Applying Crucial Conversations to Coaching
I cannot recommend Crucial Conversations enough! While you don’t have to read the book and take the official course from VitalSmarts to participate in this session, I do recommend that all coaches take a deeper look at Crucial Conversations to better inform their exploration around difficult conversations. For the purpose of our work in session, we will be reviewing some openly accessible resources from VitalSmarts to offer an opportunity to practice some Crucial Conversation concepts.
There are a few distinctions between the full Crucial Conversations framework and the Communication Framework we have been using as part of class. To begin, review pages 1-10 from the book excerpt below (Just through the very top of page 10)
Link to Crucial Conversations First Chapter (From VitalSmarts)
Blog: Content Pattern and Relationship
Link to Crucial Conversations “Conversation Planner”
During our practice this week, come prepared to explore the portions of the Crucial Conversation planner you find most helpful in a coaching session focused on skill development for difficult conversations. I would recommend:
- Select at least one idea from “Get Unstuck” as a way of surfacing possible conversations and relationships the client could work on.
- Explore “Start with Heart,” but come with questions that go deeper than the initial prompts in the planner.
- Take 5-10 additional questions from the planner and recreate them to feel most authentic to your style as a coach.
- Ultimately, I would like coaches to build their own “cheat sheet” based on their initial exploration of Crucial Conversations to make the resource their own. This isn’t to say that coaches shouldn’t dig deeper into Crucial Conversations, but all coaches should practice tailoring a resource to their own style and to the needs of their client in the moment.
Session 36: Applying Crucial Accountability in Coaching
If you are not a participant in the Corporate Sponsored Coach Training Program, and you would like to learn more, consider exploring the information on the program here.