Coaching and Mentoring Tip Sheet
Giving and receiving feedback can be difficult – very few people like being told...and, in some ways, it can be counter-productive.
Coaching promotes meta-cognition and reflective practice with participants to facilitate self-generated feedback, for example:
What has stood out for you?
What has surprised you?
What went well?
What is getting in the way?
What could you have done to produce a different result?
What have you learned?
How will this change what you do?
How are you going to use what you have noticed to inform your thinking and behaviour?
At times; however, a coach may be required to provide feedback. It is important the coach asks permission of the participant before doing so.
Feedback should only be provided when there is a resonant strength in the coaching relationship, and at an appropriate time.
Here are a few tips to promote effective feedback:
- Feedback should be respectful, objective, evidence based and clinical. It should be solutions focussed, specific and relate to a process, rather than the person
- Feedback should be provided in a manner that establishes its intent and allows the participant to draw conclusions
- The ratio of positive feedback to negative feedback should be at least 3:1
- A coach can model receiving and acting upon feedback by requesting feedback around his/her coaching practice to inform its development.