Liz Hall rounds up more stories from the annual Coaching at Work Conference, 14 November 2024, online
Integration of AI in coaching can bring benefits such as cost efficiency, tangible impact measurement, compliance and scalability, said Sam Isaacson in his session: Is it too late to adopt AI in coaching?
Isaacson highlighted a case study in the NHS where AI coaching increased goal attainment by 10% and self-efficacy by 5% in a month. He explained how AI can offer non-directive coaching at a fraction of the cost of human coaching, stressing that AI should complement, not replace, human coaching. He also demonstrated how to develop an AI coach using ChatGPT and Make.com, showcasing its potential for automating tasks like generating LinkedIn posts.
In her session, Jenny Garrett discussed the importance of equity over equality in coaching, using the “seesaw power play” analogy to illustrate the need for individualised support. She emphasised understanding clients’ lived experiences, particularly those from underrepresented groups, and leveraging culturally sensitive tools. Garrett shared a case where coaching helped a black woman recognise systemic issues in her workplace, leading to her career advancement.
Linda Aspey’s session on Time to Think: Deep listening as an act of co-creation described the benefits and the process of creating a Thinking Environment in coaching, avoiding interrupting and simply asking clients: ‘What do you want to think about?’
“And if clients then need another question, we ask, ‘what more do you think or feel or want to say?’ In between, when they go quiet, we stay quiet because we know they’re still thinking.
“We need to be absolutely sure that what we’re about to say is going to be better than what the client is about to say or think. And we can never know that for sure, and if we do interrupt, neither of us will find out what it was. And we can also notice that when the client pauses and they seem to want us to speak, they will suddenly take off again. We can rejoice, as Nancy Kline says so beautifully, in not having spoken because they’re back in fresh waters.”