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Coaching. Becoming a Breakthrough Coach. RESULTS International Conference, July 2012. What is Coaching.
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Coaching Becoming a Breakthrough Coach RESULTS International Conference, July 2012
What is Coaching The assumption behind coaching is that something can be made better or improved at an individual level. The coach’s role is to help an individual recognize where they are “stuck” and help him/her devise strategies for removing the barriers and/or getting around them. But it is also about learning why those personal barriers existed in the first place so that the coachee can recognize and manage them him or herself in the future.
Coaching & RESULTS • An objective of our strategic plan is to create a culture of coaching so that people have the support they need to do things they would not other wise do—to have personal breakthroughs. • The only way to become a coaching organization is to coach—to have all of us coaching and supportingothers to do thing they wouldn’t otherwise be doing. • We can all learn by doing. With time our coaching will get better and better as we help more people take action.
Why Is coaching Necessary? • We are operating in an arena, advocacy, where most people have little experience: people lack the skills and experience—so it’s not a comfortable place. • Media portrays the controversy and not the progress on many issues—so we become cynical • Many people experience the world as a place where they have little power to affect big change. Even experienced advocates can revert to feeling cynical and powerless. • Discomfort, powerlessness, cynicism are present for most people we will deal with.
What Does This Mean for Us? • Good news: for most people even a very simple action will represent a breakthrough • Bad news: it will take a lot of support & time to bring many people to believe that their actions really make a difference • We need to be aware of where people are starting from—both new and existing advocates • We need to realize that not much will happen toward creating political will without a cadre of people supporting others to take action regularly • We need to be aware that the natural tendency may be to return to a state of cynicism, powerlessness, and fear • We need to regularly practice helping others address feelings of powerlessness, cynicism, and discomfortif we want to make progress
So How Do We Coach? • Find out if they’d be willing to take action if we could provide an action that really made a difference—ask permission to put them in action. • Provide examples of how our actions matters in order to inspire • Find actions that represent the next challenge or breakthrough for the individual and support them to take it • Strive to bring out bolder and bolder action over time
What Brings Out Your Boldness? • Personal requests? • Someone expressing confidence in you? • Knowing you will have support? • Knowing what is at stake? • Knowing what could be achieved? • Knowing what this could do for you personally? • Understanding how it will improve your standing?
Action Hierarchy • Learn some new information and talk about it: read an article, fact sheet, watch a video, etc. • Take an on-line action • Come someplace: a meeting, an event • Write a letter in a group or alone • Make a call: recording, front desk, congressional aide • Activist Milestones are a good source
What Does Support Look Like? • Doing the action together • Demonstrating the action (three-way calls are great) • Referring them to the Activist Milestones • Setting a date and time to do the action and follow up on it with them • Practicing with them before they take the action • Provide phone numbers, email addresses, web addresses to reduce barriers to taking the action
Conversation #1: New Action Taker • Ask someone you know to take an action. They may know about RESULTS, but havn’ttaken action as far as you know. • Find out if they’d be willing to take action if the action really made a difference • Have examples of how our work matters to inspire. • Find actions that represent the next challenge or breakthrough for the individual and support them to take it • Ask what kind of support would be helpful (have suggestions ready)
Conversation #2: Someone Who Has Taken Action • What is different about this conversation? • Celebrate them taking action in the past • Show how past actions have fed into wins or successes in order to inspire • Find an action that represent the next challenge or breakthrough for the individual and support them to take it • Ask what kind of support would be helpful (have suggestions ready)
Conversation #3: A Partner • What’s different in this conversation? • Celebrate their work as an advocate and as part of the group • Remind him/her of the the wins or successes to inspire • Acknowledge the need for a bold action to create political will, or the need for leadership in the group • Ask the partner if he/she would consider taking this action or role and express confidence in their ability to do it • Ask what kind of support he/she would need to take on the challenge
How Do We Create Weekly or Regular Coaching Situations for Ourselves?
Ideas • Be aware of partner ambitions for breakthrough • Choose a friend to work with over several weeks • Choose an action network person to work with each week • Regularly ask friends, family, and colleagues to take the action on the action sheet • Other ideas?
