Coaching: Move People Forward from edX

What's inside

Learning objectives

At the end of this course, the learner will be able to:
Recognize and nurture the potential within others to grow and change.
Flex your approach to meet the unique needs of each person, whether you’re coaching for success or for improvement.

Build a coaching relationship based on trust.
Guide, inspire, support, and empower in the moment.
Ask questions, connect at a human level, and energize into action.

At the end of this course, the learner will be able to:
Recognize and nurture the potential within others to grow and change.
Flex your approach to meet the unique needs of each person, whether you’re coaching for success or for improvement.
Build a coaching relationship based on trust.
Guide, inspire, support, and empower in the moment.
Ask questions, connect at a human level, and energize into action.

Syllabus

The impact of coaching

Your coaching mindset

Ask, connect, energize

Build coaching conversation skills

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Develops coaching techniques that involve asking questions and connecting on a human level, which are essential for effective leadership

Explores mindset toward others' potential, which is useful for leaders aiming to foster growth and development within their teams

Taught by Washington University in St. Louis, an institution recognized for its business programs and leadership development initiatives

Offers practice in real-time conversations, preparing leaders for various coaching scenarios and enhancing their communication skills

Reviews summary

Practical coaching skills for leaders

According to learners, this course is a highly valuable and practical introduction to coaching, particularly for those in leadership or management roles. Students frequently highlight the easy-to-grasp frameworks, such as the Ask, Connect, Energize (ACE) model, and the focus on developing a positive coaching mindset through self-insight tools. Reviewers appreciate the opportunity to practice coaching techniques through scenarios, noting that the course provides actionable strategies they can immediately apply in both professional and personal contexts. While providing a solid foundation, some experienced coaches might find it more introductory.

Good for beginners or newer coaches.

"This course is great for someone who is just starting out in coaching or wants to formalize their approach."

"I gained a solid foundation in core coaching principles."

"Provides a comprehensive introduction to coaching basics."

"Excellent course for managers wanting to incorporate coaching into their leadership style."

Allows application of learned skills.

"The choose-your-own-adventure video scenarios were a great way to practice the techniques."

"Liked the opportunity to practice coaching conversations and apply the concepts in scenarios."

"Provides practice sessions that reinforce the learning."

"Good mix of theory and practical application through practice."

Emphasizes the coach's internal state.

"Exploring my own coaching mindset through the self-insight tools was a key takeaway."

"I appreciated the emphasis on the coach's mindset and self-awareness."

"The focus on mindset really differentiated this course for me."

"Helped me reflect on my own potential and willingness to grow as a coach."

Introduces memorable coaching models.

"The ACE framework (Ask, Connect, Energize) is a simple yet powerful model I'll definitely use."

"I found the Ask, Connect, and Energize model particularly helpful and easy to remember."

"The course provides helpful models and frameworks that simplify the coaching process."

"Introduced valuable concepts like the ACE model and coaching mindset."

Provides techniques immediately applicable.

"The tools and techniques are very practical and can be immediately applied in real-world coaching situations."

"I learned how to use practical tools and strategies that I could apply immediately to my work."

"Excellent, pragmatic course that focuses on practical application of techniques."

"Provides practical strategies and tools for improving coaching conversations."

May be too basic for experienced coaches.

"As someone with prior coaching training, I found some parts to be a bit introductory."

"It's a great overview, but might not offer enough depth for advanced practitioners."

"Felt a bit basic at times, but still a good refresher."

"Could use more in-depth exploration of complex coaching situations."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Coaching: Move People Forward with these activities:

Read 'Coaching for Performance'

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Understand the foundational principles of coaching to better grasp the course's 'Ask, Connect, Energize' framework.

View Coaching for Performance, 6th edition: The... on Amazon

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Obtain a copy of 'Coaching for Performance'.
Read the book, focusing on the GROW model.
Reflect on how the GROW model relates to the course's coaching techniques.

Practice Active Listening

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Sharpen your active listening skills to improve your ability to connect with others during coaching conversations.

Browse courses on Active Listening

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Research active listening techniques online.
Practice active listening in everyday conversations.
Seek feedback on your listening skills from friends or colleagues.

Practice Coaching Scenarios with Peers

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Refine your coaching skills by practicing real-time coaching scenarios with other learners.

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Form a study group with other course participants.
Develop realistic coaching scenarios based on workplace situations.
Take turns role-playing as coach and coachee.
Provide constructive feedback to each other.

Four other activities

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Create a Coaching Reflection Journal

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Reflect on your coaching experiences and insights to solidify your learning and identify areas for improvement.

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Create a journal (physical or digital).
After each coaching interaction, record your observations.
Analyze what went well and what could be improved.

Review 'The Coaching Habit'

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Learn practical questioning techniques to enhance your coaching skills and improve your ability to guide and empower others.

View Melania on Amazon

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Obtain a copy of 'The Coaching Habit'.
Read the book, focusing on the seven essential questions.
Practice using the questions in your daily interactions.

Implement a Personal Coaching Plan

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Apply the coaching techniques learned in the course to develop and implement a personal coaching plan for a colleague or team member.

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Identify a colleague or team member who could benefit from coaching.
Develop a coaching plan based on their needs and goals.
Conduct regular coaching sessions.
Track progress and adjust the plan as needed.

Develop a Coaching Skills Presentation

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Synthesize your knowledge and understanding of coaching by creating a presentation to share with others.

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Outline the key concepts of effective coaching.
Create slides with visuals and concise explanations.
Practice your presentation to ensure a smooth delivery.
Present your coaching skills to a group of colleagues.

Career center

Learners who complete Coaching: Move People Forward will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Executive Coach

An executive coach partners with leaders to enhance their performance and develop their professional skills. This course helps you build a foundation of effective coaching techniques. The course’s focus on understanding various mindsets will be helpful to working with diverse executive profiles. This course provides tools to ask thought-provoking questions, connect on a human level, and energize leaders toward action. The course emphasis on coaching conversations helps you build a coaching practice.

See salaries and explore the career path for Executive Coach

Leadership Development Consultant

A leadership development consultant helps organizations improve the effectiveness of their leaders. This career often requires a deep understanding of coaching methodologies, and this course provides an excellent foundation to learn these techniques. The course emphasizes using questions to connect with others, which is critical when consulting on leadership development. Leaders gain proficiency in energizing individuals and teams, essential to creating a thriving workplace. This course specifically focuses on communication techniques necessary for leaders to guide and empower others.

See salaries and explore the career path for Leadership Development Consultant

Career Coach

A career coach guides individuals in their career journeys, assisting with goal development and professional growth. This course will be useful for new career coaches as it provides a foundation in coaching techniques. Learning to ask provocative questions and connect at a human level will be helpful to understanding client needs. This course teaches the importance of building trust in coaching relationships, essential for career coaches. The course focuses on techniques to energize people into action, directly relating to a career coach's work.

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Small Business Owner

A small business owner must lead and coach employees to achieve business goals, and this course may provide helpful tools to develop effective coaching techniques. The course focuses on recognizing and nurturing the potential within team members. You will learn to ask questions, connect at a human level, and energize your employees. This course emphasizes building trust for a more supportive work environment.

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Sales Manager

A sales manager leads a sales team, and this course may help develop effective coaching skills that will drive team performance. The course's emphasis on recognizing the potential within others helps you to nurture your sales team. Asking questions, connecting at a human level, and energizing a sales team toward action are all skills that this course addresses. This course will help you to build a trusting relationship with your sales team.

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Team Lead

Team leads are crucial in guiding and motivating teams towards achieving their goals, and this course may prepare you with coaching skills to lead more effectively. Through this course, you will learn to nurture the potential within team members. This course's techniques of asking questions, connecting at a human level, and energizing into action directly translate to leading a cohesive and productive team. You will learn to build relationships based on trust, allowing you to guide, support, and empower team members.

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Change Management Specialist

A change management specialist guides organizations through transitions, often using coaching techniques to help employees adapt. This course provides tools to help others navigate changes by helping them recognize their potential for growth. The course’s emphasis on asking questions, connecting at a human level, and energizing people into action, may be helpful to the change process. The focus on building trust and relationships in this course may help with coaching through organizational transitions.

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Program Manager

A program manager oversees multiple related projects, and this course may be helpful to enhance their leadership and team management skills. This course provides you with insights into coaching techniques necessary to mentor project leads. The focus on recognizing potential within others, may be helpful for staff development under their purview. This course’s practice building coaching conversation skills can help a program manager to help their project teams work effectively.

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Project Manager

A project manager leads teams to accomplish specific objectives, and this course may help develop coaching skills for project team leadership. The course helps you to learn techniques to nurture the potential of each team member. This course’s focus on asking questions and connecting at a human level can improve team communication. The course provides coaching techniques to energize a team toward action, which may improve the overall project outcome.

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Academic Advisor

An academic advisor guides students in their educational pursuits and development, often using coaching techniques to support student success. This course may be useful for new academic advisors who want to incorporate coaching skills into their advising. The course's emphasis on recognizing the potential within others will be helpful to guiding students. The course's focus on asking questions, connecting at a human level, and energizing students will be valuable in advising sessions. This course provides the tools to build trusting relationships with students.

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Training Facilitator

A training facilitator delivers learning and development programs, often incorporating coaching elements to enhance participant growth. This course may be useful for learning coaching techniques that help deliver more engaging and impactful training sessions. The ability to ask provocative questions, learned in this course, will be helpful in stimulating critical thinking. This course teaches skills in how to energize people during instruction. This course will prepare you to facilitate interactive and effective training.

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Nonprofit Program Director

A nonprofit program director leads programs that serve the community, and this course may help you with leadership and team management skills. This course provides coaching skills that will be helpful as you support a team of staff and volunteers. The focus on recognizing and nurturing potential within others may assist in helping volunteers and staff grow. The course emphasis on asking questions and building trust may help with mentoring and guiding individuals within the program.

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Human Resources Specialist

A human resources specialist plays a vital role in fostering employee development and growth within a company. This course may be useful as it covers coaching techniques that support talent development and performance improvement. The course helps you learn how to build trusting relationships, a key skill in HR. This course’s emphasis on recognizing potential within others may be helpful to identifying and nurturing talent. Through this course, you will learn to support and empower individuals, leading to more effective HR practices.

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Management Consultant

A management consultant advises organizations on strategy and performance improvement, often using coaching skills to drive alignment and engagement. This course may be useful as it teaches valuable coaching techniques that can help drive change. The course’s emphasis on recognizing and nurturing potential is relevant for developing client leadership. The course provides tools to ask provocative questions, build a coaching mindset, and create an environment of trust.

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Instructional Designer

An instructional designer creates learning materials and programs, often incorporating coaching to encourage positive change. This course may be useful as it gives you insight into coaching techniques that can be incorporated into learning programs. Understanding how to ask questions, connect at a human level, and energize individuals, may help you to improve engagement in the materials created. The focus on communication skills through this course can help you prepare effective training materials.

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Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Coaching: Move People Forward.

Coaching for Performance, 6th edition

Save

Is considered a foundational text in the field of coaching. It introduces the GROW model (Goal, Reality, Options, Will), a simple yet powerful framework for structuring coaching conversations. Reading this book will provide a solid understanding of coaching principles and techniques, enhancing your ability to apply the 'Ask, Connect, Energize' approach taught in the course. It's a useful reference for understanding the theory behind the practical skills you'll develop.

Coaching for Performance, 6th edition: The...

Paperback

Coaching for Performance, 6th edition: The...

Kindle Edition