigate a coaching session. We've so far examined setting Aims, checking Reality, Reflecting and generating Options. This article examines the final stage - Way Forward - in detail.
Date of Article: 30Jul2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching Skills Training - The ARROW sequence - Options
The coaching questions we ask under the first three headings of the coaching ARROW help the people we coach to decide where it is they want to go, where exactly they are starting from and how big the gap is between the two points.
Date of Article: 29Jul2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching Skills Training - The ARROW Sequence - Reflection
Previous articles in this series have considered the first two parts of the Coaching ARROW; Aims and Reality. This article examines the third step; Reflection
Date of Article: 28Jul2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching Skills Training: The ARROW Questioning Sequence: Reality
If the aims uncovered in a coaching session represent a destination; where a person is trying to get to, then it follows that we need also to think about the starting point. In other words part of our role as coach is to help people understand the reality of their situation.
Date of Article: 08Jul2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching Skills Training: The ARROW Questioning Sequence: Aims
In a previous article I introduced the coaching ARROW. A questioning sequence designed to help coaches navigate a coaching session. This article examines the first stage - Aims - in detail.
Date of Article: 27Jun2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching Skills Training: Introducing the Coaching ARROW
This article guides readers through a model called the coaching ARROW. A questioning sequence designed to raise awareness, generate responsibility and build trust.
Date of Article: 24Jun2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching Skills Training: Mind the gap!
Effective coaching managers deploy all of their attitude, skills and knowledge to work on the same aspects in the people whom they coach. This srticle considers coaching around performance gaps in each of these areas.
Date of Article: 21Jun2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching Skills Training: Coaching knowledge
Alonsgside the skills of questioning and listening, what do managers need to know in order to be able to coach well?
Date of Article: 17Jun2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching Skills Training: Key Skills: Active Listening
Coaches put a great amount of effort into asking useful questions. Unfortuantely such efforts can be in vain if we fail to listen just as effectively. This article considers different levels of listening and their effect on a coaching conversation.
Date of Article: 13Jun2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching Skills Training: Key Skills: Asking Questions
The two main skills of coaching are undoubtedly the ability to ask probing questions and the capacity for active listening. This article looks at asking questions.
Date of Article: 11Jun2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching Skills Training: Coaching and Sexuality
A coaching conversation at work can often take an unexpected turn and unveil a deeper concern. Managers are advised to become familar with the basics of psychology in order to spot signs of probelms that coaching may not reach. This article considers matters of sexuality
Date of Article: 07Jun2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching Skills Training: Abnormal psychology and cultural differences
Sometimes a perfectly innocuous coaching conversation may reveal a deeper problem. This article - from a series on coaching and abnormal psychology - considers the part that culture may have to play
Date of Article: 04Jun2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching Skills Training: Coaching and Personality Disorders
What starts as a simple, straight-forward coaching conversation around a work related problem can sometimes uncover a deeper issue. Managers who coach are advised to develop a little psychological awareness and this article consdiders the main factors in personality disorders
Date of Article: 30May2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching Skills Training: Treating abnormal psychology
Following on from the series of articles examining the signs of abnormal psychology of which managers are advised to be aware, this article considers different approaches to their treatment.
Date of Article: 23May2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching Skills Training: The 3 principles of coaching
There are numerous coaching models and questioning sequences out there, but they are all useless unless supported by an understanding of the principles on which they are built
Date of Article: 20May2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching Skills Training: Coaching and Communication 3
How does coaching fit with the standard, traditional styles of management communication?
Date of Article: 18May2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching Skills Training: Coaching and Communication 2
Continuing the theme of how differing communication styles can impact the effect we have on our teams and how coaching fits
Date of Article: 17May2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching Skills Training: Coaching and Communication 1
Coaching at work is surrounded by mystery and is leaving managers baffled by what they need to do. This article simplifies coaching by starting to examnine its place within an overall approach to communication.
Date of Article: 13May2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching and Psychology
Managers who coach need at least some knowledge of the psychology on which many coaching approaches are based. This article considers the contribution psychology has made to the area of personality disorder. An extreme condition but one not unknown to have been uncovered by coaching.
Date of Article: 26Apr2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching and alcoholism
What starts as a coaching conversation regarding a simple works based issue may uncover a deeper concern. Managers who coach are advised to develop an awareness of the main causes and types of abnormal psychology. This article considers alcoholism and drug addiction.
Date of Article: 24Apr2008
Category: Business - General
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- The manager as coach
How difficult is it to be a manager and a coach to the same group of people? Can a manager be a coach at all or is it best to hire in an external provider? The article examines the issues.
Date of Article: 22Apr2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching Myths
It is widely agreed that coaching is a much-misunderstood concept and it is perhaps not surprising that many myths have sprung up around the subject. Can you see any truth in the following for example?
Date of Article: 18Apr2008
Category: Business - General
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- A philosophy of coaching
Coaching draws on so may fields and approaches that it can be difficult to find a starting point. How can coaches in organisations adopt a simple stance that will enable them to choose from the bewildering array of models and theories? This article sets out a point from which our journey through coaching can begin.
Date of Article: 15Apr2008
Category: Business - General
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- Introduction to Coaching
Can there have ever been a more misunderstood term in organisations than coaching? It gets confused with sports coaching, gets used to describe all manner of management behaviour and for every manager who has received some coaching skills training there are twenty more claiming they are 'naturals'. This article seeks to establish the basics.
Date of Article: 14Apr2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching compared
I've lost count of the numbers of times I have been asked to clarify the similarities and differences between coaching and things like mentoring and counseling. This article is intended to establish some daylight between them all so that we can be assured that we're giving people the help they need.
Date of Article: 11Apr2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching and phobias
What if a coaching session takes a turn towards unfamilar territory? What if we start coaching around a business issue and end up discussing personal issues? This article takes a look at a common form of abnormal psychology - phobias, so that managers who coach can spot any early warning signs.
Date of Article: 08Apr2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching and eating disorders
Coaching may uncover deeper issues than are suggested by the initial reason for the coaching session. Whilst I would not advocate amateur psychotherapy, managers who coach would do well to familiarise themselves with some common conditions.This article focuses on eating disorders
Date of Article: 07Apr2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching and schizophrenia
The modern place of work is the scene of much stress and sometimes deeper issues may be revealed. This article considers the disturbing condition of schizophrenia and how managers who coach may notice the early signs.
Date of Article: 06Apr2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching for Depression
Coaching at work may uncover deeper issues than first appears to be the case and we need to be able to spot the signs of a bigger problem. What, for example, should the coaching manager know about depression?
Date of Article: 01Apr2008
Category: Business - General
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- Speed Coaching
Does coaching have to be a long, drawn out affair or can it be done at the speed necessary for the modern business environment?
Date of Article: 30Mar2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching the nervous presenter
Coaching on pressentation skills is one of the most popular and effective uses of coaching at work, but is it really possible that we can help people conquer their nerves?
Date of Article: 18Mar2008
Category: Business - General
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- The story of the old man and motivation
Why is it so diificult to get people motivated? Why is it so difficult to keep them motivated once they are? Perhaps this old man has the answer in the way he uses motivational tools.
Date of Article: 11Mar2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching and the Hawthorne effect
How can we use coaching to bring about an immediate improvement in motivation? It it true that performance improves merely by being more attentive to people?
Date of Article: 26Feb2008
Category: Business - General
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- How to link coaching sessions
How can you avoid the 'stop/start' nature of coaching sessions? How can we make sure that one coaching session flows naturally into the next one?
Date of Article: 25Feb2008
Category: Business - General
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- Coaching to improve focus
We all know that coaches ask thoughtful questions, but how can we formulate such questions ourselves and bring about the right effect. How can we make sure our questions and instructions are helping our people move forward and not just getting in the way?
Date of Article: 23Feb2008
Category: Business - General
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- Top 10 tips for handling difficult employees
What if it turned out that there were no 'difficult people', just difficult circumstances that need handling differently?
Date of Article: 21Feb2008
Category: Business - General
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- How to coach your boss
Mostly we think about using coaching as a means of developing the staff within our teams, but how can we use coaching to manage the behaviour of our boss?
Date of Article: 13Feb2008
Category: Business - General
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- Understanding how the coachee feels
For coaching to really take root we need always to understand exactly how the coachee might be feeling. This article shows you how.
Date of Article: 12Feb2008
Category: Business - General
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- How to build trust to build oustanding results
How the Johari Window model can be used to build the trust so essential to an effective coaching relationship
Date of Article: 11Feb2008
Category: Business - General
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- A new approach to coaching
We all know that as managers these days we're required to be effective coaches for our people, but where do we start. How can we learn the required skills. What if our beliefs and assumptions about people are getting in the way of all the models and techniques?
Date of Article: 08Feb2008
Category: Business - General
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