Ever wondered about how coaches are coached in how to coach? ACT Project Manager Lesley has been doing just this in Gabès, equipping local partners to best serve victims of trauma and their families as part of ACT’s Healing Listening Project.
In April 2019, three days of training took place in partnership with the Centre de Défense et d’Intégration Sociale (CDIS) in the south of Tunis, facilitated by ACT.
ACT was thrilled to welcome participants from CDIS Gabès and CDIS Medenine. Some of ACT’s local partners in Gabès from UTAIM, ABHM Matmata and ATSP also took part.
The event used a combination of training and group coaching to equip participants to use coaching skills in their work and managing their staff. The goal was to give them a different model in order to help the beneficiaries of CDIS; something that would empower them to find their own solutions to problems. The training was done in partnership with Inspire coach institute.
Impactful outcomes
Three follow up coaching sessions have since been held at CDIS Gabès. These have been met with such success that participants have asked for a fourth one!
“The coaching training was a highlight for me,” says Lesley. “We had eleven motivated participants. Since the training, three of the participants have held coaching sessions and another was able to use the skills learnt to help a friend make an important decision.”
Here are a few shots from their time together:
During one of the coaching practice one-on-one sessions, a coach was helping a “coachee” to find possible solutions. He used the questions provided as part of the training, to see what she had already tried and what else she could try based on awareness she had gained, her preferences, talents and so on.
The coach had his own solution in mind but stuck to the model. To his surprise, the coachee was able to find a number of good solutions. All were better than his one.
The coach was excited to see that her solutions were better than his. He was impressed by the power of the process, which he stuck to really well. He saw that it really does work and that the coachee can provide a better solution than the coach, who helps them to gain awareness by asking powerful questions.
In their work, psychologists and social workers are used to finding solutions for those they help. This training has been an important learning experience. It has helped reinforce the principle of listening to a people we seek to serve and empowering them to find their own solutions.
– Lesley
What the participants had to say
“This training [has given me] a good knowledge about […] the usefulness of a coaching. The session I found most helpful was the practical one, as it cleared up the image I had in my head and allowed me to discover my own strength and increase my self-confidence.
I want to put my learning into practise by starting to do coaching with people I already know, until I am able to become a professional coach and put my knowledge into real use.”
– Masika B
“The sessions were well handled and efficient. I will put my learning into practise alongside my normal job through individual practise and through starting up a coaching group.”
– Nejib J
