With this unusually severe winter in the Midwest, I’ve been very intent on listening for any subtle signs of the approaching spring. The other day I heard a gaggle of geese flying overhead and watched them descend on ice floes in the lake. Another day, I heard an unseen woodpecker tapping out the message that spring was near. Listening and paying attention to these signs of spring fosters an acknowledgment that while not apparent now, spring is coming soon. We know that the time of growth and new awakenings is just around the corner. Just as we listen for the nuances of an emergent spring, we listen for the nuances of awakenings and growth in our clients.

How do we do that? How do we quantify and document the narrative that we hear from our clients? We ask our clients periodically to evaluate the coaching they receive, and we ask our clients to tell us about their experiences with our seminars. Our evaluation team members conduct structured interviews and listen to what our clients have to tell us. Not surprisingly, our clients tell us much about the impact of listening by their coaches on their work, their lives, their leadership and their districts.

From our research, we asked and we listened. This is what CFR Global has learned about the impact of the competency of listening on our clients from our clients:

“Administrative work is so isolated – it’s great to have someone listen.”

“It is really satisfying to have someone hear you and reflect back the ideas you are expressing to help move you forward.”

“The skills that I learned in terms of active listening and pro-active listening have been invaluable.”

“I caught myself many times talking when I should have been listening! I found myself multi-tasking when I was talking with students and I just have to stop that!“

“I’m catching myself on the wait time. I am putting everything aside and listening when I need to listen. I am being quieter and more attentive and using the paraphrasing. With our meetings I will be modeling more of the paraphrasing in our staff groups. I really will use it with parents and students.”

“I’m actually listening.”

“It was a positive experience. Good reflection.”

“The listening by the coach provided assistance in my thinking.”

“Someone listening is really helpful to gain clarity in my own thinking and to be productive in my thinking.”

One district reported that the listening skills inherent in the coaching process helped facilitate the smooth implementation of their new teacher evaluation system as follows:

“We have discovered that the coaching skills are useful within the new teacher evaluation system. Principals have been applying coaching skills to their interaction with teachers as seamlessly as possible. They are having conversations with teachers best described as professional discourse, courageous conversations, as well as conversations about dysfunctional teaching which have historically been difficult.”

Listening is the premier and fundamental competency one must possess as a coach or a leader. To listen for what is not immediately apparent, to be able to hear underlying concerns and issues, to be able to hear both what the client is saying and not saying, and to be able to hear and surface contradictions are the subtle textures of listening.

Just as with emergent spring, there are new awakenings and new growth within the client that CFR Global captures by listening through our evaluation processes. Thank you to all who have contributed to the body of research and understanding about coaching and we look forward to listening to many more of you in the near future.

For more information about CFR Global evaluation, contact Diana@coachingforresultsglobal.com.

By Diana Williams, Ph.D., PCC