Cliff Notes for Coaching – A Captain Hindsight Blog Post

A colleague of mine is going to be diving into the world of train the trainer and coaching. I’m stupid excited for her as training or coaching another person really helps you realize how much you know. Hearing this exciting news prompted a flood of memories from the very first ‘training’ sessions I ever gave. Fortunately my victim, I mean learner, was very patient and forgiving. She still speaks to me in public – despite having to suffer through one of my verbal diarrhea training sessions. Yes, that phrase is gross, but so is having to be subjected to a learning environment when the teacher sticks to a script and spews out facts at x3.5 speed.

Fortunately three years of practice has helped me significantly hone my skills. To help all of you that are just stepping into this role, here is a ‘captain hindsight’ blog post about things I wish I knew when I started coaching.

What I’ve learning (and wish I had known in hindsight) about being a good coach can be broken down into five topics:

  1. Speed
  2. Language and Tone
  3. Hands-on Practice
  4. Staying on Track
  5. Documentation

Let me know what you think.