SPA Conference session: Coaching Exchange

One-line description:Brainstorming/Coaching session for individual situations
 
Session format: Workshop 150 minutes (or 75 mi [read about the different session types]
 
Abstract:The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas. Linus Pauling
None of us is as smart as all of us. -Ken Blanchard

The Spa Conferences are places to learn and experience new things – it is traditionally a get-together of highly effective, skilled and experienced practitioners.
In this session I would like to try out a format where we can harness the knowledge and creativity of the participants as well as our own to help get a new perspective on problems or situations that are puzzling us in every day life – or ones where we would just like to get a different perspective on.
It is not really about getting and giving advice – the session is meant as a space of listening, posing questions, generating ideas – and practicing empathy – basically for one short moment „standing in there together“.

You are invited to join the session if you fall into one or both of the following categories:
a) you have a problem you are stuck with at the moment – and one that can be explained in a few minutes (specific technical problems probably won’t work ;-) ).
b) you enjoy listening to people and helping enhance their creativity as well as joining them in a quest for ideas that might help – and you would like to practice these skills.
This session will be primarily focussed on brainstorming toword ideas and solutions concerning situations the participants bring to the session – but we will also reflect on coaching skills.
 
Audience background:Any
 
Benefits of participating:- ideas for solutions, steps towards solutions in concrete problems
- feedback concerning personal „coaching skills“
- networking
 
Materials provided:role-play cases to practice coaching (if there are not enough participants with situations they want to share).
 
Process:First of all, we will set up a list of rules concerning the session, e.g. “what is said in the room, stays in the room”
Then, we will ascertain how many participants have actual “situations” they would like to receive feedback to and how many particpants would like to practice their coaching skills and will divide .
If there are more people willing to coach than want feedback, then we will practice coaching with prepared cases in a role-play format
 
Detailed timetable:0:00 – 0:10 collecting rules for the session and introducing several different coaching formats
0:10 – 0:15 ascertaining how many participants want to present a situation, how many want to practice coaching and dividing into groups.
0:15 – 1:00 actual coaching sessions
1:00 – 1:15 collecting feedback (in groups and in plenum)
(if longer workshop:
1:15 – 2:00 another coaching session with a different focus
2:00 – 2:15 collecting feedback (in groups and in plenum)
2:15 – 2:30 leeway

I think it would be a good idea to have the longer format so the roles can change and people get a chance at receiving and getting feedback.
 
Outputs:Since this will be a rather personal session the only output possible would be
a) a list of rules we agreed on
b) a list of general feedback concerning what worked well in coaching and what did not
c) feedback about the session format – how well it worked – and what could be improved.
 
History:History None. But I really think that there is real potential gain in a format like this.
 
Presenters
1. Marina Haase
independent
2. 3.