Editing Coaching (section)

=== 1 Inquire & Observe ===
When you are observing a coachee’s actions or someone comes to you for help, your first inclination may be to draw conclusions from the initial observations you make. Instead, be present with the coachee and start by listening, asking questions, and closely observing what they say and do so that you can both dig deeper into the challenge(s) at hand. 

Ask yourself: what do I see and hear? 

For example, is the coachee struggling to recruit people to their leadership team? Is the coachee articulating feelings of frustration or fatigue? Is the coachee struggling to complete routine tasks correctly or on time? 

Remember, challenges aren’t always obvious, and, sometimes, the bulk of the coach’s work is simply supporting the coachee in discovering the nature of the obstacle they’re facing. “Backtracking” can help both coach and coachee uncover the challenge(s) by summarizing the problem and checking if the coach’s understanding is accurate. Here are some sample backtracking statements and questions: <blockquote>''“Let me be clear about this...”'' 

''“Let me see if I’ve got this right...”'' 

''“What I’m hearing you say is ____. Is that right?”''</blockquote>