Is Coaching At all times The Reply?
When exercise isn’t the answer
As a learning and development practitioner, situations arise where someone brings us a problem and has already decided that training is the answer. Depending on the seniority of the person you’re dealing with, your relationship with them, and their willingness to be persuaded, hitting the pause button may not be easy.
While the person we are working with may be correct, we should always do our best to confirm this before taking any other action. If we are to be efficient and to solve challenges, we need to take the time to solve the right problem with the right techniques. In other words, it may not be a training problem at all.
When a customer contacts us for the first time, we need to use all the skills and tools available to us. One of the essential skills we should have is active listening. The next is a thoughtful investigation.
Active listening
Active listening involves several elements:
- Watch out
- Withhold judgment
- Think
- clarification
- Sum up
1. Pay attention
Sounds obvious right? We have many opportunities for distraction that hit us throughout the day. Phone calls, text messages, phone notifications, and visitors to our office are just a few examples. When it is time for us to listen, we should do all we can to remove the possibility of distraction. For example, put your phone in Do Not Disturb mode. Meet people in a conference room without your laptop. If you are talking to someone on the phone, turn away from your computer screen during the call. These tips will help you focus on listening and convey to the person you are meeting with that you appreciate them and want to hear what they are saying.
Another important thing to do while actively listening is to speak slowly. If the person you’re talking to pauses, don’t speak right away. You may not be finished, just gather your thoughts. Let a few moments go by. There can be more.
2. Withholding judgment
Often times, when we hear information that we believe is wrong or not what we want, our first tendency is to make assumptions or judge the person who is bringing that information to us. If you want to actively listen to the work you should make an effort not to, as mentioned in the “Paying Attention” section. Avoid speaking or discussing a point. Even when you know you are correct, pause judgment.
3. Reflect
One of the best ways to let someone know that you hear and understand them is to repeat what they said in your own words. They’ll learn that you know and can provide additional information or clarification if you don’t.
4. Clarification
Once you’ve allowed a person to share what they need and thought about what you’ve heard, now is the time to dig deeper. Ask open-ended questions to go below the surface, discover more details, or help them find alternatives to their assumptions, feelings, or conclusions.
5. Summarize
Once you’ve allowed a person to share what they need and thought about what you’ve heard, now is the time to dig deeper. Ask open-ended questions to go below the surface, discover more details, or help them find alternatives to their assumptions, feelings, or conclusions.
Thoughtful request
McTighe and Wiggins (2013) say a good essential question [1]::
- Is open; That is, there will usually not be a single, definitive and correct answer.
- Is thought provoking, intellectually engaging, and often initiates discussion and debate.
- Requires higher order thinking such as analysis, inference, evaluation, prediction. It cannot be effectively answered by calling back alone.
- Indicates important, transferable ideas within (and sometimes between) disciplines.
- Raises additional questions and triggers further inquiries.
- Needs support and justification, not just an answer.
- Repeats over time; That is, the question can and should be repeated over and over again.
Careful investigation is important to determine what is happening. You need to provide additional information, uncover more details, find out what your customers think of a problem, and why they believe training is the solution.
Thoughtful inquiries don’t stop with the customer. It would be helpful if you asked to speak to others. Members of the group in question can provide a lot of insight. Often times, you may find that the real problem is very different from what the customer assumed. Training might solve the problem, but communication, performance management, or the provision of tools and resources may be better solutions. It’s about helping your customers understand the true nature of the problem and leading them to the right course of action. They are no longer considered a training resource. Your customer will see you as a wise partner.
In summary, I am an evangelist for learning. People should learn for life, and organizations should be learning organizations. But exercise isn’t always the answer. As professionals in learning and organizational development, our job is to help clients understand the true nature of what is happening and guide them to the right solution. If the right answer is training, we knock your socks off with stunning training that is effective, engaging and innovative.
References:
[1] What makes a question essential?
