In addition to effective communication, several other skills are vital for successful coaching.
Earlier, it was mentioned that there are five critical skills for any coach.
- Interpersonal communication skills
- Helping skills
- Mentoring skills
- Teaching skills
- Challenging skills
Interpersonal communication skills, which involve being approachable, were already discussed. Now, let us focus on the other four skills.
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Helping Skills
- Give employees problem-solving tools, such as determining pros/cons of various options.
- Ask them to identify options and make a recommendation as to which option they favor, and then analyze the consequences of each option.
- Become good at asking questions and probing.
- Stay open-minded if their ideas do not match yours.
2. Teaching Skills
- If you find yourself in a teaching position and you do not feel comfortable with it, consider obtaining some training in teaching skills.
- Be patient.
- When employees make mistakes, use them as learning opportunities.
- Encourage employees to try their new skills at every opportunity.
3. Mentoring Skills
- Find ways of introducing them to other people in the organization.
- Arrange for them to sit in on meetings that would be of interest to them, when appropriate.
- Help them find other mentors in areas where you have very little knowledge, and they have interests.
- Talk about their future with them to learn more about what they want to do and help them see opportunities for getting there.
- Be aware of positions they might be interested in.
5. Challenging Skills
- Remember that the role of a coach is to help an employee reach their potential.
- Be clear about what is expected of the employee and discuss those expectations with the employee.
- Spend time with the employee to get a better sense of progress.
- Help them set goals and put a plan in place for reaching these goals. Make them accountable.
