4.4 Research Question 3: What are the personal and professional gains and learnings internal coaches have obtained on their journey from health professional to internal coach?
4.4.1 Developing Listening as a Skill
The participants in the study spoke of their learnings during the training period. The skill of listening was debated in particular, and participants discussed how they had acquired the skill to listen and listen with intent and how important listening was in the coaching process. Participants described how they learned ‘listen and listen harder’ and ‘the ability to actively listen’.
“Listening with intent, not just hearing the words hearing the thing ….if I am not listening at the right level, I am not giving the best to the client”. …show more content…
(P8)
Other key learnings discussed by the participants in the study were to “stop fixing” (P1) and “help clients to understand what they could do for themselves” (P1). The “power of silence” (P2) was discussed and the “different theories of how people relate to one another (P5) and that “coaching is a very specific process” that “required specific skills” (P4).
The participants spoke of the feeling and the experience involved in helping the coachee, how they can work with them in sessions to achieve best outcomes. Some participants spoke of their desire to help the client and how their habits and approach have now changed.
“Naturally I would be a fixer, so when people come to be coached I would say right ‘what can I do to help you’… rather than ‘what can you do to help yourself’… it went from me helping to getting them to understand what they can do for themselves… so that was probably the biggest challenge and learning… to enable me to do that”. …show more content…
That for me is the biggest piece of it”. (P3)
4.4.4 Developing Coaching Confidence
In contrast to their nervousness prior to their first coaching session as described in 4.3.4 participants reported that the process is very different now and described how their confidence has grown and how they enjoy coaching sessions now and look forward to them.
“I actually look forward to it now…I really do… I look forward to the calls… and the challenges of hearing where other people are and helping them to work through that’. (P1)
“I now have that methodology now, if I am coaching somebody at 10am, from a quarter to 10 onwards, the signs are up on the door, the phones are off and I am getting myself into the zone, reminding myself why I am engaging in coaching, who is it for, what are the key things I as the coach I need to be aware of and generally getting myself ready to be with the coachee”.
4.4.1 Developing Listening as a Skill
The participants in the study spoke of their learnings during the training period. The skill of listening was debated in particular, and participants discussed how they had acquired the skill to listen and listen with intent and how important listening was in the coaching process. Participants described how they learned ‘listen and listen harder’ and ‘the ability to actively listen’.
“Listening with intent, not just hearing the words hearing the thing ….if I am not listening at the right level, I am not giving the best to the client”. …show more content…
(P8)
Other key learnings discussed by the participants in the study were to “stop fixing” (P1) and “help clients to understand what they could do for themselves” (P1). The “power of silence” (P2) was discussed and the “different theories of how people relate to one another (P5) and that “coaching is a very specific process” that “required specific skills” (P4).
The participants spoke of the feeling and the experience involved in helping the coachee, how they can work with them in sessions to achieve best outcomes. Some participants spoke of their desire to help the client and how their habits and approach have now changed.
“Naturally I would be a fixer, so when people come to be coached I would say right ‘what can I do to help you’… rather than ‘what can you do to help yourself’… it went from me helping to getting them to understand what they can do for themselves… so that was probably the biggest challenge and learning… to enable me to do that”. …show more content…
That for me is the biggest piece of it”. (P3)
4.4.4 Developing Coaching Confidence
In contrast to their nervousness prior to their first coaching session as described in 4.3.4 participants reported that the process is very different now and described how their confidence has grown and how they enjoy coaching sessions now and look forward to them.
“I actually look forward to it now…I really do… I look forward to the calls… and the challenges of hearing where other people are and helping them to work through that’. (P1)
“I now have that methodology now, if I am coaching somebody at 10am, from a quarter to 10 onwards, the signs are up on the door, the phones are off and I am getting myself into the zone, reminding myself why I am engaging in coaching, who is it for, what are the key things I as the coach I need to be aware of and generally getting myself ready to be with the coachee”.