Thirty tips to become a better performance coach (part 1 of 3)

1. Ask open questions. Asking closed questions prevents people from thinking. Asking open questions causes them to think for themselves.
2. Make your coachee think. Ask open questions that demand your coachee to focus more than usual to give accurate answers.
   Here's an example: 'Can you summarise in three headlines the added value of awareness and responsibility for your coaching activities in the future?' rather than 'What do you remember from the previous chapter?'.
3. Don't be judgemental. Ask open questions that demand descriptive, non-judgemental answers. This way, you avoid causing self-criticism or damaging your coachee's self-esteem.
4. Resist the Why? question. Asking why often implies criticism and triggers the coachee's analytical thinking process. And analysis (thinking) and awareness (observing) are two different mental processes that are virtually impossible to combine to full effect.
   So aim for questions that start with words such as what, when, who, how much and how many.
5. Keep it short. Make your coaching questions clear and unambiguous. It helps when you limit yourself to one brief question. And listen for the response before launching a new question.
6. Go on a trip. A useful metaphor for the GROW model is the plan you might make for an important journey. First, you start with a map that helps your coachee decide where they are going (their Goal) and establish where they currently are (their current Reality). Then you explore various ways (the Options) of making the journey. In the final step, establishing the Will, you ensure your coachee is committed to making the journey.
7. Go undercover. You don't need a formal coaching session to raise someone's awareness and responsibility. In fact, most coaching takes place unsolicited, with the coachee unaware of the process. The coached individual will simply think that you were being particularly helpful and considerate. This means that every conversation you have becomes a potential testing ground - a learning experience - to improve your coaching skills.
8. Ask for, and be open to feedback. Everybody learns, even the best coaches. So do ask for feedback from your coachee. Besides the positive learning experience for you, it has the extra benefit for improving the relationship. You increase the chances that your coachee will be more open to feedback when s/he is next on the receiving end as feedback is becoming part of the way you interact.
9. Set goals at the start with a self-evaluation form. I have mentioned before how important it is to begin the coaching process, formal or informal, with a clear definition of what your coachee would like to achieve. Using a self-evaluation form helps this process tremendously. There are many lists on the internet, or if you can't find one that suits your needs, build one. With as few as 10 questions you can offer your coachee your first added value.
10. Don't let the good guys get away. When coaching for performance, you aim to improve certain performance shortcomings of your coachee. But remember, it's not all bad all of the time. I'm sure you can find several good, even great, behaviours that your coachee possesses.
    But without the proper attention, s/he might not be aware of them, or even worse, adds them to the list of behaviours that need to change.
    Make sure you identify those positive behaviours and help your coachee leverage them. It's a great way to stress the positive and help your coachee reach goals faster by building on existing strengths at the same time.

read part 2 of 3