Coach Reflection (w/ Claudia)

Claudia and I discussed some of her confusions with the course and addressed a few of the questions that she had regarding our readings from the week. We mainly discussed politeness and how it can become a precursor for the disconnect between what we feel and what we say. We acknowledged that particular conversational patterns can be detrimental to dialogue and so we agreed to remain aware of these patterns during our future calls.

Claudia is in her final semester and so has quite a bit on her plate this year. We discussed the goals we have for this course and what we plan to do after our time at UMB. Unfortunately our call was cut short due to technological problems with our Skype connection. In our future calls I hope to work out these kinks and maximize our time together. Claudia is a very bright individual and I look forward to learning more about her in the coming weeks.

Coachee Reflection (w/ Sara week 3)

During our session Sara and I got to know each other by exchanging some of our goals and experiences within the CCT program, and in our respective career paths. We also discussed some of our class posts from earlier in the week, specifically about how to catalyze change and break bad conversational habits, something we both vow to be mindful of. One thing that I appreciated about Sara’s facilitation of the call was that she asked me questions regarding how I wanted to structure our chats, how I learn best and what I felt I needed most help with. 

We agreed that critical feedback would be a priority for us to focus on since it can be difficult to give/receive this type of response from our peers in the class discussion board. We also agreed to conduct our calls toward the end of the week in order to absorb as much of the course information from that week. This will allow us to take some time before our weekly calls to read one another’s posts made during the week to have meaningful points of discussion. This will help with raising important questions and forming a better understanding of the others thoughts as they unfold within the group discussions. 

All in all I think that Sara and I will make a great pair for these coaching exercises. We both have a very realistic approach to our goals and matched passion for improving ourselves. I can’t wait to see what is in store for us.

Assignment #1: My Coaching Vision

Below is the coaching vision that I imagine will take form in my sessions with my coach Sara Kaplan. I look forward to getting to know Sara better and digging deep to answer some questions of my own.

Sara,

This week marks the first week of our coaching sessions, a section of the course that I have looked forward to in anticipation. I am excited to generate some dialogue with someone other than myself or online, and to have an opportunity to reflect on my ideas from throughout the week. I have found that my ideas don’t just stop once I click the “post” button on our discussion board. There is a lot of thinking that continues after my ideas are formed, and I tend to think about other peoples’ posts I have read throughout the day. I find myself applying my new knowledge to different scenarios in my everyday life and wondering what changes could be made. Is this person really listening to me or are they just downloading what I’m saying? What that couple is arguing about? How could their situation be improved, and what role can dialogue play in this improvement? Aside from posting my experiences on the discussion board, I feel that I don’t have anyone to talk to about these evolving thoughts of mine. 

In our coaching sessions I hope to talk about these ideas and questions that I have. I imagine that we could start by reading a few of each others posts before our calls to familiarize ourselves with the ideas being formed throughout the week. We could then start our conversations by discussing the responses, the continued ideas and their applications to daily life, and if a particular point stood out or prompted further thought. This would be helpful in figuring out the facts and uncovering what I am really feeling. For you I imagine this would mean asking questions, however simple or insightful they may be. In one of the coaching articles from this week Thomas J. Leonard stated that one of the ten things he does with his coaching clients is “I ask the obvious questions-I want the facts, feelings and preferences, and I want them to know these as well”. Asking questions makes the coachee clearly state their thoughts and ultimately clarify their inquiries not only to the coach, but to themselves. Another article posted the 15 Proficiencies of coaching. Among those listed were “reveal the client to themselves” and “relish the truth”. This is exactly what I hope we can achieve together.

Another proficiency listed in the aforementioned article was “engage in provocative conversations”. I would like for our calls to be free and open to critiques and criticisms. If I am guilty of downloading, being close minded, or not developing an idea enough don’t hesitate to call me out! Provocative conversations aren’t produced by constant praising and passivity, so let’s not waste any time with them. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t offer congratulations where due, but let’s put constructive criticism as a priority. 

I look forward to working with you!

Best,

Sabrina