1. Start with a facilitator
To kick off your team coaching journey, it’s crucial to have a skilled facilitator present during the initial sessions. An expert facilitator can guide your team in developing essential skills like deep listening, avoiding interruptions, asking open-ended questions, and refraining from offering solutions. It also helps your team avoid usual dynamics, like the dominant people speaking all the time and the quiet people feeling there is no space for them! As your team becomes more skilled, they can gradually lead team coaching themselves.
2. Adopt an evidence-based framework
One of the most supportive approaches to a successful team coaching experience is working with an evidence-based framework. Solutions Focused circles are a great choice. This framework provides a sense of safety and support, while offering the flexibility to help each gathering feel spacious and not rigid.
3. Cultivate presence
Being present with each other is a key component of effective team coaching. Consider creating a ritual at the beginning of each session that encourages your team to set aside distractions like emails, other tasks, and to-do lists. This helps everyone focus on the here and now, ensuring that they are 100% present and ready to listen to one another.
4. Inspire and motivate with art and quotes
Team coaching isn’t just about problem-solving; it’s also about inspiring, motivating, and resourcing your team. Incorporate quotes, poems, and visual images that ignite inspiration among your team members. Encourage creative ways to uplift and empower each other, making your coaching sessions more sensory and engaging.
These strategies will not only enhance your team’s coaching experiences but will also contribute to a more collaborative and innovative team.
About the author: Andry Anastasis McFarlane is director of THE LEARNING MOMENT. She is a qualified teacher and qualified and highly experienced executive coach and mentor. She has worked as a Senior Lecturer in FE and an assessor in HE. Her work on The Really Resilient Guide has been featured on BBC Radio and iMagazine.
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