8 Tests of a Successful Coaching Discussion

After you have a coaching discussion, do you ever find yourself wondering how well you did as a coach?  Do you sometimes second guess what you said or did, think of other things you should’ve said, or wonder if you covered everything that you set out to do?  World class coaches know that there is more to coaching than just the discussion itself.  While preparation for the coaching discussion is a key ingredient in effective coaching, evaluating your coaching effectiveness is another important part of your coaching responsibility.

Use the following eight questions to test your effectiveness after each coaching discussion:

1. Did the coachee feel supported and that I am not the enemy?
2. Did I communicate that I’m focused on his/her potential as much as his/her need to change or improve?
3. Did the coachee fully understand what he/she needs to change, improve, or continue doing (the coaching topic)?
4. Did I help the coachee understand why he/she needs to change, improve, or continue what he/she is doing (the compelling need)?
5. Was the plan of action created jointly and does the coachee have a sense of ownership for the plan and results?
6. Did I listen effectively and let the coachee express his/her point of view?
7. Was I coachable and did I ask for feedback?
8. Do I have a plan for reinforcing or following up on the coaching?

Often times your coaching self-evaluation will be the indicator of the likely results that will come from your coaching effort, even though it is largely in the hands of the coachee to make changes and/or desired improvements.  It will also give you a better sense of how much and when you need to follow-up or what additional coaching may be required.

Taking just a few minutes to review these eight tests of an effective discussion will keep your coaching skills and abilities sharp and help you be better prepared for other successful coaching conversations.  Now more than ever before, organizations need skilled coaches who can unleash the potential and performance of all members of the organization in a way that translates into bottom line performance.