Observation and Coaching Essay Example for Free

Observation and Coaching EssayMuch about colloquy depends on the plangency between the cardinal parties. As Clutterback explains in his title Creating a Coaching Culture, the fictional character of a relationship is determined by the rapport between the two parties in it. A unsloped rapport implies a healthy relationship and therefore a learning confabulation. Observations of people in confabulation undersurface reveal a great deal about the rapport between them and therefore an brainstorm into the relationship they sh ar. The tell-tell signs allow for be the body lyric of the parties in discourse as well as the brief moments of silence they share as part of their conference. After all 55% of communication is through via our body language and facial expression (Albert Mehrabian Best Practice in Performance Coaching). Though this working class required the observation of the conversation of just a group, I must admit that I had to beholder a tote up of groups in a number of reachs before focusing on one. As I carried out these observations, the variations coupled with the literature on the subject brought out very many insights into the power of conversation and the enormity of the focus necessary, as a coach, to execute successfully, a learning dialogue.Staying in mesh is the last-ditch goal and even when going down a slippery slope it is you who would accommodate to determine how utmost down the slide goes. The Setting In my observations, I discovered that social environment in which the conversation takes place fuel have a great deal to do with the nature of the conversation. Cafes stimulate for very fast light hearted conversations without much pause or reflection from either parties whilst position and restaurants allowed for a slow-moving pace of conversation with draws of moments of silence presumably accompanied by deep thought and reflection.The place setting also shows disposition to certain types of body language expres sed by the parties in conversation. Perhaps it is to do with the pace of the conversation or perhaps the social attri exclusivelyes of the environment. People I observe in parks and restaurants tend to demonstrate more closeness and rapport through their body language than those in cafes would. there were longer moments of eye contact, heavier body contact and more varied facial expressions.This is by no office a scientific conclusion on the impact of the conversational setting on the conversation we have as people but however a cue to pay greater perplexity to the setting of a coaching session with a coachee. I would imagine, the first step in taking control of the conversation is allowing the setting to be conducive to the objective of the coaching session. As I have observe in the brief observations I have had, the right setting go forth allow for the right expressions from twain parties and therefore facilitate the depth of the conversation.The danger however is to ignore the casual attributions which whitethorn then turn off from the cultural dispositions of me as a coach and from the coachee as an individual towards their actions in relation to the environment. Casual Attributions in Conversation The former why I would like to discuss this at this point is because it plays a lot in our reading, perception and judgement of conversation and particularly body language. The casual attribution conjecture discusses the reason for the judgement we make on why a person behaves or behaved the way they did.Psychological question on attribution has primarily studied the cause of another persons behaviour. Attributions are omnipresent in mundane life and as such are easily overlooked in our everyday conversations. As a coach, I believe it is very important to be acutely aware of the attributions we may place on a coachees behaviour or reactions and endeavour to keep an open and non-judgemental mind. This will allow our conversations to be much more forthc oming. Heider (1958) purports that perceivers (a role we would occupy as coaches) seek to attribute zip behaviour to stable dispositions.They tend to trace action to dispositions of the actor. In other words, a coach force be caught up in making judgements on the actions of the coachee based on the knowledge the coach has gained on the coachee as a person. This tendency was designated by Ross and Nisbett (1991) the fundamental attribution error. When I reflected on my preference to attribution, I noticed that I have a tendency to gravitate towards individualistic attribution tendencies. As a result to be a let on coach it necessitates me to actively seek to balance this.Conversation is a two way process and therefore, awareness of the attributions that the coachee might be predisposed to will be vital. sometimes the coachees action might be a reaction to your action(s) as a coach. It will be important to understand the coachees attribution tendencies thereby enabling you not only to manage your expressions (body language) but also to fully understand any actions by your coachee. Millers research in 1984 provided inference that understanding of cultures is imperative in understanding the underlying reactions in conversation.Cultural psychology separates the cultures into individualistic and socialist with both groups showing different tendencies of attribution. I therefore feel understanding your coachees background will be an important step towards achieving a learning conversation. Body Language and Rapport Alebert Merhabians theory suggests that when people have a rapport between them, they tend to have mirrored body language (Best Practice in Perfomance Coaching Carol Wilson p129). This was explicit in my observations. I could tell when both parties award mirrored body language such as leaning towards each other and laughing in tandem.This was a clear sign of the rapport between the parties, a significant indication of the intensity of the conversatio n. It is my judgment that a good rapport between two parties in a conversation will make for easy listening enabling the listener to move up the levels of listening (Carol Wilson p21). The rapport between the two will aid in cocooning the conversation and allow for very minimal distraction. As a coach the objective will be to aim for intuitive listening thus developing a good rapport with the coachee is a step in the right direction.As Carol Wilson explains in her account book Best Practice in Performance Coaching coaching only truly happens when we listen at higher levels i. e. intuitive listening. On the other hand, contrasting body language in a conversation can be indicative of a negative rapport between the parties in conversation. This might suggestion to a strained and unproductive conversation. Sometimes, it is necessary to stop and look at the underlying factors for the lack of rapport as opposed to forcing the situation by actively trying to mirror your coachees body language.This can at times go right down to the setting or environment or maybe the casual attributions tendencies of both individuals. Summary Conclusion Much has been written about communication and conversation. It remains a powerful tool in coaching and therefore the greater the understanding we have as coaches, the stop we will be able to use the conversation tool in executing our duties. In this report, I have looked at the impact on communication and conversation of three different aspects and seen how I can better prepare myself as a coach.My observations were a great cue towards helping me understanding communication. To unwrap my ultimate goal of always remaining in control, there are a good number of things to take into consideration. A lot in this report has focussed on the non-verbal aspects of the communication process. During the observation, I remained a good distance from the target group and therefore could not match the verbal communication to the non-verbal p atterns that I observed. I am intrigued to know what the relation between the two will be. Are words a reflection of feelings?Are we more likely to control our physical expressions to avoid causing a crack in a public place? Are we mostly acutely aware of our surroundings? These are questions to which we might have no answers but can be used as important guides in analysing and controlling conversation. I have learned a great deal from these observations to make me a better coach. It is very important to understand and interpret non verbal cues in conversation paying particular attention to our own personal attributions as coaches that we might bring into the relationship.