TAOI Online Learning - Coaching Fresh Thought

COACHING FRESH THOUGHT (30 minutes)

To prepare, please read Coaching for Fresh Thoughts and Insights' Coaching Exercise page 76 from the paperback and PDF e-book of The Art of Insight or in the Exercise Reference Manual you downloaded.

You must have a partner for this exercise. If you don't have anyone who has done the previous exercises, maybe you can find someone and hand them the instructions in the ERM. They can follow them like a script.

Here is a video illustration:

Summary

Part 1 Stage Setting (2 minutes)

Speaker: Describe a current situation, problem or topic that you want Fresh Thought on.

Listener/Coach: Listen with nothing on your mind.

Here is a timer for your convenience.

Part 2 Coached Fresh Thought Hunt (4 minutes)

Speaker: Fresh Thought Hunt

Listener: Coach the Speaker to look for more Fresh Thoughts.

Hints for the coach

• Maintain rapport.
• It's OK to ask questions and acknowledge Fresh Thoughts, but sparingly. Avoid getting caught up in the content of the Speaker's issue.
• Do not offer anything that remotely resembles advice. Do not try to solve their problem or offer solutions of your own, no matter how good your idea may be.
• Gently interrupt the Speaker if they get off on a memory-based thought train.
• Use the helpful phrases found in The Art of Insight

           - Give me another Fresh Thought about...
           - What's another way of looking at this?
           - What's a question you haven't asked about this?
           - I'm wondering...
           - What are you thinking right now?
           - If you weren't thinking whatever you're thinking now, what would you be thinking?

Debrief

Before you switch roles, take a few minutes to share:

• What were any Fresh Thoughts or Insights
• What was it like being coached?
• What was it like being a coach?
• What did the coach do that helped? What might you do differently next time?

Then switch roles and repeat the exercise.

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If you have any comments, suggestions for improvement or reports of success you

would like to share, please send an email to [email protected]

and reference "Coached Fresh Thought Hunt" in the subject field.