A practical guide for getting the most out of The Art of Coaching
The Art of Coaching Workbook is the resource you’ve been waiting for to accompany Elena Aguilar’s The Art of Coaching. Ideal for new and novice coaches, as well as for those who have years of coaching under their belt, this workbook will help you improve your coaching skills.
This vital companion text includes:
- Dozens of activities to help you internalize the concepts described in The Art of Coaching
- Exercises to guide you in identifying your own coaching beliefs, style, and practices
- Short and lengthy transcripts of coaching conversations
- Additional examples of key concepts in The Art of Coaching, including the Ladder of Inference and the Coaching Lenses
- New ideas and information that build on those in The Art of Coaching
This workbook is also for those who lead and manage coaches. An entire chapter is dedicated to structures, routines, and practices that are easy to implement in professional development sessions. In addition, a new Transformational Coaching Rubric and other tools for assessment and reflection are included. If you aspire to provide meaningful learning for coaches, and you already have The Art of Coaching, this workbook is all you’ll need.
Table of Contents
Introduction xiii
Welcome xiii
Eavesdropping on a Transformational Coaching Conversation xviii
Introducing the Three Bs xxiii
Presenting the Three Buckets xxviii
Pause. Breathe. Reflect. xxx
1 Figuring Out Who You Want to Be 1
Who Am I As a Coach? 1
Identifying Core Values 3
The Things That Get Under My Skin 7
Understanding Personality Types 9
Exploring Identity Markers 16
Celebrating Strengths 20
How Do I Learn? 22
2 Defining Coaching 25
Analogies for Coaching 26
What Is Transformational Coaching? 29
Coaching Behaviors, Beliefs, and Ways of Being 33
Toward a Coaching Mission and Vision 37
How to Get Clarity from Your Boss About What You’re Supposed to Do 40
Creating Coaching Mantras 44
Toward a Definition of Coaching 48
Creating a Coaching Manifesto 51
Depicting Your Role 53
3 Understanding How to Coach Beliefs 55
The Iceberg Principle: Examining Beliefs That Lurk Below the Surface 56
Which Comes First - Beliefs Change or Behavior Change? 59
The Ladder of Inference in Action 64
The Ladder of Inference Questioning Strategies 71
Exploring Beliefs About Equity 76
Reflecting on Educational Philosophies 78
4 Unpacking the Coaching Lenses 83
A Story About a Teacher Who Just Wanted to Plan 84
Putting on the Lenses 87
Yes, You Can Use the Coaching Lenses 108
The Key Assumptions and Questions 109
Looking at Yourself Through the Lenses 111
One Last Thing 115
5 Beginning a Successful Coaching Relationship 119
Designing a Plan to Build Trust 120
The Transformational Coach’s Way of Being 124
Reflecting on Trust 133
Exploring Your Client’s Identity Markers 135
Coaching Across Lines of Difference 138
How to Create a Coaching Agreement 142
How to Build Even More Trust 145
An Initial Coaching Conversation 150
6 Enjoying the Exploration Stage 155
The Exploration Project Plan 156
Collecting Data: Reflecting on Our Own Attitudes 159
Knowing Your Community: Shadowing a Student for a Day 161
Knowing Your Community: Understanding School Culture 165
Knowing Your Community: Classroom Learning Walks 168
7 Assembling Your Basic Coaching Toolbox 171
How to Structure a Coaching Cycle 173
How to Focus a Coaching Cycle 178
Three Goals in a Coaching Conversation 181
The Arc of a Coaching Conversation 184
The Spheres of Influence 187
Using the Spheres of Influence in Coaching 190
Strengths‐Based Coaching 193
Mind the Gap 196
What to Say When You’re Stuck: Survival Coaching Phrases 201
Transformational Coaching Stems 204
The Core Emotions 209
Filling Up Your Toolbox 213
8 Deepening Your Listening Skills 217
Who I Am as a Listener 219
Quiet Listening 221
Reflective Listening 224
Honing Your Intuition 230
Exploring Mental Detours 232
Listening to Your Own Listening 236
Nonverbal Communication: Focusing on Ourselves 240
Nonverbal Communication: Understanding Our Clients 243
When You Get Triggered 247
Common Mistakes Coaches Make in Conversations 251
Six Tips That Will Transform the Texture of Your Conversations 255
9 Practicing Facilitative Coaching Conversations 257
(Re)Introducing the Coaching Stances 258
Why Deal with Emotions? 261
What Is an Emotion? 265
The Cycle of an Emotion 267
Using the Supportive Approach 271
Using the Cathartic Approach 275
Using the Catalytic Approach 279
Practicing Facilitative Coaching Approaches 283
When to Use One Approach or Another 289
Attending to Your Own Emotions 292
Wrapping Up the Facilitative Stance 295
10 Exploring Facilitative Coaching Activities 297
Coaching Around Core Values 298
The Legacy Question 303
Questions to Elicit Symbolic Thinking 306
Using Visualization and Guided Imagery 309
Using the Body to Access and Shift Emotions 311
When Finding Strengths Is Challenging 314
Did I Make a Mistake Becoming a Coach? 318
11 Practicing Directive Coaching Conversations 321
Using the Confrontational Approach 322
Using the Informative Approach 326
Using the Prescriptive Approach 329
Identifying Limited Mental Models 333
Using Confrontational Coaching to Interrupt Limited Mental Models 338
Shifting Out of Victimhood 344
Practicing Directive Coaching Approaches 348
Wrapping Up the Directive Stance 354
12 Exploring Directive Coaching Activities 357
Conversations About Data 358
Observing Teachers 364
Observing Leaders 368
Teacher-Student Interaction Tool 371
Using Video with Teachers 379
Analyzing Student Work 384
Using a Gradual Release Model and Scaffolding Learning 390
13 Transformational Technical Tips 397
Planning for a Coaching Conversation 399
Preparing Yourself for a Coaching Conversation 404
From Planning to Practice: The Coaching Conversation 406
Reflecting on a Coaching Conversation 408
The Intersection Between Organizational Systems and Educational Equity 410
Designing Your Work Life: Setting Priorities 416
Setting Up for Virtual Coaching 420
Making the Most of Virtual Coaching: Identifying Opportunities and Needs 422
If You Feel Stuck Getting Started 424
14 Planning for Ongoing Learning 427
Using the Transformational Coaching Rubric 429
Analyzing Your Coaching Conversations 432
Analyzing Someone Else’s Coaching Conversation 434
Coaching the Three Bs 438
Gathering Feedback on Your Coaching 440
The Conscious Competence Ladder 443
Focal Person Reflection Tool 446
15 Facilitating Professional Development for Coaches 451
Protocols to Guide Your Learning 452
Preparing for Role‐Playing 454
Role‐Play Protocol 458
Coaching Role‐Play Scenarios 460
Consultancy Protocol 465
Artifact Analysis Protocol 469
Text Discussion Protocol 471
Being Present Protocols 473
Sample 1‐Hour Professional Development Sessions 475
Sample Multihour Professional Development Sessions 482
Concluding and Celebrating 491
Acknowledgments 495
About the Author 497
Appendix A: Transformational Coaching Rubric (TCR) 2.0 499
Domain 1: Strategic Design and Planning 500
Domain 2: Listening 501
Domain 3: Thinking 502
Domain 4: Responding 503
Domain 5: Coach’s Beliefs About Self and Client 505
Domain 6: Coaching for Equity 506
Domain 7: Coach’s Emotional Intelligence 509
Domain 8: Coach’s Dispositions 511
Appendix B: The Phases of Transformational Coaching 513
