| Title | Further Techniques for Coaching and Mentoring | |
| Author | David Megginson and David Clutterbuck | |
| Publisher | Butterworth-Heinemann | |
| ISBN | 978 1 856 174992 | |
| Usefulness | 4/5 | |
| Produced as a companion to Techniques for Coaching and Mentoring, 2005, this new text incorporates frameworks that were once “considered at the fringe [but] are more now widely accepted and expected from practitioners”.When the authors use the word “fringe” I am curious as to which of the approaches they mean. For example, the three psychological approaches in the first three chapters, Behavioural, Gestalt and Ontological coaching, all have a long pedigree in coaching psychology.
Likewise, the chapter on intuition has been discussed in the management literature, and the chapter on “writing as inquiry” is extensively covered in books on action learning and reflective practice, all of these ideas will be familiar to trained coaches, learning and developers and coaching psychologists.Divided into three parts, Contextualising techniques, Frameworks and Different foci for coach/mentoring techniques, the reader might feel both overwhelmed and a little bit bewildered. There is limited space to fully expand and outline the approaches covered.Readers will no doubt be able to navigate and select what is useful; then venture into the broader literature, making creative choices and acting mindfully to evolve into (what the key authors describe as) coaches and mentors who approach their practice as “managed eclectics”. Margaret Chapman is an independent psychologist and supervisor. She is a member of the Coaching at Work. |
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| Title | Quantum Skills for Coaches – a Handbook for Working with Energy and the Body-mind in Coaching | |
| Author | Annette Simmons | |
| Publisher | Word4Word | |
| ISBN | 978 1 906 316174 | |
| Usefulness | 5/5 | |
| This book is a refreshing illustration of a unique approach to coaching which creatively combines quantum mechanics, mindfulness and management of emotional pain. It is based on helping people bring the field of emotional intelligence to life for personal transformation. Simmons summarises theories and gives practical examples in order to make her thinking and choices explicit.Her powerful toolkit and holistic approach brings an amazing use of imagery, metaphor and visualisation, increasing the client’s awareness of their feelings and bodily sensations. Example scenarios range from helping clients overcome fears, engage in wiser decision-making, and relationship and conflict management.
A helpful range of case studies, with extracts from real coaching conversations, perfectly illustrate Simmons’ techniques. I have incorporated the themes of experimentation and playfulness into my own life and coaching practice – with fascinating results.This is an insightful book for both experienced and new coaches who want to try something different in their practice but are not sure how to start. The wider application of this approach is only in its early stages and I feel future research is likely to take it far beyond the coaching arena. Samantha King is an organisational development consultant and executive coach, specialising in working cross culturally. |
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