Practicing the Coaching Conversation- Practice a coaching conversation with someone. Please remember to review the grow framework and stages of change in the appendices below before the conversation.

1) Explain how you applied the GROW framework to the conversation:

a) Goal - What was the goal of the conversation and what was the topic?

b) Reality - From what perspectives did you analyze the topic to get a clear picture of the situation?

c) Options - What are the options for growth that you discussed?

d) What - what will this person accomplish and when will they report back to you?

2) Please explain what stage of change this person is at currently.

3) What are 4 key takeaways from the coaching approach (not your conversation, but the entire coaching approach)?

a)

b)

c)

d)

Appendix 1 - G.R.O.W. Framework for Coaching Conversations

GOAL - Clarify the purpose and outcome of the conversation.

• Agree on the issue or topic to discuss
  • What is on your mind? What is the most important thing for us to focus on?
  • How can I help you in this situation? How close to being ready to change are you?
  • I'd like to talk about...
• Determine the "Take away"
  • What would you like to take away from this conversation?
  • By the end of this conversation, what would you like to accomplish?
  • Let's talk this through until you feel clear about what your next steps should be.

REALITY- Help the person get a clear picture of their situation.

• Look at all the angles
  • What is happening? What is working well? What challenges are you running into?
  • How do you see the situation? How do you feel about it?
  • What will happen if you continue to do the same thing?
• Decide on the "core issue"
  • If you focused your attention on the most relevant thing, what would that be?
  • What one breakthrough would allow you to make the most progress right now?
  • What is the root cause of the problem here?

OPTIONS - Help the person explore options, new thinking, and available tools.

• Picture the Future
  • What do you think you can do regarding the "core issue" in this situation?
  • What would you like to see happen here? How would the ideal situation look?
  • How will you know that you're seeing success or taking steps forward?
• List several Options
  • What might be some approaches you can take? What else might work?
  • What tools, resources, or training might be helpful to you?
  • Could I offer a couple of thoughts that might be helpful?
• Explore barriers or resistance
  • What challenges do you think you're going to run into?
  • Where would the most resistance to change come from?
  • If you've tried to solve this problem in the past, what went wrong?

WHAT -Ask the person to commit to taking a specific action

• Decide on what action to take
  • Now that we've talked it through, is there action that you are going to commit to take?
  • Who do you need to reach out to for more help or support?
• Get S.M.A.R.T goals
  • What specific steps will you take? When will you complete them?
  • How do you plan to stay focused? Who will you hold accountable?
  • Do you think the goals you've set are relevant to where you are right now?
• Ask for feedback on your Coaching
  • Was this conversation helpful to you? How could I have been more helpful to you?
  • Did we accomplish what you set out to accomplish?

Do you want to have another conversation? If so, when should we plan for it?

Appendix 2 - The Stages of Change

Stage of Change The Individual's Actions Your Focus Should Be _____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Not Ready to Change A person in this stage is not Invite the person to think yet ready to make a change. about change. They may be in denial, may not believe the consequences of their current situation will be that serious, or they may feel resigned or unable to affect change.

Considering Change A person in this stage is considering Help the individual to exa- making a change. They begin mine the benefits and costs weighing the benefits and costs of the change. of making a change.

Preparing to Change A person in this stage may actively Help the person identify the investigate possible options and barriers to full-fledged action. may begin to experiment with small changes.

Taking Action A person in this stage commits to Help the person plan the path a plan of action takes definitive of action and provide gener- action to change. ous encouragement and support.

Maintaining the Change A person in this stage main- Help the person monitor tains new behavior over progress, hold them a period of time and follows accountable, and continue through with ongoing mile- to provide encouragement. stones and measurements.

Relapsing A person in this stage reverts Help the other person focus to a previous behavior pattern on the successful part of the and may feel frustrated or plan, determine what went demoralized. Wrong, and decide how they can reengage with their goals.