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Did you know that the word "coach" did not
originally come from the English language? It comes from the Hungarian "kocsi",
which means coach or bus. In 1556, it was used for the first time in
England. So, what is a coach? It is a vehicle that brings you to your goal.
It brings you from A to B.
A coach – and now I do not mean the bus but the
"consultant" – is a person
who helps you get from A to B. He or she helps you reach your goals.
There are many methods and tools coaches can use to help their clients get
from A to B. One method I want to mention here (as the first tool of a
whole series that will be continued in the next eNCDine issues) is
brainstorming.
Usually, coaches listen and ask questions to help coachees find their own
solutions. However, there are situations where it makes sense for the
coach to provide some input. Brainstorming is a great method for this
because it helps generate more ideas than coachees can develop on their
own. Do not forget to ask for permission before you use this method if you
are a coach!
Here is an example dialogue that demonstrates how brainstorming in a
coaching session works:
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Coachee: I’m stuck with this ...
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Coach: What is it what you would like to
do?
-
Coachee: I don’t know. Anything you would
recommend?
-
Coach: How about brainstorming together?
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Coachee: Why not?
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Coach: Okay. I suggest we start by writing
down any thoughts or ideas that come to your mind right now. Once we
have them all down we can explore what might be possible.
-
Coachee: Well, I could for example ...
Using brainstorming like this can help
coachees generate more options on getting from A to B, even if they
initially believed they had no idea what to do.
Having at least five options for reaching a
goal is a (scientifically proven) foundation for an ideal solution. So
make sure you keep asking the coachee: "What else comes to your mind? …
And what else? … And what else?" From time to time, you may make your own
contribution, but make sure the coachee contributes at least two thirds of
all ideas.
[Next part of this series in
eNCDine June 2004]
Christoph Schalk lives in Germany and directs the international
consultant network of the Institute for Natural Church Development |
