‘C.O.A.C.H.' - Coaching in/and Training (Part 2)

This article is a continuation of my previous post entitled ‘C.O.A.C.H.' – (Control, Observe, Analyze, Create - Connect, Help) where you could find at the link https://aboutbusinessculturedevelopment.blogspot.com/2021/08/c.html

The purpose of the article is to analyze the role of a coach and a trainer, their common technical elements and how one role complements and connects with the other.

 

Both roles have many things in common and one to complement and to engage. Especially if we are talking about training on Leadership, soft skills, EQ, diversity & culture development.

 

Coaching is also training and training should include elements and content of coaching.

Coaching and training are used interchangeably so often that it leads many to believe there’s no difference between them. Add mentoring and consulting into the mix and it gets more confusing but always intriguing! 

In reality, there are many connections between training and coaching, but It’s important to understand when and where each strategy works best so you can develop a learning strategy that uses the right tool for the right content. When it comes to developing your team members, it’s critical to understand whether they need coaching vs. training to grow and develop their skills.

‘Imagination, Curiosity, Intent, Focus, Engagement, Authenticity, Criticism, Form and Reform, Skill, Representation, Context and Purpose are elements of a great Coach & Trainer’

Training and coaching both have a role to play in effective learning, but they offer distinct benefits for the learner. Because of that, both should be treated as independent development tactics that can complement one another and when they are used in tandem to develop your people, it can unlock huge benefits for company culture and overall outcomes.

Use coaching to meet the individual needs of your learners and provide personal, ongoing support cause is a great way to meet learners where they are. More than likely, your learners will come to the initial training with diverse backgrounds and experiences, which means the individual challenges they encounter will vary widely, too. Coaching is the most effective strategy for providing tailored feedback and reflection, and working together to develop a growth plan.

Use coaching immediately in and after training to build on what your people have learned cause isn’t about telling someone what to do, it’s a long-term tool for facilitating learner-driven growth.

If training is step one, then coaching is step two. After the initial knowledge transfer is complete, coaching helps learners improve their skills.

Coaching and training are frequently used in conjunction with each other in order to really develop the ability of an employee or employees at work, so that they can contribute more towards the success of the company. Employees receive training in order to teach them skills, with coaching sessions then getting them to utilize these skills to maximum potential.

The reality is that training is similar to business coaching in that sessions performed over time rather than a single, one-off event are by far more effective and bring about superior results. Not only do a lot of skills require more than one session in order to teach all of the information, but the human brain is not perfect at retaining information, and as time goes by more of what was taught in the training event will be forgotten. 

For this reason, refresher training is essential to keep the information and ideas taught at the forefront of the worker's mind when they are carrying out their workplace duties.

 

While face-to-face learning is still an important part of a modern blended learning platform, the rest of the time the L&D trainer will need to assume the role of coach by providing invaluable support and encouragement throughout the learning journey.

 

‘Coaches & Trainers should grow the interest of connecting, collecting, earning, engaging, observing, questioning networking and to be opened, as well as helping their people to have more affective responses to their surroundings’.

 

Coaches and Trainers are partners.

 

Coaching can help people recognize and develop their own strengths, target and improve weaknesses, improve their outlook in their working lives and improve their leadership skills. It unlocks potential in individuals, resulting in a more motivated, skilled and productive workforce. 

According to research by the International Coach Federation, of the respondents surveyed, 80% of respondents reported improved self-confidence and 70% said work performance had increased.

So, managers must be able to do more than just identify an employee’s key strengths – they must look deep within an employee and identify their potential.

Perhaps the first and arguably most important role of the coach/manager is communicating the importance of learning and development to employees. There are several reasons this is important and may be necessary (rather than optional).

First, it’s about helping to remove old attitudes or misperceptions about learning and development that the employee might carry over from previous jobs. In many companies, L&D is not valued. In some, it may be actively denigrated. It can be challenging for employees to shake those misperceptions once they’re established and become ingrained.

‘The stronger is the culture for a trainer and coach, will help him/her to be more engaging, more opened and resilient, more flexible and adaptable at the same time as well as more effective on growing strong interpersonal relationships’.

By speaking with employees, learning about their aspirations, and deeply understanding their strengths, weaknesses, and aptitudes, coaches enable the creation of career path development tracks. These lay out what employees need to be trained in at each stage along a career path that might take them far from their current position with the company while ensuring that talent stays in-house.

Organizations should look to managers as more than just someone who deals with performance management – they should be seen as training partners, and an extension of the L&D team in many ways. Decision-makers must recall that L&D and performance management are two sides of the same coin and they should support and augment each other.

An Impactful Trainer/+Coach has M.M.I.V. - Motivate, (creates) Mission, Inspire, (show) Vision = Growth