This is a sample coaching map from our book series Coaching Conversations - we hope you find this helpful!

Suggested Strategy:

• Use a Define & Coach strategy so that the person you are coaching can improve their communication skills to the level that is expected of them. When coaching to improve something like communication, it is imperative that the expectations are clearly defined. This not only brings the individual’s awareness to their current performance in this area, but gives them a specific goal to reach.

Suggested Questions:

• Define & Coach: How do you think you would specifically define what it might look like to achieve a great level of communication?
• Third-Party Coaching: How do you think your peers might honestly describe your current level of communication on a daily basis?
• Self-Actualized Question: What specific actions are you committed to taking to implement great communication at work?

Suggested Activities:

• Whiteboard Coaching: On the left side of a whiteboard, write down how the employee believes their peers might describe their current level of communication. On the right side of the board, write down the definition of great communication discussed at the start of your coaching session. Then, erase the left side of the board and work with the employee to create a strategy for reaching the description on the right side of the board. Ask them to keep in mind specific situations in their typical work day where they will implement these strategies as you complete the activity.

Suggested Learning Projects:

• Peer-to-Peer Coaching: Assign your coaching target to meet with a new peer each week to discuss their strategies for implementing great communication. What specific practices do their peers have in place that they have found to be the most successful? What challenges do their peers face and how do they combat those challenges? What takeaways from their discussions can the person you are coaching implement in their own communications practices?
• Tangible Successes: Ask the employee to come back to your next coaching session with three examples of situations from the previous week where they were successful in practicing great communication. What specific actions did they take in those situations, and how will they maintain that communication going forward?

Supplemental Coaching Strategies:

• Non-Verbal Coaching: As your coaching target works to improve their communication skills and implement them on a consistent basis, take a moment to leave them a handwritten note at their workstation to share your appreciation for their efforts. Let them know how their actions are beneficial to the individual as they work toward their goals.

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