SAMPLE Coaching + Communication Skills

SAMPLE: Leadership Skills Facilitator Guide - 1

Example:

Coaching & Communication Skills

Facilitator Guide

SAMPLE: Facilitator Guide - 2 Leadership Skills


Disclaimer

This guide reflects many of the internal policies and procedures applicable to employment in US Convenience Retail (USCR) Company-Owned Company-Operated (COCO) retail sites. Some states have laws which may provide for greater benefits to employees working in those states or that require the employer to adopt a different policy or procedure in that state. Where such a conflict arises, state law will be followed. Contact your local Client Relationship Advisor (CRA) for guidance on these exceptions. This guide is provided for informational purposes and does not constitute a contract for employment, expressed or implied. BP Products North America Inc. and its subsidiaries (hereinafter “BP”) reserves the right to change, add, delete and/or modify provisions in this guide at any time with or without notice. This guide contains summaries of certain BP policies. While we intend that this guide is up to date, it is possible that the summaries found in this guide are not current, complete or consistent with other information or communications. Differences between this guide and the applicable policy are not intended; however, if any differences are found to exist, the actual policy will govern. The relationship that exists between BP and each of its employees is employment “at will”. This means that an employee is free to terminate his/her employment at any time for any reason, with or without cause or prior notice. Similarly, BP retains the right to terminate an individual’s employment at any time, with or without cause or prior notice, at its sole discretion. This guide does not alter or limit the at-will employment status of the USCR employees.

© BP Products North America Inc. 2007. All rights reserved. Not for disclosure, reproduction or use without prior written agreement.


Table of Contents

THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD COMMUNICATION................................................................................................ 5

BASIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS ................................................................................................................................ 6 Pay Attention to the Person............................................................................................................................... 7 Listen for Understanding ................................................................................................................................. 10 Explore for Information .................................................................................................................................... 11 Offer Perspective............................................................................................................................................. 14

COACHING.............................................................................................................................................................. 15

COACHING MODEL ................................................................................................................................................. 17


The Importance of Good Communication

Facilitator Note: Begin with a planned role-playing activity demonstrating poor communication techniques. (See Facilitator Preparation Notes)

Ask participants: What did you notice about the communication that took place during this role play?

Flip chart responses. A major part of a Site Manager’s job is communicating. Effectively communicating with others involves an appreciation for people’s unique qualities and an understanding of some communication basics.

Display Slide: What Is Human Communication?

Tell participants: Communication is the exchange of messages or information between or among people. The purpose of communication is to give or receive information. Communication may occur through speech, writing or other signals.


Display Slide: Communication Is A Necessary Skill

Review bullet points.

As Site Managers, effective communication will be one of the most essential skills you will need to rely on. You will use it with:

• Employees • CAEs • Customers • Law Enforcement

• Vendors • Colleagues • Maintenance • Inspectors

Basic Communication Skills

Display Slide: Basic Communication Skills


Four basic skills are necessary for effective communication:

1. Pay attention to the person 2. Listen for understanding 3. Explore for information 4. Offer perspective


Display Slide: 1. Pay Attention to the Person


Pay Attention to the Person

When you coach someone, give your undivided attention. Maintain eye contact and show an interest in what the person has to say. Focus on the here and now. Your verbal and non-verbal reactions also let the person know that you are tuned into them and to the conversation.

Ask participants to think of examples of when they know that someone was not paying attention to them when during a conversation. What kinds of verbal or non-verbal cues did they observe?

Display Overhead: Communication Barriers



Communication Barriers

Barriers to communication generally fall into one of the following three categories:

Environmental Environmental barriers are things in our surroundings that have a negative effect on a discussion. Environmental barriers do not include other people. They include physical discomfort (such as a room that is too stuffy or an uncomfortable chair), visual distractions, interruptions and noise (e.g., background noise or ringing phones).

Verbal Verbal barriers are ways of speaking that get in the way of good communication. Typical examples include people who speak too quickly or too softly. Using slang, jargon or acronyms can be confusing to someone who isn’t familiar with them.

Interpersonal Interpersonal barriers are relationship issues between people that may get in the way of good communication. These can be difficult to overcome because they can’t be seen, heard or touched. Two common interpersonal barriers occur when people have different assumptions or different perceptions.

Facilitator Note: Move on to the Communication Barriers exercise.


Written Exercise – Communication Barriers

For each category below, what type of communication barriers do you think you are likely to encounter as you manage a site?

Environmental Verbal Interpersonal

Review responses with the participants.


Display Slide: 2. Listen for Understanding


Listen for Understanding

Listen carefully to understand what a person is communicating. Listening means getting verbal information from someone, then checking with that person to make sure that you understood what they were trying to express. Listening skills include being able to demonstrate your understanding of what the other person said. Listening involves these two steps: 1. Listen to what is being expressed 2. Paraphrase what you understood Don’t be afraid to interrupt and ask questions; this will let the other person know you are really listening.

Paraphrase what was said. Use your own words to restate what was said. Phrases like, “So what you’re saying is…” or “As I understand it” will help you gain clarity and confirm that you heard the person correctly. Ensure mutual understanding by periodically summarizing what has been said. Use phrases like, “OK, so we have agreed that…” and “Let me be clear about what we’ve decided so far…”

FACT: We listen at a rate of 400 words per minute.

We speak at a rate of 150 words per minute. It takes effort to listen attentively to a speaker.


Explore for Information

Display Slide: 3. Explore for Information


Open Questions

Open questions are used when you want more than a yes or no answer. Open questions usually begin with: • Who • Why

• How • When

• What • Where

Closed Questions

Closed questions are used when you want specific information. Closed questions often result in one-word answers like “yes” or “no.” Closed questions do not promote discussion. They are useful to confirm or bring closure to an issue. Closed questions usually begin with words like: • Is • Do • Are

• Can • Will • Could

• Would • How many

Facilitator Note: Move on to the Open and Closed Questions Exercise.


Written Exercise – Open and Closed Questions

For each closed-ended question, revise it to become an open-ended question: Do you like upselling to customers? ________________________________________________________ Are you good with numbers? ________________________________________________________ Will you be late again tomorrow? ________________________________________________________

Review with participants.

Ask participants: Can you see the different responses you will get if you ask open-ended questions rather than closed?


Display Slide: Explore For Information Tips


Facilitator Note: The concepts covered on this slide are listed in the Do’s and Don’ts table in the Participant Guide.

The purpose of exploring for information is to generate discussion, gather facts and opinions and develop lines of communication. The do’s and don’ts listed in the table below will help you in this process when asking questions.

Do’s Don’ts

Ask clear, concise questions covering a single issue

Ask rambling ambiguous questions covering a lot of issues

Ask reasonable questions based on what the person is expected to know

Ask questions that are too difficult for the person to know

Ask challenging questions which provoke thought

Ask questions which are too easy and provide no opportunity for thinking

Ask focusing questions which direct the person to a logical answer

Ask irrelevant questions that distract the person from a logical answer

Ask clarifying questions to help the person say what he or she means

Ask “trick” questions that will fool or frustrate the person.


Display Slide: 4. Offer Perspective

Tell participants: This may seem like a very natural thing to do, and you may, in fact, do it every day. However, sometimes – when we are in a Managerial position facing the daily demands of the workday – it can be easy to forget to offer perspective to the employee you are coaching.

Offer Perspective

To offer perspective is to let the person know that he or she is not alone in their situation. If you can, describe a similar experience that you have had to show the person you can relate to their situation. Sharing this information lets the other person know that they are not alone in feeling frustrated, angry or happy about a similar issue. By sharing your own experience, you lend a basis of reality to the current situation. Imagine you are coaching a person to do something for the first time. It could be handling a complaint from an angry customer, or suggesting a different behavior to a fellow employee. Whatever the required action is, it makes the person anxious. By telling this person about your own feelings when you first had to do something similar for the first time, you are sending the message that these feelings are normal. Then you can move on to address the concern and coach the employee to a desired performance level.


Coaching

Display Overhead: Coaching Coaching is a one-to-one conversation that is focused on performance. An effective leader coaches a team to be successful whether their current performance is exemplary, satisfactory or unsatisfactory. Coaching should be a regular part of a Manager’s daily contact with team members. It doesn’t always require a formal meeting. Frequent, informal discussions can demonstrate your support and involvement.

Why Coaching Is Important The goal of coaching is to help team members reach continuously higher levels of performance. Coaching helps team members to: • Create solutions • Develop themselves • Manage their performance

When to Coach When you become an effective coach, it will be a natural, everyday behavior for you, and coaching opportunities will become obvious to you: • As soon as possible after positive behavior • When previous coaching hasn’t yielded a change in behavior • When poor performance is severe enough to require immediate

attention • When a published or posted work rule is violated • Immediately after a behavior problem is observed or reported


Display Overhead: “The Coaching Bridge to High Performance”

Explain to participants: The goal of coaching is to improve future job performance. By going through the three phases—Understand, Plan and Do and completing the steps associated with them, you cross the bridge from present to improved future performance.

Review each step in the “Understand” phase of the Coaching model.

Tell participants: There are three steps that create mutual understanding. You must precede Step One by building some rapport with your team member. Approach the employee in a non-threatening way, use small talk, talk in a private area, discuss over coffee, etc. It’s most important to spend a few minutes in “small talk” before launching into a discussion of the situation. • In this phase, use questions to understand how the employee sees the

situation. • Agreement at this stage is simply agreement to the elements of the

situation. Be careful not to try to get the employee to agree to the action plan at this point—just to agree on what you see, what they see and what is required.

• “Understanding” means understanding the employee’s point of view. It doesn’t mean getting the employee to understand yours.


Coaching Model

Coaching Phase 1 - Understand

Step One – Present the Situation and Its Impact

Any time you have a “situation” you want to present to a team member, state the situation, then state how it impacts the environment, person or customer. The “situation” can be:

– Something you want to compliment the team member on so he’ll continue doing it.

– Something you want your team member to do or learn. – Something you want your team member to improve or change. – A goal you have for your site and you need your team member to

help make it a reality. – Soliciting team member’s ideas.

When you present the situation, make sure that you don’t have an “emotional charge” in your voice or body language. An emotional charge is when you show impatience, frustration, anger or any other type of negativity that your team member may perceive as threatening or uncomfortable. When you present the situation in a neutral way, without judgment, your team member will be more open to what you have to say. He or she will feel valued and respected. Instead of generalizations, be specific. Your leadership role calls for insight, not insensitivity. “Broad-brush” words like always, never, all the time and everybody only antagonize. When you present the situation in a neutral way, without judgment, your team member will be more open to what you have to say. He or she will feel valued and respected.


Example: “John, I need to talk with you about keeping receipt paper in the pumps at all times. The reason we do this is to meet the customer’s need for a receipt for business expenses or their personal records. When they can’t get a receipt at the pump, they have to come inside and possibly wait in line. The impact this has is that it can create an upset customer.”

Example: “Maria, we need to keep the shelves fully stocked. When this is not done, we are not meeting some of your customers’ needs. If they are looking for something in particular and don’t see it on the shelf, they may get frustrated, because now they have to make another stop to get what they want. Plus, when the customer sees a product on the shelf and decides to buy it on impulse, this also increases our site sales.”

Ask the team member a coaching question to make sure he or she truly understands the reasoning behind your suggestion or the policy or procedure.

When you agree with the team member’s suggestion or when he or she truly understands the ‘why’ behind the policy or procedure, you have buy-in and the employee’s behavior will reflect this.

Explain that: Coaching situations should not only be situations that need improvement, they should, just as often, be opportunities to provide feedback for work well done. This type of coaching provides the opportunity to mentor and teach toward stronger and stronger performance. Do not coach when you are in an emotionally-charged state-of-mind. It’s best to wait until you are calm and can create a non-threatening environment.


Step Two – Get the Employee’s Point of View In every situation, it is important that the team member be allowed to express himself. As a coach, getting the other person’s point of view about how he/she sees the situation will give you more information about the situation. Many times managers ask questions that can intimidate or put people on the defensive. The best way to avoid this trap is to use non-intimidating mannerisms and voice tone. Remember, you’re a “guide,” not a person who plays “gotcha!”

Follow the ABC’s of understanding: A sk the employee what he thinks you want or said. B lame no one if that understanding is wrong. C ommunicate more clearly…then confirm comprehension.

Examples:

Non – Example Example

“How many times do I have to tell you not to let the receipt paper run out?”

“What got in the way of you not keeping receipt paper in the pumps?”

“If you can’t keep the shelves stocked, how can I trust you with more responsibility?”

“What do you understand about how important it is to keep the shelves stocked?”

“Why did you do this?” “What can you tell me about this error?”

“Did I tell you not to do it this way?” “What do you need to know to do this differently?”

“Why did you keep talking to John when a customer was standing right in front of you?”

“What effect do you think not paying attention to the customer has on our site?”

“Don’t you know you’re supposed to suggestive sell every time a customer buys something?”

“How do you see suggestive selling as part of your responsibility?”


To encourage team members to open up to you and give you their points of view, you need to ask coaching questions. If you just talk at them, they may see you as condescending, and all communication could close up. Coaching questions are not “why” questions, but rather are open-ended allowing for their response. They begin with how, what, tell me about, etc.

Step Three – Gain Agreement to the Situation or to Work on the Situation This step is required in order to move forward in the coaching conversation and to get an issue resolved or site goals met. It is important that, if there is a problem that needs to be resolved, your team member also sees it that way. In order to gain that agreement, you must ask the proper questions.

Asking “Are you aware that this is a problem?” will start the coaching conversation. If the team member says “No,” then you must go back to Step One (Present the Situation and It’s Impact) and Step Two (Get the Employee’s Point of View).

If you cannot get that agreement, DO NOT go any further!

Go back to either Step One or Step Two.

Example: “I understand why you didn’t load the receipt paper in the pump. Do you see the impact of not keeping the pumps stocked with receipt paper has on the customer?” Example: “Are we in agreement that this is part of your job responsibility and that the customer should always be able to get a receipt?”


Summarize by saying: If you are unable to get either the team member’s agreement to the situation or agreement to work on it, do not move ahead in the discussion. Go back to either Step One or Step Two and begin again. Remember, agreement at this stage is simply agreement to the elements of the situation. It is not agreement to the action plan at this point, just agreement on what you see, what they see and what is required.

Display Overhead: “BP’s Coaching Model”

Review each step in the “Plan” phase of the Coaching model.

Tell participants: In the “Plan” phase, it’s important to get as many suggestions on the table as possible. Ask the employee to offer his/her suggestions first. It’s not essential that you arrive at the “correct” answer immediately. It is essential that the Coach open up his/her mind to suggestions the employee is offering. • The action plan should include what the employee agrees to do and

what the Coach can do to support the improvement. • The Coach should express confidence that the employee can make the

changes. Also, the Coach should reinforce the employee’s value to the organization.

Say in summary: A plan without dates and responsibilities is only a dream.


Coaching Phase 2 - Plan

Step One: Get Suggestions for Improvement

In this step, both you and your team member work together to brainstorm solutions to change the situation or meet the goal.

– Always let your team member come up with suggestions first, before you give yours.

– Even if you have a plan, the team member’s suggestions may become part of your plan.

– Be patient as your team member thinks of ideas. – Don’t rush him/her by giving your thoughts before he/she has

time to respond.

You will continue to use coaching questions to help your team member come up with suggestions.

Examples: – “What needs to happen in order for you to keep the receipt

paper stocked?” – “How have you seen others handle upset customers?” – “What thoughts do you have for your improvement in this

area?” – “What resources do you need to do your job more

effectively?” – “What can you do to make sure customers don’t have to

wait?” – “What can I do to help you with this situation?”

As the employee is giving suggestions, you need to ask coaching questions to help them determine if the suggestions will work or not.


Incorrect Correct

Avoid saying, “That won’t work.” Ask the team member exactly how his or her suggestion would work. Ask the team member, what impact the idea has on the site or the customer or other team members?

Ask the team member what impact the idea has on the site or the customer or other team?

Don’t negate the team member’s ideas.

Talk the idea through with him or her so both of you get a better understanding if it will or won’t work.

Once again, you need to understand why the team member thinks his suggestions will work, and you need to help them figure out why the suggestions won’t work if you know for sure they won’t. The following are examples of the types of questions that could be asked:

– “If you did this, how would it affect everyone’s schedule?” – “If you rearranged the products on the counter, how would

impulse buying increase?” – “If you have contact with each customer over the intercom, not

just some of them, how would this affect our site image?” – “If you start to clean up during our busy times, how will this affect

our customer service?”

Summarize by stating: The key in this step is that you’re working together to list solutions. You’re brainstorming the range of possible solutions and asking coaching questions to help your team member determine whether solutions being generated will solve the problem. If the team member’s solutions could work, they’re worth trying, since people are apt to work harder at suggestions they/we come up with.


If Employees Don’t Give Suggestions for Improvement After you have asked for your team member’s suggestions and he/she can’t think of any (or you know there is one best way of doing something, and the team member hasn’t thought of it), what can you do? Give the team member your ideas and ask, “How do you think this would work?” Tell the team member the correct procedure or policy and ‘why’ it needs to be done this way.

Ask the team member a coaching question to make sure he/she truly understands the reasoning behind your suggestion or the policy or procedure.

When you agree with the team member’s suggestion, or when he/she truly understands the ‘why’ behind the policy or procedure, you have buy-in and the employee’s behavior will reflect this.

Example: “It’s BP’s policy that you have to wear safety protection when you are outside on the premises. What could happen to you, or to a customer, if this policy isn’t followed?”

Summarize by saying: The greatest challenge is when you try repeatedly to get your team member to come up with suggestions, and he doesn’t or won’t. The temptation is just to “tell them” what you want done. “Telling them” should be the last resort…it’s what you do only after you’ve questioned, reinforced, tested, summarized, etc. And when you do “tell,” the telling should be in the form of a question, i.e., how do you think this would work? Along with why you’re suggesting it be done this way. The why is critical.


Step Two: Establish an Action Plan

An action plan helps to make sure that the actions discussed are followed. The employee should be the one who comes up with the initial action plan based on the suggestions you both agreed upon. Your team member now has ownership in the solution and thereby a greater commitment to get things done.

Examples: – “Now that we have agreed upon the suggestions for

improvement, what do you think has to happen next?” – “You’ve come up with a lot of ideas. How do you plan on

putting those ideas to work?” – “How will these actions help you achieve your goal?”

To make sure that the action plan is clear and that all the steps will be followed, use the SMART criteria. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-Oriented and Timebound

Example: S Wear safety equipment when working outside on site premises M Safety vest, gloves A What would keep you from doing this? What do you need from me? R By wearing your safety equipment at all times, you will be safe from injury and so will our customers. T Start wearing your safety equipment immediately.

Many action plans need some sort of resources for the team member to be successful:

– Training – Working with a peer – Reading policy and/or procedure information – You


Ask your team member what he needs to be successful. Always tell him that you are there to help.

Explain that: The development of the Action Plan brings together the suggestions that you and your team member agreed upon. The SMART criteria ensures the Plan is clear, has a goal that can be measured, is doable and is set within a timeframe for accomplishment. It’s important that the Action Plan be a living document, not just one that’s developed and put in a file drawer. The Action Plan should be utilized in the same way a map is utilized on a car trip/vacation. You should both review the Action Plan and make any adjustments that may need to be made a movement is made through it.

Step Three: Express Confidence in the Employee It is very important that you express confidence in your team member’s ability to change behavior. How you think about a team member will reflect how you behave towards him/her. Think positively towards each one and you will see positive results at your site. In addition, it will have the following effect: Increase team member’s self-confidence.

– Team member will be more successful. – Increases productivity. – Assures site strategy will be achieved.

Summarize by saying: Everyone wants to feel he/she has what it takes to be successful. Everyone also wants to feel that their boss has confidence they can deliver outstanding results. Remember the principle behind reinforcers―if they’re not verbal, they’re not quantifiable. Since you’ve coached the team member through the Action Plan, you’re expressing confidence in him AND in yourself as a coach!


Step Four: Set Follow-Up Review

Now is not the time to abandon your team member. He/she has set a course for improvement, and it is important that you regularly set aside time to review progress. How often you review with the employee will depend on the situation and the degree improvement or change needs to take place. Follow-up sessions also give you the opportunity to give positive reinforcement feedback to your team member. As you see changes made in that individual—no matter how big or small—it is very important that you recognize the improvement and tell your team member. This type of recognition will reinforce the positive behaviors you are looking for. Catch your team member doing things right!

Summarize by saying: Don’t wait until 100% improvement has been made to offer reinforcement. Be sure to notice small increments of change. Offer reinforcers such as “…it’s coming along nicely. Keep it up…you’re almost there.” Or, “I appreciate your efforts to wear the earphones. I see you trying…that’s a good start…you need to wear them all the time to meet site requirements.” Doing this lets the team member know you’re aware―and haven’t forgotten―your coaching discussion and the Action Plan.


Tell participants: Building understanding and making a plan are not enough. We have to work the plan with the employee to make the improvements he/she committed to, with the Coach helping as he committed to. It is absolutely essential to hold the review on time and to continue the process by recommitting to the future. Far too many employee performance issues go away with the first coaching session but “resurface” after 2–3 months. Recommitting and reviewing over time helps stop the resurfacing.


Coaching Phase 3 - Do

Step One: Work Together

Your role as a coach gives you the opportunity to give ongoing support and positive reinforcement to your team member. As you see the individual making changes—regardless of how big or how small—it is very important that you recognize the improvement and tell your team member. This type of recognition will reinforce the positive behaviors. Your goal is to catch your team member doing things right!

Step Two: Review the Results (per your commitment target) As you and your team member review the results of the action plan, you may discover a need to redefine any or all of the elements of the plan. You may redefine the problem. You may modify one or more steps in the action plan. You may even choose to redefine future action steps. The important thing to realize is that your action plan is a living process that needs to change as needed to get the results you desire. It is more important to make small changes along the way than to discover at the end of six months that it is too late to fix the problem.

Step Three: Recommit to Further Improvement

The world around us is constantly changing. Your competition is trying to catch you or you are chasing them. No one stands still. You are either moving forward or you are falling behind. Success is only achieved through a commitment to continuous improvement.

Summarize by saying: The concept of continuous improvement is a foundation of the coaching process. With things always changing, little is set in stone. We are always trying to get better. That’s the mindframe we should all be operating in―we’re all coaching each other, so we’re all moving forward. So coaching in a context such as this, is not negative―in fact, the norm becomes “to coach” and coach again and again!


Facilitator Note: Introduce the Coaching Skill-Building Practice.

Divide group into triads. Explain that there are three role play cases, and that each triad should perform all three, rotating their roles.

Walk participants through the following pages of Participant Guide:

• Coaching Skill-Building Practice

• Role Play Scenarios

• Coaching Action Plan

• Coaching Feedback Form

To avoid participants preparing for their role as the CSR during another person’s role play, hand out the CSR background information only as each role play case is completed.

It may be necessary to monitor group activities and timing to assure the complete exercise is done by each triad.

Distribute the first CSR background information to each triad.

Debrief the role plays in the large group when all triads have completed the three role plays.


Coaching Skill-Building Practice

Roles In each group there will be the following three roles: Manager The Manager is practicing coaching skills. The focus of the Manager is to effectively coach the CSR and complete a Coaching Action Plan. CSR A CSR will be communicating with the Manager in each role play. The purpose of this role is to provide a realistic context. The purpose is NOT to give the Manager a hard time but to help the Manager practice coaching skills. Read the background description of your role and perform accordingly. Observer The observer will be watching the interactions of the Manager and the CSR. Using the Coaching Feedback Form, you will make notes on whether or not the coaching steps were followed. You will also note what skills were demonstrated most effectively and where there are opportunities for improvement.

Facilitator Note: Each person in the triad will play each of the above roles once. Rotate the CSR roles for each round.


Role Play Scenarios

Case #1 Chris - has been around for about 6 months now but has been late to work a lot recently. Chris is normally an enthusiastic worker and good with detailed tasks. Chris is a student who works second shift and was late last Tuesday (15 min.), last Thursday (15 min.) and this Tuesday (20 min.). You like Chris, but you feel it’s time to address the issue. Other employees are starting to show up a little late. Case #2 Pat - has been talking on the phone while waiting on customers. Pat has normally been pretty good with customers, but the situation is becoming a problem. Last night an employee tried to call the station but couldn’t get through. You have observed this three times this week: once on Monday from 5:10 to 5:25 p.m., on Tuesday from 6:00 to 6:15 p.m. and on Wed from 5:45 to 6:05 p.m. You are concerned about the possible impact on customer service. Case #3 Jean - works third shift and has came to you out of frustration that the cooler is getting trashed. Boxes are found with products mixed together, the bottled water backstock is in a different place from day to day and a stack of boxes nearly fell on him last night. Jean seems to want to do a good job - he is hard working, but he is starting to feel like his effort doesn’t matter because it’s the same old song— the cooler is disorganized. The other shifts like Jean, they just do things differently.

Additional background information on Chris, Pat and Jean will be

provided.


Coaching Action Plan

Personal Improvement

Goal:

Specific Skills/Behavior to

Improve:

Action Planning Tool

Specific Actions: Who When Follow-Up Comments

Additional Comments:

Manager Signature Date Employee Signature Date


Coaching Feedback Form

Step Step and Criteria No Yes Comments and Observations Present the Situation and It’s Impact Stated the situation, impacts, results...? Positive and patient rather than impatient, frustrated, angry, etc.

Presented the situation in a neutral fashion?

1

Used questions to insure understanding? Get the Employee’s Point of View Asked open questions? Listened and followed up with questions? Positive and non-intimidating?

2

Used “Guide ya” vs. “Gotcha” process? Get Agreement to the Situation Did the employee understand the coach’s concern? Did the coach understand the employee view? Did the coach clarify their agreement? Did the coach use questions to clarify, restate, reverse, probe, etc.

3

Did they truly agree before moving on to the next step? Set Suggestions for Improvement Asked the employee for suggestions first? Listened actively to suggestions without judging each one? Helped the employee explore the benefits or difficulties with the suggestions?

Did the coach offer his suggestions in a helpful rather than directing way?

4

Was the coach successful in getting suggestions from the employee and having multiple options?

Establish an Action Plan The employee suggest an action plan based on the suggestions?

The action plan SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, results-oriented, timely)?

5

The action plan includes the coach’s role in helping achieve the plan?

Express Confidence in the Employee and Commit

Expressed confidence in the employee’s ability to change? 6

Got a firm commitment from the employee to change? Set Follow-Up Review Set a time and place for follow-up with the employee? 7 Agreed to “in-process” discussions and check-ups?

Overall Observations Did the coach use a variety of positive and neutral reinforcers?


The Coach’s strengths were…

The Coach should do more of…

The Coach should do less of…


The Role of Coaching in Performance Appraisals A Manager should give an employee feedback on a regular basis and use coaching frequently. If this happens, then performance appraisals will be much easier. An employee shouldn’t be surprised by the content of the appraisal. If a Manager gives constant feedback and coaching, a performance appraisal shouldn’t bring any surprises. Coaching is really the process in which a Manager helps an employee to find ways to improve performance.

Display Overhead: Prior to Performance Appraisals

• Have frequent, informal discussions with your employees about performance, as necessary

• Address issues promptly to correct behavior • Document all coaching and feedback

Display Overhead: Common Errors

Documentation will help you in the performance appraisal process. It is very difficult to remember all of the positive and negative behaviors over time. However, if you document coaching and feedback along the way, you can simply refer to your documentation. This will help you to avoid the following common rating errors: • Recency Effect – When you let only recent performance influence

ratings. Evaluations should be based on performance for the entire review period.

• Halo Effect – When a single favorable action impacts judgments about all areas of performance.


• Stereotyping – When you make judgments across an entire group of people without accounting for individual differences. This rating error can be easily made because people are often unaware that they have certain biases.

Remember, when conducting coaching as part of a performance appraisal: • Get the employee involved in addressing the issues. • Express confidence in the person’s ability to do the job right. • Just like in coaching sessions conducted throughout the year, focus

on behaviors instead of the person. • Refer to notes that you have been making for feedback and

coaching during the entire appraisal period.

Documents

SAMPLE Coaching + Communication Skills