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Note from the President
Feature Article -- Listening: The Heart of Good Coaching
Upcoming Events -- Calendar of Great CFR Seminars
We Recommend -- Coaching Conversations

Greetings Colleagues!
Frances Shuster, PCC President, Coaching For Results, Inc.

As we work with school leaders we find more often than not that for the coach leader, one of the single most influential changes one can make is to be a more intentional listener. No matter whether you are new or deeply experienced in using the skills of coaching in your daily leadership, “Just listen” is the beginning point for transformation.

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Listening: The Heart of Good Coaching
By Diana Williams, Ph.D., PCC

As our schools meet the ever increasing challenges of educating children there are many variables that have been researched over the years as ways to improve schools. The list includes, but is not limited to, developing trust in school relationships, developing a more collaborative culture, exhibiting effective communication skills, being open and honest, having a clear vision of purpose, modeling high expectations, creating a positive school climate, and exhibiting competence in leadership skills. The foundational skill at the heart of these variables for improving schools is the art of listening- really listening. What does it mean to listen, really listen? According to the International Coach Federation, (ICF) listening is the “Ability to focus completely on what the client is saying and is not saying, to understand the meaning of what is said in the context of the client’s desires, and to support client self-expression.” The listening coach “Surfaces patterns and links to clients agendas (big and small); effectively reflects explicit and implicit client thinking; surfaces and tests underlying issues and concerns.”

Three tenets of good coaching that have at their heart the foundational skill of listening are:

Let’s examine the first tenet in depth – “Being in the present with the person speaking.”

Often when we are listening to people, we are only half listening. We are distracted by other events going on either around us or in our own head. Some of the distracters around us may include:

Other people trying to get our attention
Trying to continue with other work while “listening”
Phones ringing and other noises
Electronic devices

Some of the distractions that go on in our own head might include:

Being annoyed with the speaker for going on and on about a situation when we want to get to the solution
Thinking about “our own story” that is triggered while the speaker is talking
Thinking of a solution for the speaker before he has a chance to tell the whole story
Letting our feelings about the other person (either positive or negative) get in the way of her message
Thinking about all the things that need to be done while you are “listening”
Thinking about what you need to pick up at the store later or what time you have to pick up your own kids

So the coach who listens sets aside these patterns of listening to be in the moment with the person speaking. This requires one to let go of the past and let go of what might happen in the future and to focus on the present moment and what that person brings to you at that moment. It requires the coach to observe what is going on now and to set aside your own distractions. Allow the speaker thinking and speaking time without “high jacking” the story away from the speaker or by thinking about your own story that is similar. Practice being silent and focus on both what the other person is saying and what he is not saying. Practice being silent and ask powerful and simple questions to further the speaker’s thinking. Good listening requires listening to what is beneath the surface and then as the speaker talks and you listen, the speaker becomes clearer in their understanding of their own issue. Often, having a good listener will help them arrive at their own solutions without you having the burden of solving the problem for them. When they solve their own problems, they have greater commitment to the solution.

The balance of this article, with examinations of the final two tenets, will be available soon on our new blog. We'll send an announcement as soon as the blog is ready so you don't miss this important information.

Diana Williams is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) who is a founding member of Coaching For Results and has been coaching for nine years. Diana is co-author of The Elementary Principal’s Personal Coach: taping into your power for extraordinary results, a book to be published in June 2010 by Corwin Press. She is passionate about developing school leaders who have competence, confidence, and courage to lead in the 21 st century.

For more information about Diana and our other coaches, go to www.coachingschooolresults.com/coaches.html

See details and register at www.coachingforresultsglobal.com

Most seminars are four days in length. Some are held on four consecutive days while others are held in two-day increments over two months so please check the seminar dates carefully.

Most seminars, with Powerful Coaching - Level II in Kansas City being an exception, include a series of three, hour-long follow-up teleclasses specifically designed for seminar participants!

Powerful Coaching, Level II: Kansas City, MO, February 25-28, 2010

Instructional Coaching: Dallas, TX, June 21-24, 2010
(Follow-up Teleclass dates will be forthcoming)

Visit www.coachingforresultsglobal.com/calendar.html for a full list of upcoming seminars.

Coaching Conversations
by Linda Gross Cheliotes and Marceta Fleming Reilly

An effective and inexpensive approach for facilitating transformation through the entire school community!

Coaching conversations shift responsibility for instructional improvement from the school leader to the entire school community. With these proven, practical coaching conversational techniques, school leaders can engage and motivate their school communities to work collaboratively toward total school transformation. This easy-to-use, research-based handbook helps school leaders:

Coaching For Results, Inc. is proud to be one of the first to promote this new book, authored by two of our very own associates. Both Linda Gross and Marceta Reilly are part of the Coaching For Results, Inc. team. We know this book will have a positive impact on your work as a coach leader! Pre-order today!

Let Us Hear From You

We are always interested in receiving your feedback on how we're doing as well as what you'd like to see more of as we move toward the future. You can provide that information by emailing us at support@coachingforresultsglobal.com.