Coaching is active reflection

Coaching is a form of active reflection. Coaching sessions are in themselves, reflective conversations. In addition, writing is also a frequently used mode of reflection in coaching. 

 

Conversations are predominantly used to facilitate reflection during sessions as coaching conversations, driven by questioning, give clients the opportunity to think aloud and articulate their thoughts. Conversational reflection in coaching allows clients to recognise their thoughts, as they emerge in their consciousness. In the process of answering coaches’ questions, clients become aware of their own thoughts and hear themselves, as they come to realisations and discover their own answers. If clients fail to hear themselves, coaches then have the opportunity to reflect their reflections back to them, thereby encouraging deeper reflection. Thus, one advantage of reflecting through conversation is that it gives clients the opportunity to engage in iterative reflection. As they reflect, they then reflect on their reflections and discovered deeper and more comprehensive self-knowledge.

 

 

 

The written reflective process can also be important within the coaching process. Clients often refer to the importance of getting things out and onto paper. The benefit of reflecting through writing is that both clients and sometimes coaches are given the opportunity to view the reflections, see things in blank and white and to pick out aspects of to explore them further, thereby extending the iterative reflective process. Like conversation, written reflection provides a tangible means of mediating the reflective process. In addition, through the medium of a written task, clients are forced to reflect when they may not have otherwise done so. In fact, writing can be particularly important, as it anchors the reflective process so that clients can discover more about themselves. It can also be used to anchor the process of reflection through observation, as clients keep written records of their observations. 

 

Above we have explained the two key processes of reflection in coaching, however it’s important to recognise that reflection can also happen in many other ways, such as  visualisation, drawing and other imagery. 

 

Reference:

Griffiths, K. (2008). Discovering, applying and integrating self-knowledge: A grounded theory study of learning in life coaching (Ph.D). Centre for Learning Innovation, Queensland University of Technology.

 

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