Resource: How to Coach Yourself
The Little Engine That Could wasn’t just a children’s fairytale, it was a mark of hope. It showcased a simple yet profound belief about humanity—we ‘can’. The story encapsulates optimism and the power of our minds.
A century later, we’re on the same page as Arnold Munk (also known by his pen name, Watty Piper). The most suitable coach for nearly every individual is themselves. The inner voice heard on a daily basis can ask questions, share what it notices without judgement and guide someone towards taking action. Coaching skills and the act of being someone’s coach is wildly effective. We know that. We also know, you can do it yourself.
So, how can you be your own ‘little engine’? Thinking you can is a great start but we want to take you further by exploring the power of questions.
How to use coaching skills to support your own development and growth
When you do something you didn’t mean to do, what’s the first question you ask yourself? We find most people answer with the question, “Why did I do that?” It’s a common misconception that the question ‘why’ will unlock useful information. In reality, it causes paralysis and harsh judgment. It stops you in your track and sends you to the past to think through all the various reasons that could have led to this moment where you did the thing you didn’t mean to do and now, you want to know why.
“What we can’t go back and change is the act of doing it. You did it and now it’s done. What you can change are the questions you ask.”
On our Foundational Coaching Course, The Anatomy, we do an activity where we lay Self-Coaching Cards out all over the floor in no particular order. We create a journey for participants to work through hallways, classrooms or living rooms, asking themselves questions as they go. This activity can be very powerful for some people as it offers the idea that coaching isn’t just an external method. It’s not always about helping others, it’s also about helping yourself.
Great power comes from great questions and when we took our courses Live Online over the past few months, we wanted to give this activity a virtual capacity. We created a single Self-Coaching Card that can help you work through a challenge, give you a strong point to start from, or perhaps just inspire you.
If the little engine was about positive questions instead of positive statements, what do you think it would ask? Perhaps, “What can you do?” or “What will you do?” or “What’s possible for you?”
And so we ask you, What do you think you can do?
How to use the Self-Coaching Resource
Self-coaching is of course a great exercise to do by yourself, but it can also be used as a coaching activity with a group of students.
To do it with a group, download the PDF below, and share it will all participants in your group. Explain to participants that they are about to do a self-coaching exercise, and invite them to choose a topic to coach themselves on. Then, ask them to silently explore the scattered cards and find questions they want to answer. They can try moving horizontally, vertically, diagonally or randomly. They can zoom in and out on the cards as they move along, and answer as many of the questions as you wish.
The cards are in no order. It is not about looking at all of them, although they are welcome to. Instead, notice which questions resonate, which do not and what the experience is like.
DOWNLOAD Self-Coaching
To do this coaching activity by yourself or with anyone, click the link below and we’ll send you our PDF. It includes a social-distancing-friendly matrix of cards and instructions.
Download Self-Coaching
Self-Coaching Resource
Name
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First Name
Last Name
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School or Organisation
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Are you a...*
School Leader
Teacher
Parent
Other
Thank you!. Check your email. The Self-Coaching PDF is on its way to you.
We also produce a Self-Coaching card deck for in-person facilitation. The decks are A5 and include 50 cards. If you are interested in purchasing a deck for your school, classroom or home, please contact Amy at amy.cusack@graydin.com.
Graydin_Blog_SelfCoaching.jpg
Graydin_Blog_SelfCoaching.jpg
Have you used this activity? Let us know how it went below in the Comments, or on Educators With Heart.
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The Anatomy is Graydin’s Foundational Coaching Course, designed to ignite new ways of being, communicating and leading in teachers, senior leaders and students.
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