Coaching

coach (sport). For other uses of the word, see coach (disambiguation) or coaching inn.

A coach is a person who supports and directs another person via encouragement and asking questions. It differs from a mentor in that a coach rarely offers advice. Instead, they help the client to find their own solutions, by asking questions that give them insight into their problem. The major benefit of a personal coach is that they hold their client accountable. So if the client has agreed to a plan of action, their obligation to the coach will help motivate them to complete their plan.

This use of the term "coaching" appears to have origins in English traditional university "cramming" in the mid-19th century. (The name allegedly recalls the multitasking skills associated with controlling the team of a horse-drawn stagecoach.) By the 1880s American college sports teams had -- in addition to managers -- coaches. Some time in the 20th century, non-sporting coaches emerged: non-experts in the specific technical skills of their clients, but who nevertheless ventured to offer generalised motivational or inspirational advice.

Current practice in performance coaching in non-sporting environments focuses on non-directive questioning and helping coachees to analyse and address their own challenges rather than offering advice or direction (see Tim Gallwey's The Inner Game of Tennis or Myles Downey's Effective Coaching).

Contents[hide]* 1 Organizational coaching * 2 Individual coaching * 3 Team coaching * 4 Systemic coaching * 5 Business coaching * 6 Dissertation Coaching * 7 See also

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Organizational coaching

In organizational development (OD), coaching forms an important intervention designed to assess and improve performance of an individual or a team.

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Individual coaching

Main article: personal coaching

When a person coaches an individual client -- often marketed as life coaching -- the initial task involves the coach and client working out a mutual understanding of the scope of work and documenting that understanding in a coaching contract. Then the coach helps the client to prioritise their current needs and looks for ways to address any improvements.

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Team coaching

Like individual coaching, team coaching focuses on improving performance. In the case of a team, the coach observes the team's current functioning, assesses the team's strengths and weaknesses, and develops a plan for addressing any needed changes.

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Systemic coaching

Systemic coaching focuses on improving the effectiveness and survivability of a human system: usually a couple, family, team or community. A systemic coach assesses a system's