Coaching, Mentoring and Managing: A Coach Guidebook

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For example, find something complimentary to say to the
individual(s) who performed a newly completed task. Even if the
job turned out badly, a supportive coach finds something positive
to say. Make it a rule, therefore, to find something about the
completed job that does at least one of the following:

• Reflects a unique attribute of the employee(s) who
  performed the task
  “Lynn, I could see your special eye for detail in the
  presentation materials!”
  — or —


• Verifies your feeling that the employee(s) were right for
  the project
  “Kim, I knew I could count on you to meet or beat the
  deadline, and you were two days early!”
  — or —


• Makes the team even better than before
  “Thanks to you, Terry, they’ll know what department to
  bring this kind of challenge to in the future.”

Listening

Too many coaches believe that what they say is more
important than what they hear — and that listening to team
members is an effortless or passive aspect of the communication
process. The model of “I talk, you listen; you talk, I listen” is
wrong. It’s a much more lopsided process. The majority of
effective communication is spent in listening behaviors — and
truly good listening requires conscious effort. Failure to
understand those two key facts can cause you to misread team
members’ intentions, jump to incorrect conclusions and,
ultimately, antagonize your people.

Effective coaches become students of listening, and the
very best ones consistently practice the following five
principles of listening:

The Five-Step StaffCoaching™ Model

At least half

of effective

communication

is listening.