Coaching Training for Managers

Curious Conversations
4 coaching conversations in 3 days (live programme)
4 coaching conversations in 4 x 3.15 hour sessions (virtual programme)
6 - 8 coaching conversations tailored to your in-house team's time availability

You don’t need to be a coach to have coaching conversations at work.  But you do need to learn coaching skills.

Curious Conversations promises a head, heart and hand experience for managers to learn the core coaching skills and other techniques to have Curious, Challenging, Championing and Courageous Conversations in the context of everyday work.   Conversations that most managers have on a weekly basis. 

These 3 days of live training or 4-8 sessions of virtual training and expert feedback on the 4 typical work-based conversations, will enable managers to improve their communication and relationship skills, improve the job satisfaction of staff and to reduce conflict at work.  The programme is delivered by two Co-Active Coaches.

84% of workers say that coaching should be part of every business’s management and development programme. (City and Guilds research Nov 2018)

As professional leadership coaches, coaching supervisors and trainers with decades of experience between us, we often observe managers asking “have you thought about doing x” or “why don’t you do this” as an example of good coaching skills.  They often ask “why?” and are surprised when someone acts defensively, or use great questions out of context, by not really listening to what the other person has actually said.  We know that most managers are expected to take on the role of a coach, with little or no training and are invariably ill-prepared for the task.   What they believe coaching is, or what they’ve experienced in the past, in reality is a nicely framed instruction or a conversation based on someone else’s agenda.  Not coaching at all.

Open programme dates:
Live in Edinburgh 2020 dates: 2/9, 7/10 and 4/11 (these may be changed to virtual)

Get in touch with Kate via email  to book your places or why not invite us to run Curious Conversations in-house, we can be flexible around what platform suits your organisation and how to chunk down the programme to fit into your time constraints.  

Action Learning (virtual and on-site)
Learning to listen and not give advice

Following a coach-approach, Action Learning utilises the skills of active listening, questioning, support, challenge, inspiration, reflection, and action; all within a safe and confidential space.  It offers a process for people, groups, and organisations to resolve real issues and problems in real time and to provide a system of accountability that supports action and learning.

What is it?

Whether run virtually or on site, Action Learning develop leadership skills, decision making and creative problem solving it helps to create trust and deepen relationships within the Set.  In addition, it develops individuals on a personal and professional level by regular use of:

• Asking powerful and focused questions
• Developing creative and open-minded solutions
• Managing complex issues
• Sharing experiences and finding commonalities
• Bringing new perspectives and problem-solving solutions to a real situation

How does it work?

An Action Learning Set typically has between 5 and 7 members, but within the virtual arena this is reduced to 5 or 6.

Each Action Learning Set (ALS) is made up of the facilitator (the external coach), the Set Members who in turn becomes the Issue Holder and experience how to find their personal solution through the insightful questions, observations and reflections of the set.  Depending on the groups need, supporting training is woven through the session to raise the level of listening, feedback, challenging and questioning abilities.

Action Learning Sets are run over 6 sessions every 3 to 5 weeks and can last half or full days depending on whether run virtually or on-site.   Some sets may choose to continue after the 6 sessions.

Get in touch to find out more.

Mentoring Skills
Mentoring skills for managers

Every workplace uses mentors in their own unique way whether informally by looking after new recruits, young people or recently seconded team members or more formally through a buddy system or even matched mentor programme.

Depending on what your needs are we can offer anything from a two-hour sessions to full days of training for managers, helping you to:

• Develop key mentoring skills using coaching-based tools and techniques
• Look at your mentoring processes and how they can be more effective
• Provide mentoring supervision for your in-house mentors
• Training on how to mentor millennials

Whatever your needs, these interventions will help your organisation and managers strengthen your Mentoring Muscles by considering the clarity of the role, expected behaviour and the boundaries of mentoring, as well as fundamental mentoring skills.  It’s a great opportunity to reflect upon and refresh your current mentoring training at work.

For more information and to find out how we can help you avoid the Generation Gap at work, contact Kate today