Case Study (*Obligatory)

Now we will present a case study, where you can try out your peer coaching skills. The whole case study is obligatory.

!!! Please write on a paper or in a word document, what you would answer in the following case study.

You could share your results with us via Twitter using #PeerCoachingOC

Start phase

In this phase the roles are distributed. Today, Thomas has a very urgent challenge to solve and asks Anna to the his peer coaching facilitator. Brian and Isabell support as advisors.

Problem phase

Anna (peer coaching facilitator): Thomas, please tell us, what is your problem about?

Thomas (client): I want to be able to do better time management to free my mornings for working on a long term project (a three-weeks peer coaching course), but I keep getting distracted by emails, phone calls, and project meetings.

Anna (peer coaching facilitator): Is it about mornings or timeslots in general?

Thomas (client): Well, if I think about  time management in general. Could be afternoon, too.

• What would you ask next, if you were the peer coaching facilitator?*
• If you were the peer coaching facilitator, how much information would you need to continue with the next phase?*

Vision

Anna (peer coaching facilitator): ….

• What kind of questions could Anna ask Thomas to change his pattern state?*

Resources

Anna (peer coaching facilitator): What kind of ressources do our advisors suggest that could support Thomas?

Brian (advisor): being consequent

Isabell (advisor): self-efficacy

You (advisor): ….

• Which resources would you suggest Thomas as an advisor?

Setting goals

Anna (peer coaching facilitator): What is your goal for this session?

Thomas (client): I want to find a way to spare time during my working day for an extra project, I want to pursue.

Anna (peer coaching facilitator): Could you give a clear order to the advisor group?

• What do you think? What could be the order of Thomas? On what do the advisors need to brainstorm solutions for Thomas?

Solution

• Which solutions would you as an advisor suggest?

Anna (peer coaching facilitator): What kind of decisions do you want to make?

Thomas (client): Well, first thing is to see what activities have to be shifted or removed tho particular days. And how to book those 4 hours a day, so nothing can interfere. I would also suggest to make a list on what is really necessary in the different project and activities and prioritize.

Feedback

Anna (peer coaching facilitator): How do you feel now?

Thomas: I loved it, it feels good to be helped by many others.  Everybody  is trying to constructuvely help without judging.

Anna (peer coaching facilitator): What about the others? What did you learn?

Isabell (advisor): I learned that we are all dealing with the same challenges.

Brian (advisor):  I thought about the priorities  as a solution for myself.

• What did you learn from this peer coaching?

Back to Week 3

Guidelines Peer Coaching Group

Prerequisites…

…for starting a peer coaching group.

• You have participated in EmployID peer coaching online course OR you are a professional coach and informed yourself about the peer coaching process.
• You are motivated to facilitate others learning and you are also interested in bringing in your own challenges.
• You accepted the code of ethics for your peer coaching grour OR actively created this code of ethics and then accepted it.
• Your are okay with organizing the first sessions (e.g., meeting schedule, facilities, moderation of the group).

…for participating in a peer coaching group:

• You have participated in EmployID peer coaching online course OR you are a professional coach and informed yourself about the peer coaching process.
• You are motivated to facilitate others learning and you are also interested in bringing in your own challenges.
• You accepted the code of ethics for your peer coaching grour OR actively created this code of ethics and then accepted it.

How do you start a peer coaching group?

There are different possibilities to start a peer coaching group.

1. Ask other participants of this online course if they want to participate in your peer coaching group.
   1. Either ask participants directly (personally) or
   2. write a post in the forum, that you are searching for members for your peer coaching group.
2. Ask other participants from the onsite workshop.
   1. Either ask participants directly (personally) or
   2. write a email for request to the organizers of the workshop.
3. Ask other peer coaching interested colleagues to take the next peer coaching course to start with you a peer coaching group.

How do you participate at a peer coaching group?

• Volunteer for participation in a peer coaching group, when someone is starting a group.

Checklist for the first peer coaching group meeting:

• Make a list of the participants and decide with the group how often, when and where you want to meet as well as how you plan and organize your sessions (e.g., via email).
  • Usually peer coaching groups meet, when someone in the group has a challenge to work on. Then appointments are made between the one who organizes the peer coaching group and the one who has the challenge to solve.
  • Some groups meet every month and do their priorizing of topics as part of the warming-up before the first session starts.
• Decide together with the group on ethical guidelines or create a group code of ethics to be distributed to all members of the peer coaching group and for all to agree on.
• After the code of ethics is agreed on by every member of the group, the first peer coaching sessions can start.
• Ask the group members who is facing (urgent) challenges and who would like to volunteer as a peer coaching facilitator.
• Prioritize the challenge and start with the most urgent and important one, if the group agrees.
• The client should decide for his or her peer coaching facilitator. There is NO asking on why the client chooses or not chooses for a peer coaching facilitator. The client does not need to explain him- or herself.

Back to Week 3

5. Growth Mindset Orientation

The concept of Growth Mindset was developed by American psychologist Carol Dweck. It is a combination of many concepts that lead to be growth mindset oriented.

A Growth Mindset…

• … believes that necessary skills and knowledge to be talented can be developed,
• …believes that intelligence can be increased by learning,
• …knows that it sometimes requires tenacity and persistance and
• …knows when to best seek for assistance.

A Fixed Mindset…

• …believes only in natural born talent,
• …believes only in natural born intelligence and
• …is impatient in getting successful.

(Dweck, 2007; Richard, 2007)

Give it a try now!

Excercise I (*Obligatory)

Test on how much of a growth mindset you have: (This is an external link to another website.) The Test is based on Dr. Robert K. Greenleaf’s “Growth and Fixed Mindset Inventory” from Greanleaf Learning (2014).

Excercise II

Think of something that reminds you of being growth mindset orientated. What could that be? Keep this something close to you (maybe at your office) to remind you of being growth mindset oriented.

Excercise III

What would you ask a client or peer during coaching to make him or her aware of his or her growth mindset?

Back to Week 2

3. Active listening

Active listening is important for building trust between coach and client. It is a way for the coach to show the client that he is compeletly with him and his concerns. Understanding listening enables the client to talk open about stressing, burdensome, unpleasant and even embarrassing situations.
Carmen: “I had a trainer once for “communication in coaching” during accomplishing my coaching seminar who told us that active listening is the most valuable coaching intervention/tool and that we not need more interventions if we are experts in that alone.”

So what does it need for active listening?

1. Non-verbal communication: First you need to build up a good contact to your client, because that is one of the conditions for active listening. It means you need to have eye contact and your non-verbal communication must show that you are with the client by for example nodding or try to take in the same body language. I mean no imitation, but try to make the client feel equal and understood through your behavior.
2. Paraphrasing & summarizing: Second you do paraphrasing. This means you listen and repeat parts of what you heard in your words to show you actually listened and to give the client the chance to be more precise about his wording.
3. Mirroring: Third you do mirroring. This means you tell the client what you perceive from his emotions and behavior. “I have the impression that this is a real burden for you.”
4. No valuation: Do not valuate.
5. Focus on client: The client is in the center of focus. This means you are not meant to speak about yourself; give your opinion or object to what is said by the client.

What should you avoid?

Feedback

Feedback is always something that should be asked for. Do not give feedback, if someone does not ask for it. Not only because this can be understood as very rude, but also because everyone is different in taking feedback.

There are certain rules in giving feedback, that you should know about.

Feedback should be…

• …constructively: It should be motivating and empowering instead of crushing. It should give a perspective for further actions.
• …describing: Feedback needs to be objectively in a way, that the situation is rather described then interpreted. The meaning of giving feedback ist to support the other to improve.
• …concrete: No blanket statements, that do not lead to concrete actions.
• …subjective: If you are interpreting, then always from your perspective, so use “I”. “I think…”, “I am the opinion…”, ” I am of the impression that…”
• …positive and negative: Find positive and negative aspects and try to mix them.
• …clear and precise: Say clearly what is needed to be improved in your opinion.
• …realistic: The feedback should be realistic for the person, situation etc.
• …immediatly/ directly: Best to give feedback directly, and not wait for hours and days. It is hard to remember what was done when time strides ahead.
• …asked for: The receiver of the feedback should be the one deciding if he wants it or not. (Seifert 1998, p. 72f.)

The next time shou give feedback, try to remember these points and ask if your are allowed to givee feedback.

Give it a try now!

Excercise I

Try out to give a client or a colleague feedback, by using the feedback rules.

Back to Week 2

4. Powerful Questioning

Sometimes they are also called reflective questions, open questions, coaching questions etc. Powerful Questioning is a method on using questions that support the client to reflect and think more deeply about what for example the situation the problem occurs really is about. For example the question “How would your supervisor feel about this?” This forces the client to take in another perspective and role, which can change the current view of the problem and lead to ideas for solving it.

Some questions are more and some less powerful. In any way avoid the “why”. This is a powerful question, but it leads to force the client to back up and explain him or herself. This brings the client into a negative emotional state which leads to no creative solutions.

Give it a try now!

Excercise I

Constructive-positive-powerfull vs. the negative-justificative

This excercise needs to be done in pairs. Maybe you can find a colleague who is interested in excercising his or her powerful questioning too (even if they did not attend this online course).

You have 2 minutes to have one of you to state a problem and why she/he thinks that happened, then the other person will ask negative-justificative questions like “why not?”, “how come you didn´t do it other way?”, “why were you so naive?”, finally let the other respond, when the other is done responding, continue with the negative-justificative questions.

After two minutes it is the oppsoite way around. The one who asked the questions before is responding to those negative-justificative questions now.

Afterwards reflect on how you both felt when you asked  those negative-justificative questions and were asked those negative-justificative questions. Make some notes for yourself.

Then its turn to the constructive-positive questions, repeat the above with the good questions (see powerful questions triangle above), you will have at the end the words of the feelings created by the negative questions vs. the powerful questions, which creates an emotional cognitive consolidation of the experience about the powerful questions.

Back to Week 2

2. Emotional Awareness

One of the indirect results of coaching is the emotional self-awareness and it is activated by the coach through questions focusing on feelings, affects, etc. But this is not only a result from coaching for the client, but also an ability the coach needs.

For the client it means to be aware of one’s feelings and attitude it is the knowledge or perception of the self. Knowing about your current emotional state and what influences it, is the first step to changing this state.

If you want to bring your client or peer into a positive state you can invite the client  or peer to think of a moment of pure happiness or a former success or of a hot chocolate with marshmellows (iy you know the client or peer likes that).

Just say: “Can you imagine a moment where you were really happy? How did it feel? What did you think” Or you can do thatmore  future-oriented by asking “Imagine your problem is solved. What is there then? How does it feel? What do you think then?

Give it a try now!

Exercise I (*Obligatory)

Think of a current challenge you have and try show it by your mimic, your gesture and your posture and remain there for a few seconds (yes, right in front of your computer :-)).  Afterwards please think of a very happy event in your life and show it likewise. Reflect on how it feels and what you think by taking in the different states!

• What was different?
• Was is useful to you?
• What did you feel?

Exercise II

Put a pencil between your teeth without letting your lips touch the pencil. Stay like this for two minutes.

• How do you feel now?

Background: The way you moved your muscles around your mouth now is the same way the musles are moved when you are smiling. There are some studies that proof that, if you you force yourself to smile, you feel better in some time. Of course, that does not change the situation you are in, but it gives you a  change to break free from intellectual barrieres and gives you the opportunity to find useful solutions.

Exercise III

Try a powerful posture!

When you are challenged with a difficult meeting or client and you feel uncomfortable about it try to take in a powerful posture for 2 minutes before the meeting and try to keep of with a upright posture.

A powerful posture is like superheros are standing with upright back, chin up, hands on your hips, feet solid on the ground.

To avoid embarrassing situations, better do the powerful question somewhere you are not disturbed by anyone. In case you are distrubed, just explain this great technique.

Try to focus on:

• How do you feel before taking in the powerful posture?
• How do you feel while taking in the powerful posture?
• How do you feel after taking in the powerfuk posture in the meeting?
• Is there a difference to other meetings without this technique?

Back to Week 2

1. EmployID peer coaching process knowledge and transfer

For this skill please check the material on the EmployID Concept again.

You can train the process also by using the following self-coaching approach. This teaches you process and prossible questions in the different phases.

Peer Coaching concept I structure:

• Phase 1:  Problem & situation
• Phase 2:  Vision, resources
• Phase 3: Collecting resources
• Phase 4: Setting goals
• Phase 5: Solution & next steps

Guidline for EmployID Self-Coaching, that you can use to learn the process:

Phase 1: Problem & situation

• Which concern would you like to work on?
• How would you describe the actual problem curtly and bold?
• What have you tried so far to solve the problem?
• How far are other persons concerned by the problem situation?
• Can you feel the problem physically or spring suitable pictures or metaphors to your mind?
• If your problem is solved optimal, how will you recognize it?

Phase 2: Vision, resources

• Imagine you’re on holiday and your problem has been solved overnight. What happened to solve your problem?
  • How do you feel now that the problem is solved?
  • Can you feel anything physically after the problem is solved? What do you feel?
  • Which thoughts are running through your mind now that the problem is solved?

Phase 3: Collecting resources

• What helped you in past resembling situations?
• Fill you resource wheel with resources that could help you in the current situation.
  • Think of internal resources such as strengths, values, capabilities.
  • Think of external resources such as other persons, communities, tools.

Phase 4: Setting goals

• How will you recognize in your actual situation that the problem has been solved?
  What’s different?
• Which goals can you derive for your concern?
  • To which part of my concern refers the goal?
  • How can I notice that I have reached my goal?
  • How attractive and challenging is reaching the goal for myself?
  • How realistic is my goal?
  • Till when is the goal to be reached?

Phase 5: Solution & next steps

• How can you put your goal/ goals into practice?
• What are possible steps?

Now, you can start your Self-Coaching right away!

One step futher: Receiving feedback!

If you want you can improve your Self-Coaching process by getting others involved in giving you feedback just like in the peer coaching.

In Phase 3 ask others (collagues, friends, family) about what they think are your internal and external resources. You can also take the resource heel as help.

After clearifing the goal, you can ask others (collagues, friends, family, even strangers) on their ideas for solutions and next steps.

Give it a try now!

Excercise I

Think of a common challenge of yours and go through the process again to find out if you have understood it sufficiently.

Back to Week 2