How to optimise tension in a coaching conversation
Continuing their series on challenging coaching Ian Day and John Blakey, co-authors of ‘Challenging Coaching’, take a look at how to turn tension into a positive thing. In this eighth article in the series on ‘Challenging Coaching’ and the FACTS coaching model we will focus upon the ‘T’ of FACTS, which stands for tension. Previous […]
Practise what you preach: Transfer your skills
Simon Price, associate solicitor and professional development lawyer at DWF, considers the need for teaching transferable skills and how businesses can invest in the future generation. When looking at today’s competitive job market it is clear to see that an increasing number of positions, including graduate roles, require today’s jobseekers to be self-starters who are […]
Challenging coaching pt6: Courageous goals, moving beyond SMART
Continuing their series on challenging coaching Ian Day and John Blakey, co-authors of ‘Challenging Coaching: Going beyond traditional coaching to face the FACTS’, take a look at courageous goals. “The world we live in requires great courage and patience” – Tao Te Ching. In our book ‘Challenging Coaching’ we introduce the FACTS coaching model […]
When is a trained coach a competent coach?
If you are seeking to become a coach, the myriad of qualifications on offer can be overwhelming. University of Cambridge’s Keith Nelson explores just how qualified you need to be before you can start practising. There are some people who see a qualification in coaching as a quick-fix ticket to becoming a professional coach. The […]
Mentors: Who are they? What do they do?
In keeping with our monthly theme, here’s an overview of mentoring from Joanna Bloxham. Mentors. We see them in our workplace, hear them at school, but who are they? What do they do? To keep it simple, mentors help us learn based on their experience, exposure and connections. Consider learning anything new – we start from […]
What is coaching – and what does it mean for your organisation?
To kick off coaching month, Firefly’s Kirsty Baker gives us an overview of an industry that is often misunderstood but is expanding rapidly. Coaching was historically a form of encouragement and training, traditionally used in sport to get the best out of players and competitors. However, it wasn’t long before the realisation came about that […]
Government scheme to encourage mentors for SMEs
The coalition government is hoping to create an “informal” nationwide network of 40,000 business mentors over the year ahead to support small-to-medium enterprises in areas such as HR, marketing and finance. The initial plank of the scheme, launched by the British Banking Association yesterday, is expected to see 1,000 current and retired employees from Barclays, […]
Survey shows employees want more workplace training
Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 In a happy marrying of priorities, three quarters of employees would be keen to undertake more workplace training, while four out of five HR professionals are making staff development a key focus this year. A three-year research project commissioned by Middlesex University’s Institute for Work Based […]
How to: Develop a culture of learning pt2
John Pope concludes his piece about how businesses can embed a culture of learning in the workplace. You can read part 1 here… Make knowledge easy to find and get Make it attractive and easy. One scientific company used a big central space in their new building as a meeting place and coffee lounge, with some […]
How to: Develop a culture of learning
John Pope tells the community how businesses can embed a culture of learning in the workplace. Read on… A lot is written about training and ways of increasing its effectiveness. And I, in common with many others who have run training programmes, have wondered how much of what I have presented really sticks, how seriously those […]
Coaching: Making them listen
Stephen Walker examines the coaching and mentoring process to explore the issues of permanent behaviour change. We all know that any training, coaching or mentoring is a two-way process. Regardless of how the training is delivered, face-to-face or internet-based, the learning outcomes depend on both the trainer and trainee. Some training is to do with […]
Coaching: To each according to their need
More than ever before, coaching isn’t a one-size-fits-all discipline. Dr Anton Franckeiss elaborates. The role of coach should, by now, be understood. Although complex, it needs to embrace a range of activities: encouraging self-awareness and awareness of impact and relationships; providing feedback; posing questions and setting challenges that encourage and that raise the sights […]
How to squeeze every last drop from your coaching performance
Francis Marshall looks at how coaches can improve their performance through a focus on diagnostics. Despite all the pessimistic predictions, business coaching – so often considered a luxury item in L&D – appears to have emerged relatively unscathed from the last few years of training cuts. While some individual freelance coaches might have seen […]
What to look for in an external coaching provider
Are you thinking of investing in coaching? Or perhaps setting up on your own as a coaching provider? Hannah McNamara gives the community some tips. Visit the website of any company operating in the learning and development arena and you’re almost guaranteed to find coaching listed as one of the services on offer. On the […]
Asda launches mentoring scheme for mums
To coincide with International Women’s Day yesterday, Asda unveiled its Mum2Mum maternity leave mentoring scheme, while the TUC also published guidance for employers on how to support female workers going through the menopause. Asda’s Mum2Mum mentoring initiative is targeted at women going on maternity leave to "help counteract the dips in confidence and motivation mothers […]
Companies have “no comprehensive overview” of coaching
While a huge 86% of organisations have introduced coaching or mentoring programmes, nearly two thirds fail to directly support corporate objectives but focus instead on developing individual talents. To make matters worse, 15% of employers have put no measurements in place to assess the outcomes of their coaching and mentoring initiatives. These are the findings […]
The future of coaching is in the hands of every coach
In the last of his series of coaching articles, Alan Ward outlines the responsibilities that every coach has, to ensure the success both of their own practice and of the profession in the future. Widely acknowledged as the seminal publication for our profession, ‘Coaching for Performance’ by Sir John Whitmore was first published in […]
Top 10 tips to design and implement a successful mentoring programme
Gaby Marcon gives her top tips on ensuring your mentoring scheme gets up and running without a hitch. Successful mentoring programmes are the result of good planning and implementation. The checklist that follows is based on experience in a wide variety of programmes. Whether you are starting a programme or addressing issues with an existing […]
Coaching Case Study: “I don’t want to be here at all!”
In this month’s coaching conundrum, Richard Hawkes looks at how to deal with an unhappy coachee who is frustrated in their job and wants to leave. How many times have we been in the position where our coachee does not wish to be where they are at that moment? This may be fine for an individual, […]
Social media mentoring service launches
A new personalised mentoring service for CEOs and senior executives wanting to better understand and effectively use social media has launched. Social Media For Suits (SMFS) offers high level executives a tailored one-to-one training aimed at saving time and money, increasing productivity, raising and monitoring the profile and brand of the organisation as well as […]
