Coaching Triads

4. Chapter Four Results - 6147
4.1 Introduction
This chapter presents the findings that are most relevant to the four research questions about the journey of an internal coach about:
1. What are the views of the coaches (both trainee and established) views and expectations of the role of the internal coach?
2. What are the lived experiences of the coaches (both trainee and established) as they trained to become a coach?
3. What are the personal and professional gains and learnings internal coaches have obtained on their journeys from health professional to internal coach?
4. What can be learned from existing coaches’ experiences to assist in developing an improved service to Health Service coachees in the future?

The detailed analysis comes

The participants described how the triads emerged out of the coaching practice. This is a practice in coach training where skills and techniques are practiced amongst three people, each occupying a specific role in the training relationship. The triad is made up of a coach, coachee and an observer. The observer reflects back to the coach their observations of the sessions and the roles are rotated within the group of three people.
“The triads were a good support, and I think they should be ongoing, I would have great time for them, and they were a great support. When I'm coaching somebody …..you can draw on that well of experience. It might feel like a false experience but it is an experience and the stuff that you have done then you can then begin to add to that experience. If there was anything that added most value it was the practice” (P3)
“The triads were a very good place, a safe place to practice our coaching and I found that to be the most beneficial piece of it, everyone brought something live, so it was not role play’.(P8)
However, participant 7 did not feel the same and

Twice was during the near start of the programme and once nearing the end. That was direct observation in the triads that I got direct verbal feedback and then right at the very end of the programme I got the written feedback from the lead tutor which I found really helpful. All that feedback helped me to frame where I was in my journey in relation to the end goal for me which was the ICF ACC Accreditation”. (P8)
However, participant 5 described some of the feedback she received during the training as ‘too specific’ and said ‘that she would not have learned from this’. ‘She went on to describe the feedback she later received from her mentor and said:
“I would have got fantastic supervision from the mentors, it was really good feedback that got you to actually think ‘oh yes, I could have done that differently”. (P5)
The feedback from the coach mentors which occurred in the later stages of training when the trainee coaches engaged in one to one sessions. It was described as a ‘positive experience’.
“It was extremely positive because that happened about 9 weeks after the coaching stopped and it helped to a kind of consolidate it all’.