An important technique is helping coachee to see the problem
as a story outside himself and thus create room for alternative
stories.
Three steps procedure for externalising problems:
Identify and name the problem as specifically as possible with
the use of images and of coachee’s words.
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1. Investigate why the problem remains present in coachee:
isolate the problem from the coachee and locate histories
when the problem was not dominating. (= “sparkling
moments”).
1. Use these sparkling moments as the basis for the re-writing
of histories.
The Richard Stelter & Ho Law five-step procedure:
Stage One – Description
The coach invites the coachees to tell a story about life or work
domain (depending on the topic of the coaching session, e.g.
their business/work issues, relationships or work/life balance,
etc). The story may consist of many themes or plots. As the
coach listens to the coachee’s story, the coach tries to identify
any „internalised problem‟ that might have affected the
coachee’s sense of self and identity. The coach encourages the
coachee to externalise the problem by for example, giving it a
name.
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Stage Two – Relation Mapping
In the coachee’s story, the coach attempts to identify his or her
coachee’s aspirations, values, hopes and dreams, which give
them a sense of purposes that is more consistent with their
desirable self-identity. However, the evidence that appeared in
the story told might very often be in thin traces. Borrowed from
the anthropological theory of Geertz (1973) Michael White
(1997) spoke about „thin description‟ as in contrast to the
foreground dominant storyline („thick description‟).
The coach needs to identify any „unique outcomes‟ that might
have been neglected by the coachee, and yet these neglected
events and their unique outcomes may help the coach and
coachee to co-construct the alternative story lines. The coachee
may give many examples of failure (thick description) to
support their negative story line. The coach may ask the coachee
to think about any exceptions in their experience that constitute
a successful outcome (counterplot).
This counterplot provides „a point of entry‟ (rite de passage) to
the alternative storyline that may lead the coachee to see new
possibilities. The mapping between the coachee’s positive self
identity and the negative description of coachee’s action in a
sequence of events unfolding (thin and thick descriptions)
would enable the coach to identify the „learning gap‟ or the
„zone of “proximal development‟ (Vygotsky’s term) that the
coachee needs to bridge.
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Stage Three – Evaluation/Re-evaluation (re-
authoring)
To bridge the learning gaps that have been identified in Stage
two, the coach continues to focus on those thin story lines that
could strengthen the coachee’s sense of identity; gather more
evidence to support the alternative storyline (thicken the plot).
This stage provides „scaffolding‟ to bridge the coachee’s
learning gap by recruiting their lived experience. The coach asks
the coachee to re-evaluate the impact of their action upon their
own sense of self-identity, values and belief, stretch their
imagination and exercise their meaning-making resources.
The coach also encourages the coachee to map their aspirations,
values and self-identity upon their action in terms of new future
possibilities on their life’s horizons. This stage is very often
referred to as „the turning point‟ where the coachee begins to
change from re-iterating the old story line to start discovering
new possibilities and action.
Stage Four - Justification
The coach further thickens the plot of the story and consolidates
the coachee’s commitment for change. The aim of narrative
coaching is to develop a „thick description‟ of an alternative
storyline “that is inscribed with…meanings" and finds linkages
between "the stories of people's lives and their cherished
values, beliefs, purposes, desires, commitments, and so on"
(White, 1997, p.15-16).
At this stage, the coachees are asked to justify the above
evaluation in terms of their aspiration, belief, values and self-
identity and strengths.
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Stage Five - Conclusion/Recommendation
The coach guides the coachee to draw conclusion by making
valued statements about their self-identity in terms of their
beliefs, values, hopes, and dreams. The coach may ask the
coachee to write these statements down in words on a piece of
paper or in a form of letter, etc. Finally, the coach invites the
coachee to make commitments for action by summarizing an
action plan for change and how to achieve their hopes and
dreams (the „bridging tasks‟).
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2.6.2 Practical Narrative Approach to Coaching
The narrative approach to coaching investigates the stories that
people construct in their lives to define who they are and what
they do. It is the coach’s role to help coachees identify stories
that are limiting them from achieving their full potential and to
assist in finding an alternative story that is more beneficial.
The coach has four main aims when implementing the narrative
approach:
1. Search for alternative explanations
2. Search for unique outcomes
3. Encourage a future with the alternative story
4. Find ways to create an audience who will perceive and
support the new story.
Let us look at some of the main concepts of this approach:
Dominant Stories
Dominant stories are stories in a person’s life which he or she
strongly believe and have had things happen in life that have
reinforced this story. They can have both positive and negative
affects on the individual’s life and affect not only the present but
also the future.
Stories consist of the following elements (De Jong & Berg, 2002):
Events
Linked in sequence
Across time
According to a plot
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For example:
John is a successful executive to an important financial
company. However, he lacks confidence in his typing ability due
to situations that have occurred in the past. For example, when
he was in high school he completed a typing course in which he
failed. In his first job as an administrative assistant he was
always in trouble for taking too long to complete projects and he
thought this was due to his typing “inability”. Now that he has
his own administrative assistant he gets him to type everything
for him but is finding that other tasks are not completed due to
this problem.
John’s dominant story of not being able to type has been
reinforced by past incidences of being told he can’t type and
failing a typing course. He now reinforces this issue by getting
someone else to do the typing for him. Although John’s story is
quite basic, you can see how this dominant story affects his
present and will also keep affecting his future.
Externalising Language
Externalising language is used in coaching to separate the
problem from the person. For example, a person may say “I am a
sad person”. This implies that the person has a sad quality or
characteristic of sadness rather than it just being something that
affects the person from time to time.
Coaches working from a narrative perspective are attuned to
the language they use to represent an issue or problem in their
coachees’ lives. They assume that the issue or problem is
“having an effect on the person” rather than the issue or
problem being an intrinsic part of who the person is.
Rather than saying “you are lacking in motivation”, a coach
working from a narrative perspective may ask “when did
motivation leave you?” OR rather than say, “you are stressed”
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the coach may enquire, “when did stress get a hold of you?”
Unique outcomes
Unique outcomes are situations or events that do not fit with the
problem-saturated story. When searching for unique outcomes,
coaches focus their attention on finding any event or experience
that stands apart from the problem story – even if the situation
appears to be inconsequential to the coachee.
Example transcript:
In this example, Ben is in year 12 and is aiming to achieve a
scholarship for university. Ben doesn’t usually have a problem
with motivation, but lately he just can’t seem to find the energy
to study. With assistance from his counsellor, Ben has named his
lack of motivation, “the energy-zapper”.
Here is part of the conversation that takes place between Ben
and his coach:
Coach - When did the energy-zapper first make an appearance
in your life?
--Ben - Hmm, well I think I first noticed him in grade 9. I went
through this stage where he was turning up and zapping my
energy all the time!
Coach - Was there ever a time when you were able to overcome
the energy-zapper’s powers?
--Ben - Umm… yeah, once I was so behind in Maths that I just
knew I had to study otherwise I would fail the next exam.
Coach - So what did you do?
--Ben - Well, I guess, I just focused. I turned off the TV - I knew I
had to turn off the TV - Then I thought, right I have to do this. I
just have to.
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Coach - And did you do it?
--Ben - Yeah, you know, I did…and it really wasn’t that hard to
stay focused once I got into it. I stayed up all night to study for
that exam.
Coach - So the energy-zapper loses his power when you really
focus your attention on something.
--Ben - Yeah, I guess he does (laughs).
This conversation reveals a unique outcome for Ben.
Techniques
Techniques that will be examined in this article are:
1. Naming the problem
2. Asking externalising questions
Naming the problem is used as a way to establish a sense of
distance from, and control over the problem. This is a main aim
of the narrative approach.
Payne (2006) has identified a number of questions you may
wish to use to help the coachee name the problem:
“I wonder what we will call this problem?
Do you have a particular name for what you’re going through at
the moment?
There are lots of things happening to you- shall we try to pin
them down? What are they, what name shall we put to them?
I’ve been calling what they did to you ‘constructive dismissal’.
Does that seem the right term to use?
Judging by what you say, you’re been subject to emotional
abuse. How would it feel if that’s what we called it from now on?
Or perhaps there’s a better name?”
If the coachee has trouble coming up with a name, you could
suggest possibilities.
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For example:
Sam is a 25-year-old professional, who has recently been
promoted to a business development position within her
organisation. As part of this new role, Sam will be required to
provide product information to a large number of potential
customers in a conference style presentation. Sam considers
herself to be ‘nervous by nature’ and is worried that she may
find this aspect of the role intimidating.
Sam and her coach have named her nervousness, the
intimidator.
Externalising the Interview
Externalising questions and statements involve referring to the
problem as being external to the person. For example, “you are
shy” compared to a narrative approach of “when did shyness get
a hold of you?” Other examples of making externalising
questions include:
How does the (problem) interfere in your life?
How does the (problem) manage to take control of you?
When does the (problem) usually strike?
Have you noticed in anything makes the (problem) stronger?
How is the (problem) hold you back?
Here’s an example from an interview with Sam (playing the role
of the intimidator):
Coach – Intimidator, when did you first start spending time with
Sam?
-- Sam – (As the intimidator) Gee, I started hanging out with Sam
when she was young about 4, maybe 5 years old.
Coach – Wow, you’ve been in Sam’s life for a long time. What has
made you stay so long?
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-- Sam – (As the intimidator) Ha, ha. Well, I get a lot of
opportunities to wield my powers. Sam’s easily led; I can
overpower her without any difficulty.
Coach – Really? When is she at her most vulnerable?
-- Sam – (As the intimidator) She’s definitely her most
vulnerable when she is unprepared. It’s so easy to overpower
her then.
Copyright © 2010 Mental Health Academy
Source: www.mentalhealthacademy.com.au
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2.7 THE GATHER FAME MODEL
The GATHER FAME model is a very practical model, which
consists of two parts : “GATHER” refers to the actual coaching
process, which, however, is not complete without the second
part : “FAME”, being the follow up.
In “GATHER”, G is for Greet:
- Greet the coachee: introduce yourself, offer a seat, and create
a warm but professional environment.
- Ask how you can help.
- Assure coachee of confidentiality.
A is for Ask:
- Ask about their reasons for coming now.
- Help coachees tell their story, express their needs and wants,
doubts, concerns, questions and problems.
- Ask about previous experiences
- Ask what they want to do
- Show interest, understanding and empathy
- Reflect, support, ask open questions to encourage
communication,
- Avoid judgments and opinions
T is for Tell:
- To make informed choices and good decisions, coaches need
clear, accurate, specific information about the range of their
choices.
- Give tailored information: tell what is relevant and important
to the coachee’s decision.
- Give personalized information: always start from coachee’s
specific and unique situation and take it into account in all
you say.
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H is for Help:
- Help coachee think about positive and negative results for
him personally of each selected option
- Help them think how they would feel about these results.
- Help them prioritize: which options are more important and
urgent?
- Ask what other important persons in their life might want.
- Clarify, repeat and reword information when useful
- Remind coaches that the choice is theirs to take. Avoid
making decisions for them.
- Check whether they have made a clear decision. Ask: “So,
what have you decided to do?” and wait for them to answer.
E is for Explain:
- Explain how to carry out the decision
- Help coachees think how to adopt new behaviour.
- Explain what, when, how, where …
- Show how, hand printed material to take home
- Ask coachee to repeat instructions, to tell you how they will
implement their decision
- Help them rehearse planned conversations, interviews,
presentations, ….
R is for Return:
- Ask coaches if they have any questions or subjects to discuss
(1)
- Ask them if they are satisfied with the outcome (2)
- Help them handle any problems (3)
- Plan follow-up and evaluation
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In “FAME”, F is for Follow-up
- At the follow-up meeting, repeat points 1,2 and 3 from the
Return-phase
- Ask if anything changed since the last meeting
- Ask them to think about their decision again and to confirm it,
or to adapt it if they wish … or to make a new choice
- Check if coachee is living up to their commitment. Can you
help them in any way?
A is for Apply Coaching Techniques
M is for Monitor Progress:
E is for Evaluate / Wrap up
- What is the concrete result?
- Any further questions?
- Assistance or additional resources required?
- End Coaching relationship, but keep door opened.
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2.8 ENNEAGRAM BASED COACHING
History
The Enneagram is an ancient system – at least 2000 - 4000
year’s old. The word comes from two Greek words ennea
(“nine”) and gram ("something written or drawn”), and refers to
the nine points on the Enneagram symbol. The nine different
Enneagram styles, identified as numbers One through Nine,
reflect distinct habits of thinking, feeling, and behaving, with
each style connected to a unique path of development.
Each person has only one core Enneagram style, and while our
Enneagram style remains the same throughout our lifetime, the
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characteristics of our style may either soften or become more
pronounced as we grow and develop. In addition to our core
Enneagram style, there are four other styles that provide
additional qualities to our personalities; these are called wings
and arrows.
Current Usage
More than a personality typology, the Enneagram is a profound
map illuminating the nine different architectures of the human
character. It is also the most powerful and practical system
available for increasing emotional intelligence, with insights
that can be used for personal and professional development.
Because the Enneagram is cross-cultural and uncannily
accurate, it’s modern usage is growing dramatically across the
globe.
In addition to being used by individuals who embrace it for their
own insight and development, organizations are using the
Enneagram to increase emotional intelligence (EQ), enhance
communication, manage conflict constructively, build high-
performing teams, develop leadership, and more.
Enneagram Coaching
1. Working on Yourself
The Enneagram is about movement and change, letting go of
fixed identity and opening up to the possibility of
transformation. G.I. Gurdjieff, the teacher who first brought
knowledge of the Enneagram to the West, taught that we have
two natures – ‘Personality’ which is essentially illusory, an
image of ourselves that we learn from others; and ‘Essence’, our
true nature. The Enneagram type belongs to ‘Personality’ in this
specialized sense – and is therefore false, something we are
unnaturally attached to through conditioning. The aim of
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Gurdjieff’s system was to help people let go of this false self-
image so that their true Essence could emerge.
So the point of identifying your Enneagram type is not to put
you in a box or stick a label on you - but to show you where the
type (your self-image) helps you and where it is getting in your
way. By deliberately working ‘against’ your type, you can open
up new perspectives and make changes in long-established
habits.
Enneagram teachers typically recommend two ways of working
on yourself with the Enneagram.
The first is simply to observe your type - read the descriptions
and notice when you find yourself compelled to act according to
type. For example - if you are at point Two, notice when you feel
compelled to help someone; if you are at point Seven, notice
when you get bored and feel the need to lighten the mood; if you
are point Five, notice when you feel the need to withdraw from
the group and gather your thoughts.
Getting into the habit of ‘just observing’ yourself is a great way
to learn about yourself, even if the observations can make
uncomfortable viewing at times. One Enneagram teacher,
Richard Rohr, says we haven’t really ‘got’ the Enneagram until
we have been humiliated - meaning that it is a humbling
experience to realise how much of our thoughts, feelings and
behaviour are conditioned by our type. On the other hand, this
can also help us to develop compassion for ourselves – and for
others, when we notice that they are also trapped by their type.
If you’re feeling really brave, you might want to show the
description of your type to a trusted friend and ask them
whether they think it’s accurate - pick your friend wisely, and be
prepared for a few home truths!
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Let’s have another look at the Enneagram symbol:
Notice the arrows that have been drawn on the diagram - these
indicate the ‘path of least resistance’ in the face of the difficulties
of life. So for a point One Reformer, the path of least resistance
leads to point Four - whenever he is overwhelmed by the
difficulties of achieving his goals, he is tempted to retreat to
Four and take on the less desirable qualities of that type, by
getting depressed and lamenting the state of the world.
If he moves in the other direction however, against the direction
of the arrows, then he arrives at point Seven, which is when he
lighten up and starts to embrace the positive side of life.