Each year we work with school districts or programs which hire coaches for educators within their system. Most of the time, even if the system provides some background about what coaching is, those being coached come to us not really knowing what to expect. Most are very interested, but also a little anxious, about what coaching will be like. They can’t imagine spending 45 minutes to an hour on the phone with someone they may not have met face-to-face!

Think of coaching as an investment of your time, money and in your professional growth. How do you make the most of this investment? You take control of five aspects of the coaching process that are in your hands.

Get clear about specific goals you want to achieve during your coaching experience. What outcome(s) do you want from this investment of your time? What would make this experience a really great value for you? Write it down. Let your coach know so that he or she can help you design a development path that supports your goal.

Ensure that you are in a quiet, private space without distractions for each call. Make your calls a priority and let other staff know these calls are as important as conference time with a parent. Ask someone to help remind you when the call time gets near & to help keep it free of distractions.

Send a prep form to your coach just before each call. This helps you get focused & come to the call ready to jump into the work. It also gives your coach some background about what has been happening since the last call and allows him or her to prepare things so that the time is well-utilized.

Do the work between calls. At the end of most calls, your coach will ask you what actions you will commit to do as a result of the conversation. Doing the work propels you toward your goal(s). The difficulties or obstacles you meet along the way provide topics to discuss during the next call.

Ask your coach for feedback and observations about your progress. It is your coach’s job to be honest with you and give you good feedback. Your coach can provide a trusted perspective, and possibly a different point of view in looking at the data. Having the conversation may make you feel vulnerable, yet it often opens up topics that can give you great insight.

Choosing to take control of these aspects of your coaching experience will make a big difference in your personal and professional growth. At the end of the contract you will say that coaching was the BEST professional learning experience you have ever had!

By Marceta Reilly, PhD, PCC. Marceta has been a coach and faculty member for Coaching For Results Global since it began in 2002 and has co-authored two book on the topic of coaching conversations.