Bill SituClub President The path that I am currently working on is Effective Coaching (EC). A couple of weeks ago, I completed the level 4 capstone project of this path. This project, titled "Improvement Through Positive Coaching", required me to deliver a speech about my experience coaching someone, who can be a person in or outside of Toastmasters. For the purpose of this post, I'll cover a few key points that I talked about in my said speech. I've always been a strong believer in the value of coaching. As the well-known Chinese proverb goes, "Give a person fish, you feed them for a day. Teach a person to fish, you feed them for a lifetime." Now I do have to admit — I actually know very little about fishing :( Luckily, fishing here is a metaphor for skills coaching, and this is something I do extensively :) In Toastmasters, I've helped many members learn about the Pathways program. Outside of Toastmasters, I also tutor students and train cadets. Coaching, if done properly, can be hugely impactful. It can greatly enable an individual to successfully master a particular skill. Personally, I have a list of different principles on how to effectively coach. Begin With Proper Knowledge and StrategyI've written a post before on why knowledge is so essential for successful leadership. The first step in coaching involves being knowledgeable about the skill itself and the person you're coaching. The latter allows you to customize your strategy and technique accordingly. Strategy is vital in that it serves as a road map both for you and the person you coach. An effective strategy needs to be both coherent and systematic. In teaching, there is a curriculum planning process called backwards design. This involves starting with a definite end goal. From there, you would create mini-goals along the way. This way, student progress becomes both measurable and achievable. I've always made it a practice to understand my students' specific needs from the beginning. This way, I can determine the proper goals for them. From here, I can also select the right materials and focus on the specific areas that the student needs work on. Provide Consistent GuidanceMe teaching a student at the tutoring centre The beginning stages of learning and mastering any particular skill is always the most challenging. As a coach, this is where you need to step in and play a proactive role. Still, it is also a mistake for coaches to be doing too much of the work. I myself have done this in the past. The end goal of coaching someone is so that that person has full mastery of the skill. By the end, the person you coach should be competent enough to independently perform the skill you are instructing them. The way to enable this is to guide. Whomever you're coaching needs to be doing the actual work involved. Without it, they'll simply never get the grasp of the skill. There is a way to properly provide guidance. As a two-time VP Education, I have familiarized other people in the duties of this position. I do this by providing specific, detailed instructions, but I leave it to whomever I'm instructing to do the actual duties. Still, I regularly check to see how well that person is handling the job. As the person I'm coaching begins to handle the role more proficiently, I gradually step back. Offer Praise and Suggestions for Improvement as NeededPositive and critical feedback are both necessary, as this Toastmasters International video explains. This is something to do in the process of providing guidance. Anybody who receives coaching will be looking for validation on how they're doing. Praising will offer reassurance and motivation to keep up performance. At the same time, suggestions for improvement will help steer that person in the proper direction.
At the start of this year, we brought on board two club coaches — Yulin and Andy. Both have been phenomenal to say the very least. Through their knowledge and eagerness to help, I and other club members have been able to learn the proper practices of growing the club. Just a few days ago, we successfully qualified for President's Distinguished! I'll give a fuller story about this in an upcoming post, so stay tuned :) In closing, what personal suggestions do you have on effective coaching? Comment down below and maybe share with us some of the coaching work that you do :)
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August 2020
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