An introduction to coaching

What is coaching? Here are the basic principles of coaching and what happens when somebody engages in a coaching partnership. Find out what a good coach does.

Read the text and then do the exercises.

An introduction to coaching

1
Coaching is a useful tool in today’s challenging world of business and commerce. Companies are downsizing, merging and restructuring and there is far more job transition than before. Sometimes managers are no longer equipped to do their work because their jobs have changed so much. They were originally trained to do one job but that training cannot be applied to the job they are doing today. Coaching is also one of the most powerful tools that a leader has in order to improve the performance of his team.

2 
Coaching is a partnership between an individual or a team and a coach. For the purpose of this article we will refer to an individual but the concepts are exactly the same for a team. First of all the individual identifies his objectives. Then, through the process of being coached, he focuses on the skills he needs to develop to achieve those objectives. In professional coaching the individual begins by leading the conversation and the coach listens and observes. Gradually, as the coach begins to understand the individual’s goals, he will make observations and ask appropriate questions. His task is to guide the individual towards making more effective decisions and eventually achieving his objectives. Coaching looks at where the individual is now and where he wants to get to.

3
Between the initial interview and an individual achieving the goals he identified, there is a process in which the two parties meet for regular coaching sessions. The length of time each session lasts will be established at the start of the partnership. Between sessions an individual might be expected to complete specific tasks. A coach might also provide literature for the individual to study in preparation for the following session. Most coaches employ an “appreciative approach” whereby the individual identifies what is right, what is working, what is wanted and what is needed to get there. An appreciative approach focuses more on the positive rather than problems.

4 
An individual who enters into a coaching partnership will usually adopt new perspectives and be able to better appreciate opportunities for self-development. Confidence will usually grow and the individual will think more clearly and be more confident in his roles. In terms of business, coaching often leads to an increase in productivity and more personal satisfaction. All of this leads to a growth in self-esteem.

5
In a coaching partnership the coach first needs to listen carefully in order to fully understand the individual’s situation. He needs to support and encourage forward-planning and decision-making. A coach also needs to help an individual recognise his own potential and the opportunities that are on offer. A good coach will guide an individual to fresh perspectives. Finally, the coach must respect the confidentiality of his partner.

6
Coaching can bring out the best in workers, highlighting what they can achieve if they are given the right support. Both individuals and teams can enjoy an increased level of motivation after receiving the right coaching. When individuals are keen to make progress in their jobs, they usually enjoy being coached and find the experience extremely useful.

Task 1

Read the text and match the titles to the paragraphs.

Paragraph 1

1. The recent growth in coaching
2. The growing need for coaching

Paragraph 2

1. Coaching: What does is mean?
2. Why do we need coaching?

 Paragraph 3

1. The process of coaching
2. What happens in a coaching session?

 Paragraph 4

1. Becoming a better person
2. The benefits of coaching

 Paragraph 5

1. How to be a coach
2. The role of the coach

Task 2

Match the verb with their definitions.

to downsize     to guide     to observe     to merge     to restructure     to support

• to join together or combine
• to make a company smaller by reducing the number of workers
• to organise something in a new way so that it operates more effectively
• to carefully watch the way that something happens
• to give somebody help and advice on how to do something
• to give encouragement to someone because you want them to do be successful

Task 3

Complete the sentences.

individual     listening     an individual or team     well     outdated     change

1. Some managers are unable to do their jobs well because their training is           .

2. Coaching is a partnership between a coach and                .

3. A coach needs to have excellent                   skills.

4. The                       identifies the objectives.

5. In an ‘appreciative approach’ the individual focuses on what is going                    .

6. It is important for the individual to                         their perspectives.

Task 4

Enter the correct forms (infinitive or –ing) of the verbs in the brackets.

1. Managers often want                           coaches themselves. (use)

2. Coaches need                          what a worker’s goals are. (know)

3. Employees enjoy                      an opportunity to identify their strengths. (have)

4. Companies need                      productivity. (increase)

5. Businesses have stopped                        the old techniques of training. (use)

6. Coaches recommend                        regularly to discuss progress. (meet)

7. Some employees refuse                  coached. (be)

8. The business risks                       clients. (lose)

Keys

Task 1

2, 1, 1, 2, 2

Task 2

to merge          

to downsize

to restructure

to observe

to guide

to support

Task 3

outdated    

an individual or team

listening

individual

well

change

Task 4

to know

having

to increase

using

meeting

to be

losing

Health and illness

health	salud
illness	enfermedad (en general)
disease	enfermedad (específica)
asthma	asma
chickenpox	varicela
smallpox	viruela
heart attack	infarto
heart disease	cardiopatía
hepatitis	hepatitis
ulcer	úlcera
flu	gripe
mumps	paperas
wound	herida (por un arma)
injury	herida
blood	sangre
hospital	hospital
doctor	médico
family doctor	médico de cabecera
nurse	enfermera
injection	inyección
medicine	medicina
pill	pastilla, píldora
prescription	receta médica
vaccine	vacuna
painful	doloroso
painless	indoloro
bandage	venda
band aid	tirita, curita
crutch	muleta
plaster	yeso
wheelchair	silla de ruedas
to feel good	sentirse bien
to catch a cold	atrapar un resfrío
to have a cold	tener un resfrío
to sneeze	estornudar
to cough	toser
to blow one's nose	sonarse la nariz
to feel sick	tener náuseas
to feel dizzy	estar mareado
to faint	desmayarse
to pass out	desmayarse
to be tired	estar cansado
to be exhausted	estar agotado
to have backache	tener dolor de espalda
to have earache	tener dolor de oídos
to have a headache	tener dolor de cabeza
to have a sore throat	tener dolor de garganta
to have a stomach ache	tener dolor de estómago
to have toothache	tener dolor de dientes
to have a temperature	tener fiebre
to have a cough	tener tos
to have diarrhoea	tener diarrea
to have a rash	tener erupciones, sarpullido
to have spots	tener granitos
to have a black eye	tener un ojo morado
to get a bruise	magullarse
to get burnt	quemarse
to lose one's appetite	perder el apetito
to lose one's voice	quedarse afónico
to break one's arm	quebrarse el brazo
to sprain one's ankle	tener un esguince en el tobillo
to twist one's ankle	torcerse el tobillo
to be constipated	estar estreñido
to have constipation	tener estreñimiento
to be allergic to	ser alérgico a
to suffer from	sufrir de
to vomit	vomitar
to throw up	vomitar
to hurt	doler
to swell	hincharse
to take an aspirin	tomar una aspirina