2021 - The year in Coaching Cafés

2021 – The year in Coaching Cafés

How we responded to the 5 top trends

Back in March when we held our first Coaching Café for the year, we discussed 5 trends in coaching for 2021. Of course, back then, we had come out of extended lockdowns. In addition, for half of Australia, we were NOT expecting to go back into some of the longest and toughest lockdowns in the world.

In our final Coaching Café of the year, we explore the highlights of the Coaching Cafes and reflect on the year that was. We do this by thinking about the 5 top trends and we did to respond to those trends.

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Trend 1: Leverage our ability to adapt and reinforce new habits

This trend is about:

Coaching people under stress and responding based on personality type
Furthermore, adapting to the changing circumstances and environment
In addition, trouble-shooting and resolving friction points and ‘the unspoken’
And taking the lessons from what we are going through and seeing how we can leverage those lessons

In response to this trend we ran a number of Coaching Cafes including:

Taking our conversations to the next level
Bad questions – how to avoid ineffective questions

Focus in the dictionary image romain-vignes-ywqa9IZB-dU-unsplash

Trend 2: Leading change

We are conscious of the enormous amount of change going on daily. Particularly, with rules changing all the time in lockdowns. So the focus is on:

Coaching through change
Forming, storming, norming
Calmness as an attractive leadership quality
Leaders need to ask for help

Our response was to dedicate our International Coach Week 2021 conference to the theme of Leading Change and to run several other sessions during the year.

Trend 3: Focus on communication

This trend had a focus on:

5 levels of conversation
The need to re-establish human connection, rather than I don’t have ten minutes
Getting the mindset right for performance conversations
Find a balance eg. overcome virtual meeting fatigue

As a result, we ran a number of Coaching Cafes on these topics.

Trend 4: Focus on mental health

Our need to focus on mental health continues. It was there before the pandemic. It will always be there. That’s why Mental Health Awareness Week is important. And in our Coaching Cafes included:

How to start a conversation about mental health with a colleague
Recognising the signs of anxiety and depression in the workplace
Post-COVID stress and trauma

Trend 5: Focus on self and continuous development

We’ve covered so much this year in our Coaching Cafés from ‘juggling and coaching through lockdown fatigue’, to exploring best practice in coaching culture. In addition, learning from leaders. Most importantly, we have loved the opportunity to come together as an Alumni. Each week we share ideas and experience and learn together. In this way we can focus on self and our continuous development.

Over 1,000 people joined us

Thank you to the over 1,000 people who joined us across the year.

It’s been a pleasure to bring these Coaching Cafes to you each week.

And we look forward to the new year….after a decent break of course.

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Belinda BeattyWestern Australia

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Melissa HennessyACT

The program enabled me to reflect upon and identify HOW I coach. Throughout the assignment work I revisited my other training guides and has reinforced what I already knew, and also refreshed my knowledge of my coach training. I have a greater awareness of the theory and techniques that I use in my coaching practice each day . My coaching is much more effective as I am spending more time on the issues below the surface which is providing greater value and benefit to my clients.

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Anthony PalmerVictoria

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