According to peterson and hicks, which of the following is the first step in informal coaching?

Coaching is a complete entrepreneurial support practice that contains advice, training and learning (Wu, 2016; Devine et al., 2013). There is no universal definition of coaching, however, most commonly, it is defined as “a managerial, cognitive and informational process combining knowledge, methods and ways offered to an individual or a group in order to detect opportunities and to assure their continuity and their efficiency” (Peterson and Hicks; 2006, p. 14).

 

According to peterson and hicks, which of the following is the first step in informal coaching?

Audet and Cauteret (2013, p. 2) define coaching as “an individual support that targets entrepreneur of new start-up or a growth company aiming to meet a particular need of acquisition, development and skill’s improvement”. This great variety of definitions testifies how coaching is a multidimensional concept. There are in fact many types of coaching: psychological, professional, supportive and emotional coach.

During the research conducted for the development of this methodological guidelines, it was detected that coaching is usually intended as a formal or an informal process:

  • formal coaching desires the presence of protocols, structure and plan: professional coaching is required in a formal relationship.
  • informal coaching requires especially the acceptance between actors: emotional and psychological coaching is required in an informal relationship.

The type of entrepreneurial coaching proposed by the WECAN project is an informal one, as previously illustrated, but it includes some aspect most commonly associated to the more formal kind of entrepreneurial coaching.

The initial task of a WECoach is to shape the relationship with the coachee. An important aspect of the WECAN coaching relationship is that the relationship has a dyadic structure made of female coaches and coachees. This kind of bond increases the level and frequency of interactions among the parts, which is an important feature of a high-quality relationship.

Getting ready for the journey

Before kicking off the journey, WECoaches need to prepare themselves. A starting point is for them to be familiar with:

  • adult learning techniques,
  • how to handle specific types of questions;
  • how to determine competency gaps,
  • accelerate knowledge transfer,
  • address problems in coaching relationships.

By possessing these abilities (most of them have been addressed in the first chapters), WECoaches will be able to design a successful coaching by establishing outcomes, an agenda and the roles of the involved participants but also by determining internal processes and customizing the communication among the two parts.

It is important to underline that technical and professional skills are not all that matters to be a WECoach, in fact the coaches will choose a coach who has the personal traits and the communication style which inspires more trust. As stated in the previous chapters, the WECoaches need to bear in mind that more experienced does not automatically translate into good coach.

The engagement stage

The initiation stage is the engagement phase in which the coach and the coachee establish and forge the relationship.

In this initial phase the coachee may be wondering what to expect from the coach and both parts will have to be open to know each other and learn how to know each other. The engagement is particularly delicate since it represents the moment in which both the persons involved need to explore themselves and the current challenge they are to undertake. It is a discovery moment surrounded by uncertainty and the fear of embarking on a risky journey. Coaching is about a dual interpersonal relationship in which two unknown individuals learn to know each other by deeply listening to each other and by becoming more aware of their wishes and goals.

In this phase they both discuss about their goals, values and expectations. A coaching journey is first and foremost a “communication relationship”. For this reason, the WECoach and the coachee need to define their roles from the very beginning to clarify and establish the objectives of the relationship. The successful outcome of the coaching journey can only be guaranteed if there is an easy and smooth communication among the parts (See chapter 3).

 

According to peterson and hicks, which of the following is the first step in informal coaching?

In order to clearly define the roles in the coaching relationship, it is important to understand that the women who will start the coaching journey will do so voluntarily, moved by an inner motivation and necessity. Thus, the WECAN coaching methodology is an informal relationship based on trust among the parts. Openness and honesty are fundamental to establish a trustful bond (Peterson, 2006; Peterson & Hicks, 1996). If the WECoaches’ role will be to support the coachee in finding their own solution to solve the entrepreneurial questions or overcome obstacles, the coachee needs to place confidence in the coach and let her guide her in this process. The WECoaches do not only offer advice and opinion but also prepare and help the coachee for the entrepreneurial world.

A coaching journey is especially useful when an individual recognizes that she needs to develop professionally and personally and thus needs to reach personal and work-related goals. In the case of the WECAN project, the WECoach will support the coachee encouraging her to overcome a standstill or an obstacle to achieve her entrepreneurial goal and will help the coachee figure out the individual path that will lead her towards the entrepreneurial objective. The WECoach will motivate and encourage the coachee in removing all those attitudes, assumptions and prejudices that impede her entrepreneurial development.

 

According to peterson and hicks, which of the following is the first step in informal coaching?

The relationship coach-coachee is a peer partnership between two women who are willing to start a journey together. Although the seniority level will be different – in fact, the WECoach will have more entrepreneurial experience if compared to the coachee, the relationship will be among peers. In the WECAN project context, peer learning is an informal way of learning, controlled by the involved individuals.

The coach-coachee relationship is an ongoing evolution, in fact the coaching journey changes with the passing of the time. The women involved in the relationship will soon create a deeper bond that can last for a long time and can become friendship.

Setting an agenda

When initiating the relationship, the coach and the coachee will schedule an agenda that can suit them both. They can opt for a more informal and open timetable with meetings that can take place as and when the coachee needs some guidance or they can choose a more structured plan and schedule the meetings on a regular basis. But it is important to set a clear agenda since a successful coaching process involves planning and detailed design of the steps to be taken.

The agenda needs to be set by the coachee with the coach and has to be suitable to the goals they will set and to be adapted to the specific entrepreneurial skills development of the coachee.  Thus, it is necessary that the planned agenda focuses on the specific goal of the coaching journey.

When planning the agenda, both the coachee’s professional development and the personal sphere need to be taken into consideration. The two spheres are usually interconnected and separating them can be particularly difficult, especially when undergoing a coaching journey. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2017/2018 states that among entrepreneurs, women are one-third more likely to be necessity-motivated when starting up a business. In the innovation-driven economies this tendency is even higher, women are even less likely to participate in entrepreneurship compared to men but when they do, they are a slightly higher likelihood of being necessity-motivated rather then opportunity-related. This means that among those women who participate in entrepreneurial activities many of them do so out of necessity or as a last resort. Thus, combining the development of entrepreneurial-related competences with skills linked to the personal areas, such as self-awareness, behavioural attitudes and time management, is the most feasible way forward for women at the early stage of their entrepreneurial career.

The WECoach journey does not focus on a specific length of time, it rather concentrates on a broader view of the coachee professional and personal growth. The coaching relationship that the WECAN project aims at is not time-bound – it actually centres its attention on the professional/personal development of the coachee.

The setting of the agenda is a crucial moment for the relationship. The agenda represents the base for a solid start: the coach and the coachee will share personal values, visions and purpose while committing themselves to a set of encounters which will help the coachee progressing towards her goals. A coaching journey needs to contemplate an action plan in order to determine goals and evaluate what’s working and what doesn’t along the path. The aim of the agenda is to facilitate the setting of goals and the identification of the actions an individual needs to take next. A predefined agenda confers accountability and frame the relationship in a well-defined setting: in this way both the coach and the coachee feel secure and engaged in a shared programme.

Setting goals

Setting goals is actually a crucial task in a coaching process since it is the only way to guarantee a successful assessment of the coaching learning outcomes. The most relevant literature regarding coaching strongly suggests to set objectives and reach a shared understanding of what needs to be addressed (See Setting an agenda) in coaching relationships. If the relationship is goal specific, action and performance oriented and objective, the coaching process can be measured and evaluated without major problems (Carter, 2006)

WECoaches need to bear in mind that goals and objectives can change during the coaching journey, but it is still very important to consider them and agree on a shared understanding during the initiation stage. When setting the goals, WECoaches will then need to define the success criteria linked to the final evaluation (See Separation stage).

Setting goals in coaching is important for the coachee in order for her to have an idea of what she wants to achieve or do. Coaching relationships need to be goal oriented because without having a compelling need to achieve something, the coachee can easily find an excuse for not achieving her goal. Each person finds motivations in different ways and the coach needs to help the coachee find motivational strategies. So each coachee has to clearly state what she wants and how she will achieve it; it is the coach’s role to help her identify the motivations behind her goals and to work towards their achievement (Brause, 2004).

WECoaches need to remember to help the coachee to enjoy the journey and to focus on the process too, not just on the goals. In this sense, the GROW model explored in the previous Chapter, can help the WECoach on how to review the whole coaching process with the coachee.

Neuro Linguistics Programming suggests to use the well-formed outcome which means to see the goals in a broader context. This means that the goals need to be stated positively and realistically and that the process towards their achievement needs to be pictured in a feasible way as well.

When setting the goals, it is also useful to take into consideration what are the losses and gains depending on their achievement. The coachee should also estimate the resources she needs to invest (physical, financial or emotional) and which are the consequences for the persons who surround her. The next question to pose to the coachee is: What is the first step you will take? (Brause, 2004)

It is recommended for WECoaches to document the achieved goals together with the coachee in order to keep track of the accomplished results and understand whether adjustments are needed when no progress is registered. Goal setting is also a dangerous task because focussing too much on goals can lead to dissatisfaction if the coachees don’t achieve them.

It is the role of the WECoach to detect what kind of approach the coachee is taking to achieve her goals – a coachee could be only goal oriented and underestimate the importance of the process and the little achievements she reaches or she could rush towards her goal, without taking the right time to understand the achievements and actually adopt them. WECoaches should support and encourage the coachee in keeping her goals in mind, but the role of the WECoaches is also to help them set milestones along the way.

So, what does a WECoach need to do to help her coachee set a goal?

  • Understand the approach adopted by the coachee to achieve her goals – the major outcome of the coaching process;
  • Help her set the milestones that will help her achieve the ultimate objectives of the journey;
  • Let her see the right approach to the tasks she needs to undertake to reach each milestones – the process;
  • Support her document the attainments and to set dates and revise regularly her timetable;
  • Keep track of her attained goals to give continuity to the sessions and to set/adjust the way forward;
  • Create rewards when milestones have been accomplished;
  • Make her visualise how achieving the end goal feels and tastes to give her the sensory glory needed to motivate her.

The process that a coachee uses is her process and works for her. Her process will keep her motivated and there is no standard process or task valid for all coachees. Setting goals is not a standalone task but is part of a more complex process and without the entire process, the chances to accomplish the goal are reduced.

Kicking off the coaching journey

After having established the coaching relationship, the parties involved will have a clear view of the expectations and the schedule of activities. Starting the relationship means defining the goals and the success criteria the coachee wants to develop during the journey. This first stage will help ensure mutual understanding between the involved individuals.

In order to kick off the coaching process and proceed to the next phases, the WECoaches need to have clear in mind which are the most relevant aspects to be considered and checked to ensure the success of the coaching journey. Preparing a checklist of tasks and aspects to be considered is always a good exercise that helps visualising and prioritising:

AREAS TO CONSIDER

YES/NO

Is the coachee comfortable?

Do you agree on the level of participation needed to fulfil the goals of the coachee?

Are there any concerns that disturb the coaching experience of the coachee?

Does the coachee share the same understanding of the coaching process?

Do I have clear in mind which are the expectations of the coachee?

Do I fully understand the coachee’s needs and expectations?

Do the expectations of the coachee match with what I am able to offer?

Do we agree on the number, frequency and duration of sessions?

Do we agree on venue(s) for coaching and method of communication between sessions?

Do we agree on how to recognise and communicate with one another should one or other party feel that the coaching relationship is not working at the optimum? Do we agree on how to resolve these issues?

Are the goals and success criteria well defined?

Do you agree on how to terminate the relationship?

This table is a non-exhaustive list of questions that can accompany the WECoaches during the coaching journey.

When starting the journey, it is important that WECoaches are prepared for the journey. Coaches need to possess a wide range of skills and attitudes in order to help coachee in successfully reaching their goals:

  • The coach needs to know how to listed with an open mind and how to suspend judgements,
  • She needs to be able to see issues from a different perspective from the coachee,
  • She has to identify those behaviours that obstruct the path of the coachee towards a successful implementation of the coaching journey,
  • She will need to be able to recognise the individual strengths and areas of weakness of the coachees,
  • Provide constructive feedbacks,
  • Another important aspect is the ability to clarify so both parties have a shared understanding and can together overcome obstacles,
  • Last, but not least, the coach needs to be able to help the coachee evaluate the undertaken journey and recognise what could have been done differently.


Page 2

The second phase is the so-called cultivation phase. This part of the coaching journey is the actual implementation of the agenda planned in the initiation stage.

There are 3 stages in cultivation: Motivation, Readiness and the Coaching Relationship.

 

According to peterson and hicks, which of the following is the first step in informal coaching?

Cultivating motivation

Motivation is related to a person’s willingness and desire to do something. Though we often use the terms “motivation” and “inspiration” synonymously, motivation is not just about being a cheerleader, but also about understanding people and what makes them tick. Effective motivation strategies involve understanding and appealing to a person’s drivers. Leading motivation expert Dan Pink suggests that there are three main drivers that motivate people at work: Purpose, Autonomy, and Mastery. Purpose is about contributing to a greater cause, autonomy has to do with independently creating results, and mastery involves becoming an expert. Discovering and appealing to these drivers can be a powerful way to prepare someone for an effective coaching engagement.

Cultivating readiness

Setting the stage for an effective coaching engagement also requires creating space and providing tools that will foster a coachee’s ability to develop. Highly-motivated entrepreneurs may fail in coaching relationships because they lack the capacity to (1) self-reflect on their development, (2) practice tools or techniques that they are being coached to use, or (3) build the feedback networks, mentors, and alliances they need in order to bring about lasting behavioural change. WECAN project aims at creating an environment for WEcoachees that sets them up for success by making them ready to develop and apply what they learn.

Cultivating the coaching relationship

Once motivation and readiness have reached a good place, the best way to drive effectiveness in coaching is to cultivate the relationship between the WEcoach and coachee. There are three stages to this relationship that deserve an intentional focus by those who are overseeing leadership development efforts.

Before the relationship begins, careful attention ought to be given to pairing coachees with WECoaches that can meaningfully impact them. Common ground, previous experiences, social styles, and learning styles are just a few of the factors that ought to be taken into account when these pairings are made.

During the coaching relationship, both parties need to create an atmosphere that encourages accountability as well as candour around the obstacles and challenges that are holding a coachee back from reaching her full potential. Establishing ground rules, assuring confidentiality, and being open with each other about challenges are just a few examples of ways this can be done. This requires a significant investment of time and preparation on behalf of both parties.

Finally, effective coaches put mechanisms in place to ensure that learning and development continue to happen long beyond the formal coaching engagement. Books, action plans and a variety of other resources exist to give real staying power to the progress that begins in a coaching relationship.

At the root of cultivation is preparation, creating a set of circumstances that enable the various tools and techniques of coaching to lead to genuine growth. Addressing motivation, readiness, and the coaching relationship are key elements to get the best impact possible from the coaching experience.

Cultivation resources

For WECoaches, the cultivation phase means tailoring opportunities to your coachee that foster their growth and then providing the encouragement and agree upon resources that empower them to succeed and become more independent.

WECoaches have specific responsibilities in this phase:

  • Advise on what you know, admit what you don’t and refer to others;
  • Provide relevant examples and resources;
  • Recognize your coachee’s strengths and areas of growth;
  • Give constructive feedback;
  • Foster your coachee’s Independence;
  • Respond to the changing needs of your coachee;
  • Don’t shy away from difficult conversations;
  • Celebrate successes;
  • Revisit coaching plans and expectations;
  • Periodically evaluate progress and assess relationship.

Once the responsibilities are set it is important for WECoaches to identify the skills needed for proceeding with the coaching relationship. For the aim of the WECAN project, WECoaches will use a basic set of skills in order to improve their expertise:

Skill I - Building confidence

A confidential rapport means the WECoach and the coachee feel connected by a trustworthy bond. If WECoaches have good relation with the coachees, they will normally feel more comfortable and relaxed in their company. After the trust has been established between the parts, WECoach and coachees can stipulate a verbal contract for their relationship built upon shared understanding, hope and goals. Once a certain amount of time has passed, they can assess their progress, success and failures and reaffirm and redesign their goals. It is important to underline that the goals must be those of the coachee and that the WECoach needs to guide and support her during the coaching journey.

Skill II - Active listening

Quite often, with the passing of the time, the relationship changes into a friendlier one. It is the WECoach responsibility to maintain an effective communication especially because sometimes the coachee is younger and there may be differences in culture, ethnicity and gender; in this case the coach must understand and accept the values and culture of the coachee and thus be ready to interpret them.

The primary aim of the WECoach is to understand what the coachee is saying. By a process of listening, questioning or clarifying, WECoach should aim to:

  • Make themselves understood: coaches are the instrument through which coaching happens. The clearer they are about the agenda and able to separate their thoughts, feelings, and wants from those of the coachee, the greater the potential for intentional partnership and mutual benefit.
  • Be curious about the other person’s story: listening in order to learn something new (rather than to confirm what you already know) is essential to good coaching. When you get curious about the other person’s story, you open up the possibility of greater connection and value for both parties.
  • Be passionate about their potential: great mentoring means understanding what makes the other person tick, what has brought them to this moment in their career, and where they would like to go next.
  • Share their own experience: one of the pleasures of mentoring is the chance to share one’s own hard-earned experience so that it might be helpful to others coming along a similar path.

Skill III - Managing Challenges

Whenever people work together, there are bound to be times when the relationships are challenged. Disagreements occur even in the best working relationships. In healthy situations, the issues are discussed objectively. Each individual is empowered to state her position and feel confident that the other is genuinely listening and wanting to understand. Possible solutions are explored with open minds, and the potential effects of the solutions are considered and weighed. It might sound an easy process, but it is actually incredibly difficult to implement. People don’t actually see themselves as being wrong and when they do realise they were mistaken, embarrassment and sense of failure freeze the relationship and their self-esteem (See Chapter 3, section 5.2 The value of failure).

Skill IV - Giving supportive feedback

Effective feedback can accelerate a coachee’s learning process and inspire and motivate her to feel valued and appreciated. So, it’s important that a WECoach learns to deliver feedbacks:

  • Given with a positive attitude;
  • Based on facts;
  • Constructive and beneficial.

The term ‘feedback’ means literally to feed information back to someone. This information relates to the person receiving the feedback and provides data from which they can assess their performance or experiences. It can range from a general comment such as ‘That was great/lousy’ to more specific assessments of performance such as ‘You’ve got your hand an inch too high’.

 

According to peterson and hicks, which of the following is the first step in informal coaching?

These skills are core to coaching and must be constantly trained in order to keep them fresh and available. The majority of these skills are useful in many other everyday situations and WECoaches will have developed them in other circumstances. By exploring and practising these skill, the coaching process flow naturally and easily.

Setting up the sessions

To have a successful session, WECoach need to prepare ahead of time every encounter, thinking about what they want to reach and prepare a plan or timetable. Sending out a pre-meeting note to remind the coachee what has been achieved during the last discussion and what the agenda for the session is, is definitely a good practice which helps both the WECoach and the coachee staying on track. Before starting the coaching session, the coach and the coachee should have a clear idea of what’s next.

A suitable frequency could be to schedule and keep at least one meeting each month for the first six months. After six months meetings should become less regimented and should occur as needed. If meetings are more frequent, the WECoach is likely to become too hands on, or feel imposed upon. Common sense need to be used when setting up the agenda during the initiation stage, in this way a balance schedule that suits both parties can be found. Both parties need to be prepared to review that agreement if there is a radical change of circumstances.

Most meetings last about two hours. The session can take many different forms. The parties can choose to agree about a fixed agenda or be more free-flowing. It may be easier to set monthly meetings for the same time each month to ease the scheduling. And remember to never leave a meeting without confirming the next one.

It is important to remind that there is no one specific agenda or schedule that fits all relationships. Each coaching process is unique and built on two different individuals who need to encounter their common framework and agreement.

Every session should start with a discussion of what has been achieved since the last meeting, and what challenges the coachee has faced. This is important for three reasons:

  • It sets the context for what will be discussed during the meeting and gives WECoach enough information to be able to help the coachee.
  • It shows that concrete results have been achieved thanks to the encounters and that the coachee takes the sessions advice seriously.
  • It keeps the coachee accountable, increasing the likelihood that she will take action on what discussed before the next meeting.

The main parts of the sessions will be dedicated to a review of the goals and action plans that previously agreed on. This will serve as a means to talk about the current status, to identify new solutions and updating the goals as necessary. It’s important to follow the agenda to make sure that things stay on track and that all the important topics are addressed. It may sound rigid, but it makes sense for both the coach and the coachee to make the best use of their time together. And they’ll find that there’s still plenty of room for more free-flowing discussions as they are reviewing each item.

The questions asked to the coachee should be centred on the goals previously agreed and include the most relevant topics that are useful for their achievements. Some illustrative questions to ask are listed below. These questions provide a good starting point for the conversations:

  • Professional Development
    • What successes do you feel you have achieved in your job? Why were they a success?
    • What important issues have you been addressing?
    • In what ways do you feel you motivate others in a team?
    • Do you have a strategy for influencing others?
    • Have you had a recent work-related circumstance that required you to manage conflict? How did you handle it?
    • Which relationships are particularly difficult for you at work?
    • Where and how could you improve the effectiveness of your team?
    • What tough decisions have you had to make in your job?
    • What decisions are easiest for you to make and which ones are the most difficult? Why?
    • In what ways have you solicited feedback about your performance?
  • Career Guidance
    • What prompted you to take this journey?
    • What areas of your entrepreneurial career would you like to develop?
    • What do you see as the next logical step for your career? What doubts do you have that you may be able to reach the next step?
    • What is your long-term vision for your entrepreneurial career?
    • What are your educational goals?
  • Personal Development
    • What are your current strengths and developmental areas?
    • What steps would you like to take to improve in these areas?
    • What individuals/books/events have most impacted who you are?
    • Do you feel that your work life balance is effective?
    • What are you passionate about?

While discussing the achieved goals, a good habit should be to agree on some action steps, and at the end of the meeting trying to confirm those and put timelines on them.

In the final few minutes of each session, both parties should informally give each other a feedback on how the meeting went. This helps to build the relationship and to address any issues immediately. Also addressing what could be done differently in the future to improve the effectiveness of the sessions and strengthen the relationship is a good stratagem.


Page 3

At all phases of the coaching relationship, both the WECoach and the coachee should feel motivated and confident that each is contributing toward shared goals. It’s common, once the coaching relationship has served its purpose and the long-term goals have been achieved, that the relationship comes to an end.

The relationship may also end for other reasons, such as: the relationship has achieved its objective, you feel that your mentee is confident and ready to move on, you have tried but the mentee is not responding, the programme is coming to a close, the relationship isn’t working successfully and both parties wish to move on. But both the WECoach and coachee have the responsibility to make the relationship end happily. The coachee may feel abandoned, deceived or unprepared in case of premature separation. WECoaches may feel used or deceived if the coachees do not consult them or seek guidance anymore.

The separation stage is not only important but also necessary. It marks the end of the coaching relationship and assesses the coaching effectiveness. There are several ways to evaluate a coaching journey, but the most important aspect to be taken into consideration is that it should be done along the mentoring process – in this way changes can be included during the implementation phase like changes of mentors/mentees, communication updates or even cessation of the relation.

WECoaches have specific responsibilities in the separation phase:

  • Be sensitive to when the relationship has run its course,
  • After formal mentoring relationship is finished, they need to follow up on their coachee’s successes,
  • Provide a summative evaluation of the experience,
  • Say “thank you” and give credit where credit is due,
  • Learn from their experience when coaching others.

Defining outcomes and evaluation measures

Measuring the impact and results of the coaching programs is key for the success of the relationship. Without it, it’s not possible to gauge how successful or beneficial the program has been and nor the areas of improvement are.

Coaching is a non-formal way of learning and is not linked to nor based on any specific programme. This can lead to an apparent lack of clear aims and objectives at the start of the process which causes difficulties for the evaluation of the learning process. Defining learning outcomes in coaching processes is of the utmost importance in order to set up the evaluation measures (Carter, 2006).

Since coaching involves individuals’ growth and development, each person involved will get different things out of it. Whereas in formal training all involved parties know the same thing to the same level. This affects majorly the evaluation stage pf the coaching process since there are no universal nor predefined criteria or indicators to evaluate the parts involved. However, this does not mean that there is no evaluation.

 

According to peterson and hicks, which of the following is the first step in informal coaching?

Demonstrating the effectiveness and real work-related contribution of a coaching process can be a harsh task. In fact, coaching works at a non-formal level and in deep individual circumstances which makes evaluation a complex task. But the evaluation stage is a crucial moment for the overall coaching process that cannot be skipped nor underestimated in importance since it proves the actual achievement of the learning objectives and outcomes pre-established.

Coaching is also a less traditional form of learning and thus needs to be further sustained if put in comparison with more established forms of learning which are supported by extensive literature and academic research. There are not many forms of traditional learning which can impact the behaviour of the individual as in the case of coaching, thus it is worthy to explore more in deep a valid evaluation method that can be easily associated with coaching. Since traditional learning is not as challenged as coaching in terms of value and respect among the widest public, addressing evaluation methods in coaching can influence its credibility and success.

The WECAN project provides a framework that can be used to develop a well-rounded evaluation plan to gauge how impactful the coaching has been.  Based on the widely used Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model, this guide teaches a technique to evaluate the WECAN coaching program.

Donald L Kirkpatrick's evaluation model

Donald Kirkpatrick, Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin, published his model in 1959 and then revised it in 1975, and again in 1993. In 1993 he also published his most famous work Evaluating Training Programs.

In the Kirkpatrick’s evaluation model each successive level represents a more precise measure of the effectiveness of a training program. In 2016 the model was revised again by his son and his son’s wife who emphasised the importance of making training relevant to people's everyday jobs.

The four levels of Kirkpatrick's evaluation model essentially measure:

 

According to peterson and hicks, which of the following is the first step in informal coaching?

His measures are recommended for full and meaningful evaluation of all learning outcomes and although Kirkpatrick's evaluation model is addressed to evaluate training programmes, it can be easily adapted to coaching.

Kirkpatrick's four levels of training evaluation in detail

This table[1] illustrates Kirkpatrick's structure in detail, and particularly its more modern interpretation, usage, implications, and examples of tools and methods.

Evaluation description and characteristics

Examples of Evaluation Tools and Methods

Relevance, Practicality and Application

Reaction evaluation is how the learners felt, and their personal reactions to the training or learning experience, for example:

Did the learners like and enjoy the training?

Did they consider the training relevant?

Was it a good use of their time?

Did they like the venue, the style, timing, domestics, etc?

Was the level of participation sufficient?

Ease and comfort of experience.

Level of effort required to make the most of the learning.

Perceived practicality and potential for applying the learning.

Typically, 'happy sheets'.

Feedback forms based on subjective personal reaction to the training experience.

Verbal reaction which can be noted and analysed.

Post-training surveys or questionnaires.

Online evaluation or grading by learners.

Subsequent verbal or written reports given by learners to managers back at their jobs.

Can be done immediately the training ends.

Very easy to obtain reaction feedback

Feedback is not expensive to gather or to analyse for groups.

Important to know that people were not upset or disappointed.

Important that people give a positive impression when relating their experience to others who might be deciding whether to experience same.

Evaluation description and characteristics

Examples of Evaluation Tools and Methods

Relevance, Practicality and Application

Learning evaluation is the measurement of the increase in knowledge or intellectual capability from before to after the learning experience:

Did the learners learn what was intended to be taught?

Did the learners experience what was intended for them to experience?

What is the extent of advancement or change in the learners after the training, in the direction or area that was intended?

Typically assessments or tests before and after the training.

Interview or observation can be used before and after although this is time-consuming and can be inconsistent.

Methods of assessment need to be closely related to the aims of the learning.

Measurement and analysis is possible and easy on a group scale.

Reliable, clear scoring and measurements need to be established, so as to limit the risk of inconsistent assessment.

Hard-copy, electronic, online

Relatively simple to set up, but more investment and thought required than reaction evaluation.

Highly relevant and clear-cut for certain training such as quantifiable or technical skills.

Less easy for more complex learning such as attitudinal development, which is difficult to assess.

Cost escalates if systems are poorly designed, which increases work required to measure and analyse.

Evaluation description and characteristics

Examples of Evaluation Tools and Methods

Relevance, Practicality and Application

Behaviour evaluation is the extent to which the learners applied the learning and changed their behaviour, and this can be immediately and several months after the training, depending on the situation:

Did the learners put their learning into effect when back on the job?

Were the relevant skills and knowledge used?

Was there noticeable and measurable change in the activity and performance of the learners when back in their roles?

Was the change in behaviour and new level of knowledge sustained?

Would the learner be able to transfer their learning to another person?

Is the learner aware of their change in behaviour, knowledge, skill level?

Observation and interview over time are required to assess change, relevance of change, and sustainability of change.

Arbitrary snapshot assessments are not reliable because people change in different ways at different times.

Assessments need to be subtle and ongoing, and then transferred to a suitable analysis tool.

Assessments need to be designed to reduce subjective judgement of the observer or interviewer, which is a variable factor that can affect reliability and consistency of measurements.

The opinion of the learner, which is a relevant indicator, is also subjective and unreliable, and so needs to be measured in a consistent defined way.

360-degree feedback is useful method and need not be used before training, because respondents can make a judgement as to change after training, and this can be analysed for groups of respondents and learners.

Assessments can be designed around relevant performance scenarios, and specific key performance indicators or criteria.

Online and electronic assessments are more difficult to incorporate - assessments tend to be more successful when integrated within existing management and coaching protocols.

Self-assessment can be useful, using carefully designed criteria and measurements.

Measurement of behaviour change is less easy to quantify and interpret than reaction and learning evaluation.

Simple quick response systems unlikely to be adequate.

Cooperation and skill of observers, typically line-managers, are important factors, and difficult to control.

Management and analysis of ongoing subtle assessments are difficult, and virtually impossible without a well-designed system from the beginning. Evaluation of implementation and application is an extremely important assessment - there is little point in a good reaction and good increase in capability if nothing changes back in the job, therefore evaluation in this area is vital.

Behaviour change evaluation is possible given good support and involvement from line managers or trainees, so it is helpful to involve them from the start, and to identify benefits for them, which links to the level 4 evaluation below.

Evaluation description and characteristics

Examples of Evaluation Tools and Methods

Relevance, Practicality and Application

Results evaluation is the effect on the business or environment resulting from the improved performance of the learner - it is the acid test.

Measures would typically be business or organisational key performance indicators, such as:

Volumes, values, percentages, timescales, return on investment, and other quantifiable aspects of organisational performance, for instance; numbers of complaints, staff turnover, attrition, failures, wastage, non-compliance, quality ratings, achievement of standards and accreditations, growth, retention, etc.

It is possible that many of these measures are already in place via normal management systems and reporting.

The challenge is to identify which and how relate to the learner's input and influence.

Therefore, it is important to identify and agree accountability and relevance with the learner at the start of the training, so they understand what is to be measured.

This process overlays normal good management practice - it simply needs linking to the training input.

Failure to link to training input type and timing will greatly reduce the ease by which results can be attributed to the training.

For senior people particularly, annual appraisals and ongoing agreement of key business objectives are integral to measuring business results derived from training.

Individually, results evaluation is not particularly difficult; across an entire organisation it becomes very much more challenging, not least because of the reliance on line-management, and the frequency and scale of changing structures, responsibilities and roles, which complicates the process of attributing clear accountability.

Also, external factors greatly affect organisational and business performance, which cloud the true cause of good or poor results.

The Kirkpatrick model is an effective evaluation tool and is particularly effective in coaching evaluation because the coachee can play an active part in the design of the evaluation process and can collaborate with the WECoach in the evaluation stage.

Applying the Kirkpatrick model to a coaching process

Although the Kirkpatrick model has been designed to analyse and evaluate the value of a training to the business, it is easily adaptable to show the effectiveness of a coaching programme.

The four levels of evaluation represent the fundamentals of the Kirkpatrick Model. Each level that makes the system requires more resources than the previous one and each level is the foundation of the next one. The deeper the evaluation goes into the levels, the more time-consuming and demanding the evaluation it becomes.

Level I: Reactions

The objective of the first level is to understand whether the coachee has liked the coaching session/programme and how she feels about it. The first level is thus quite straightforward, since it aims at posing questions directed at evaluating the impressions and thoughts of the coachee. This is why this first level is often associated to a smile sheet.

This first level cannot be skipped, after all, all the subsequent evaluation steps depend on this one. In fact, if the result of this first evaluation is poor, it would signal that the coachee level of participation is low and she will most likely drop out or invest too little effort.

One way to get Level 1 feedback for the WECoach is to send out a survey to the coachees with questions such as:

  • What was the most meaningful part of the coaching session/programme? 
  • On a scale from 1 to 5, how valuable has your coaching experience been for your entrepreneurial career? 
  • Did you enjoy participating in the programme? 

 

According to peterson and hicks, which of the following is the first step in informal coaching?

Image 1 Level one: Reaction[2]

This first level of assessment does not tell whether the entire session or programme has been successful. However, it is a first important hint to have an understanding of the experience of the coachee in the program and it can early uncover negative issues.

The downsize of this first level is that it can be situational and the coachee can be easily influenced by her mood when replying to the questions. That’s why a second level evaluation is required.

Level II: Learning

After having detected the initial reactions of the coachee, in Level II the WECoach will seek to measure how she has learned over the course of the coaching session/programme. It is worth underlying that the learning outcomes of a coaching programme are not always technical or skill-based. Most of the time the important learning that goes on in a coaching programme is attitudinal.

 

According to peterson and hicks, which of the following is the first step in informal coaching?

Image 2 Level 2: Learning[3]

In order to understand whether the coachee has acquired new knowledge, skills or attitudes and whether she has learned or not, the second level evaluation brings forward techniques. One way could be using a pre- and post-survey or just a final self-assessment.

 Level III: Behaviour

The third level of Kirkpatrick’s model seeks to measure the behavioural change of the participants in the coaching programme. In order to understand which behavioural transformations to address during the sessions and how to measure them, the WECoach needs to establish clear goals since the very beginning of the programme with their coachees. Behaviour changes are important in coaching programmes that focus on leadership development or entrepreneurial-related development.

Coachees may start to make behavioural changes during the duration of the coaching process. If this does not happen, then WECoaches might need to investigate what is not working during the sessions and try to address new forms of learning.

 

According to peterson and hicks, which of the following is the first step in informal coaching?

Image 3 Level 3: Behaviour[4]

An example of third level evaluation would be to understand whether the coachee is learning or not about a skill she needed to learn during her coaching journey. Let’s say the coachee needs to acquire new leadership skills as a result of the coaching programme. Most likely, she won’t apply these new skills in her entrepreneurial career if she doesn’t support the leadership perspective presented in the coaching programme.

A commonly used method to measure behavioural transformation is via interviews or observations. A good idea would be to get others involved in providing information. For example, someone who works directly with the coachee or a close friend might be able to provide behavioral observations that can be helpful in measuring the success of the coaching programme.

Assessing the behavioural transformations makes it possible to understand if the new acquired knowledge, mind-set or skills are actually being applied. This evaluation level is considered to be the truest and deeper way to understand whether the learning programme has been successful. This kevel presents many difficulties though. In fact, it is quite complicated to understand when the coachee will start to use the knowledge acquired making it complicated to know when and how to measure the behavioural changes.

Level IV: Results

In the fourth level of the Kirkpatrick model, the WECoach can measure the results of the programme. These results should be coherent with the objectives of the coaching programme that were set in the initiation stage. This is why, although challenging, it is of the utmost importance to define the goals and expected outcomes of the coaching programme right at the beginning of the relationship.

 

According to peterson and hicks, which of the following is the first step in informal coaching?

Image 4 Level 4: Results[5]

This level is the one that is most commonly avoided in the trainings evaluations. It is actually the primary objective of the model, but somehow is always skipped by assessors and evaluators. For WECoaches it is interesting to determine whether their coachees have achieved successful outcomes in their entrepreneurial careers such as getting a grant or an investor, achieving a more balanced work-life routine or more self-esteem. Although this is critical to determine, WECoaches will find this exercise useful for their learning process as coaches as well. Assessing a coachee represents a great tool to understand whether the delivered coaching programme has achieved the expected goals.

Timing of evaluation

Evaluation directly after the coaching experience may not be appropriate as the benefits may only accrue later on when the WECoach or the coachee fully reflects on the benefits that the relationship has brought them. In this sense it can be seen as similar to evaluating careers guidance. Although this is true also of other forms of training, whereby you may not get to use your skills until a later date, it is more likely that you will be able to anticipate or recognise where training will help.

With coaching, the outcomes of what is learnt or discussed may not be immediately obvious, either to the WECoach or to coachees, unless they are linked into a wider programme (e.g. leadership development, culture change). As the defined success criteria may not be agreed upon until the coaching process has begun, it is difficult to measure pre‐ and post‐coaching intervention to assess the impact. The second issue is that information with which to evaluate may not be readily accessible in a coaching situation (e.g. because of the confidential nature of the coaching context).

Summary of Kirkpatrick’s model

The Kirkpatrick Model is a great tool to shape and design the coaching process. In fact, the model provides an insight on what is happening during the course of the process: if the expected results are not being accomplished, the Model will tell the WECoach in due time and she will have the chance to take corrective measures.

There are of course other models which work fine as in the case of the one chosen in this methodology. WECoaches can opt for other models which make them feel more comfortable with. What is more important for WECoaches, is to correctly use the models to have a clear idea of the results being achieved. Only in this way the coaching process can be successful.


Page 4

Topic 4 helps WECoaches in understanding what type of support the coachees need at each stage of the coaching relationship, that is, initiation, cultivation, separation, and redefinition stage. In order to do this, the methodology explains the three crucial moments of the coaching relation:

  1. design the coaching sessions,
  2. the implementation phase; and
  3. the evaluation stage

This chapter has provided tools and methods to design the WECAN coaching process. It has gone through the three most relevant phases of a coaching journey which see both the coach and the coachee actively involved.

What is important to understand is that there is no right or wrong journey or process. People are simply different – they have different values, expectations and a good coaching needs to adjust and learn how to cope with different scenarios.

As they get more insight into the particular person, WECoaches have margin to adapt their approach and personalise the journey. A good coach knows that people look at the world through different lenses and understands that there are always different meanings attached to a coaching journey.

Coaching is not just a collection of activities: collecting feedbacks, offering advice and reviewing skills. What makes a woman chose a coaching journey is that she can rely on someone who is a peer and knows and is capable to understand what she is going through. Coaching is about individuals and relationships. Motivation, accountability and real-world practice are the main three ingredients needed that cannot be found in a formal training.

WECoaches need to be able to detect the coachees weaknesses to turn them into strengths. They need to establish a relationship of trust and be attentive to the expectations and requirements of the coachee. Only in this way a coach will anticipate and handle the process.

Regardless of the experience or self-knowledge a coach has, what matter is an open attitude of curiosity and interest, acceptance of what the people really are and a genuine desire to help the coachee (Peterson, 2007)

[1] Extracted from: https://www.businessballs.com/facilitation-workshops-and-training/kirkpatrick-evaluation-method/

[2] https://elearninginfographics.com/kirkpatricks-levels-evaluation-infographic/

[3] https://elearninginfographics.com/kirkpatricks-levels-evaluation-infographic/

[4] https://elearninginfographics.com/kirkpatricks-levels-evaluation-infographic/

[5] https://elearninginfographics.com/kirkpatricks-levels-evaluation-infographic/