Coaching

Coaching versus Evaluation

There are a few key distinctions between coaching and evaluation.

• While evaluation tends to provide feedback relative to some established standard, coaching focuses on the recipient of feedback and their developmental needs.  It is customer-centric rather than standard-centric.

• Coaching tends toward pragmatism. What is the one thing for which feedback could make a big difference? How can one best deliver it so the recipient benefits? In contrast, evaluation tends to be about form, and often provides a number of points.

• In practice, evaluation highlights the evaluator. Coaching deliberately focuses in the recipient. It’s to deliver value, not a speech.

• Note: Good coaching also seeks to teach the other members through feedback to an individual.

Examples

• Lead Coach: Focus on Coaching the Coaches so all can hone their skills, then provide the highest value suggestions for the meeting and community.

• Coaches: Before speaking, answer two questions.

• What is the highest value feedback I can provide?

• How best to deliver it so it is received? A single comment? Critique woven into praise? The sandwich approach? Only praise that builds up on progress?

• Grammarian: Rather than counting items, focus on where and how language brings great benefit, or undermines the speaker, or the membership.

• Videographer: Coach the club on how to get the best value from recordings, or how to stage for the benefit of better quality recording.

• Timer: Give only highlights on timing,  but focus on how to make the very best use of time, which could include examples from the meeting.