HALE AND HUTCHINSON’S INSIGHT COACHING CYCLE
Use this when you want to have a framework for supporting people to move forward.
Richard Hale and Eileen Hutchinson claim that the benefits of using the INSIGHT Coaching Cycle is that it will support the coach to achieve strength of character, transparency and the ability to develop an influential relationship with the person they are coaching based on sincere and honest dialogue. The model is based on the INSIGHT acronym and the various constituents of the model can be summarised as:
Initial assessment: This will give the coach the opportunity to elicit the core requirements for the coaching intervention.
Negotiating the coaching plan: This should cover important aspects of: what, when, where and how the intervention process will operate.
Self-development plan: This will enable the person being coached to identify areas for personal or professional development and enable the coach to discuss appropriate coaching approaches that will support the development.
Insight into own capabilities: This will encourage the individual to review their strengths and weaknesses.
Growth and personal reflection: This is an opportunity for both the person being coached and coach to reflect on the interventions so far and evaluate what’s worked well and what needs to be modified.
Hierarchy of needs: This will give both the person being coached and the coach insight into whether the needs of both parties are being met (see Theory 23).
Testing new skills and knowledge: This will give the individual the opportunity to test new skills and knowledge and make assessments about what else needs doing.
Hale and Hutchinson claim that using this model will enable a coach to challenge perceptions, attitudes and behaviours in a relatively safe and secure manner.
HOW TO USE IT
Here are some tips and insightful questions that you could ask the person you are coaching in each stage:
- Determine what the individual wants by asking: What specifically do you want to achieve by working with me? What counts as ‘success’ to you?
- Clarify how, when and where coaching will operate by asking the individual: Where do you feel most comfortable learning? How do you see the client-coach relationship developing?
- Identify what areas for development are available by asking them: What are your current strengths and weaknesses? What are the opportunities and threats facing you?
- Gain a deeper understanding into the individual’s beliefs, values and goals by asking: What do you believe that you will do differently as a result of the coaching? How will you know when you have achieved this step?
- Confirm that the individual is on the right course by asking: What are you doing to make the changes happen? What are the effects that the changes have had?
- Establish that their needs are being met by asking: How comfortable do you feel with what’s happening to you? How would you assess your motivation to want to carry on?
- Confirm that the individual has achieved their desired outcome by asking: What are the main things that you have learned from the coaching? How do you intend applying the learning?
QUESTIONS TO ASK
- Am I asking insightful questions?
- Am I getting honest answers to these questions?