by Susan R. Meyer, MCC (IAC)
president@certifiedcoach.org
Listening and Learning Together
As we expand the path to coaching mastery, it is increasingly exciting to come together to learn. Recently, I attended the International Coaching Conference, entitled Nation Building & Organisational Development through Individual Growth, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. You can see the conference program here: http://www.ukm.my/icc/?page_id=18. It was the third conference hosted by our Asian chapters and it was exciting for many reasons. First, Captain (Retired) M. Shanmugam (Shan) and his team created a wonderful, varied environment for learning. Second, as a kickoff to the final session, Shan revealed the Bahasa Malaysia translation of the IAC Masteries?. Third, this was the first conference where three IAC Presidents were in attendance.
The conference brought together chapter leaders and licensees from throughout what the group is now calling the Asian Crescent. Our chapters now stretch from Beijing to Dubai, incorporating licensees, academicians, facilitators, coaches, practitioners and students.
A combination of full-group sessions and concurrent presentations created a lively and enlightening event. Past President Bob Tschannen-Moran spoke about "Coaching Mastery: A Commitment That Matters" in his keynote address. He described in detail how coaches can improve the quality of their coaching not just by making multiple recordings but by using structured tools to listen to and analyze those recordings. At the most basic level, he noted, we can measure the amount of time we listen and the amount of time we speak. He also recommended tracking open- versus close-ended questions. He also spoke of mastery as a continuous journey. Each step brings us closer, but we never completely reach the goal. He reminded us that, as we grow, we make and learn from mistakes and quoted Niels Bohr, who said, "An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field."
This theme of listening was reiterated in Shan’s presentation as well as Past President Angela Spaxman’s. We were reminded throughout the conference of the power of thought-provoking questions and careful listening. At the final session, a World Café addressing the conference theme, almost every group mentioned the importance of skilled listening to masterful coaching.
It’s likely that listening will also be a key theme in IAC’s first webinar, Transforming Painful Events into Personal Empowerment on Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 8:00-9:00 p.m. Eastern. I will be interviewing Doris Helge, Ph.D., MCC (IAC), who is an Amazon.com #1 bestselling author of books like Transforming Pain into Power and Joy on the Job. You'll gain proven tips for elevating personal empowerment and professional relationships. You can discover more about Dr. Helge’s work at http://CoachingByDoris.com/videos and http://ConfidentCoachConnection.com. The webinar is open to all, and a replay will be available for IAC members. Space is limited, so reserve your webinar seat now at: https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/171140519
Why not listen with a group of colleagues or coaching buddies? Then you’ll be able to discuss how you might want to integrate what you hear into your own practice.
With warm wishes for your success,
Susan R. Meyer
Susan R. Meyer, MCC (IAC) is President of Susan R. Meyer, Coaching and Consulting and of Life-Work Coach. She provides personal and executive coaching and facilitates seminars on topics including life planning, emotional intelligence, leadership development, communication, and coaching skills for managers. www.susanrmeyer.com.
