Technology and Coaching
Have you noticed how many of us are constantly “plugged” into technology? Whether sitting on a plane, train or tube (metro or subway), we are listening to music or an audio book, reading and sending email, scrolling through social media or doing work on laptops. How is it impacting our societal culture, and is technology making life easier or more complex? It certainly gets the mind thinking.
By 2020, it’s estimated that over 50 percent of the workforce will be Millennials. They and the following generations are very “tech savvy” and, therefore, we, as coaches, and we, as a professional body, need to embrace it. As Microsoft recently said, “Digital transformation is a cultural shift, not a technology problem.”
It’s no surprise really that in my last two year of traveling the world on behalf of ICF , the question that comes up with increasing frequency is, “How will technology impact coaching in the future?” followed by “What about AI (Artificial Intelligence) and coaching?” Most recently in a meeting with the Global Coaching and Mentoring Alliance (GCMA), an interesting question emerged: “What do we, as professional bodies, need to think about with respect to the impact of AI on ethics in coaching?”
Do we have answers right now? Some, but certainly not all. Thinking about the future of coaching and how technology will support it (and even potentially detract from it) needs to be front of mind. This is certainly something the ICF staff and Global Board have in mind when looking forward into the future.
Like any change there are potential opportunities and threats:
- Accessibility of coaching to more people through AI and technology, leaving perhaps the more transformational coaching to human beings
- Wider accessibility to virtual/online coach education, allowing more people to be trained in coaching and coaching skills
- Increased use of applications on our mobile devices that support people in the moment
- Potential need to increase understanding and knowledge of AI to better support clients
- Possible commoditization of coaching
So, what is ICF looking at and currently doing ?
- We currently use technology in ICF to support coaches, and we work closely with AI vendors to see how data can be gathered and how that data might be utilized
- We use technology to offer increasingly more accurate and consistent credential assessments and are exploring the use of Situational Judgment Tests in future assessments
- The ICF Advance 2018 “conference” was provided virtually for the first time. This was due partially to the investment in our Learning Management System (LMS). The LMS allowed both “on demand” and live sessions, which participants could listen to on their own time and still receive CCE units. It was also a really great example of delivering high-class education to anyone across the globe
- The new ICF website went live this year. Initially, there were some teething problems, but feedback offered to the Global Board, staff and myself has been generally very positive. It has created a better and more modern service to our Members than the previous website. The underlying technology that was changed will also allow us to better support future technological advancements
In this VUCA environment we are living in, will technology be a benefit or a hindrance to coaching? As always, it depends on how we wish to view it and how we wish to utilize it. If it will enable us to achieve our mission and vision more quickly, then I say embrace it. Certainly, ICF will continue to do so to ensure we lead the global advancement of the coaching profession, making coaching an integral part of a thriving society.
Will technology change our culture? In reality, it already has and is continuing to do so.
As we move towards the start of a new year, perhaps the question to ask ourselves is, “How will you embrace technology in your coaching practice?”
Hilary, Oliver, PCC
Hilary Oliver, PCC, works as an executive and leadership coach, facilitator, trainer, coach-mentor and coach supervisor in her own private practice. Hilary has been coaching internationally as a professional coach for 15 years, and prior to that had over 20 years of experience in a wide range of business sectors and executive positions. Hilary enjoys working with all levels of leadership and loves working with the younger leaders of today. In her personal life, she is a long-distance endurance walker and has a passion for travel. Hilary is the 2017 ICF Global Board Chair.
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Hilary! I appreciate the question… “How will you embrace technology in your coaching practice?”
… I’ve been coaching vocational full time since 2012. Even two years ago, the idea of primarily coaching virtually instead on in person I would have resisted. Today, working with several software clients that have remote locations ZOOM has become commonplace. Once trust has been established along with mutually committed goals the screen seems to disappear. Screen sharing help work electronically through assessments or shared documents. Another interesting shift has been I take better notes virtually while on ZOOM. That helps for check-Ins and clarifying questions for follow up sessions. In addition, I’ve been embracing LMS for my practice. I’m currently using TEACHABLE to allow my clients to go deeper on topics/exercises. I’m still learning right along with my clients. Again, thanks for encouraging coaches to keep up with the technical times.
Sincerely, Russell Verhey
http://www.buildingstrongleaders.com
Hi Russell, Thank you for your comments and adding to the conversation about how technolgy does support coaching and often its our own mindset that needs tweaking. I know I love Zoom and how it really helps us work with clients and reduce the diary management piece as well. When I started coaching, in the UK, it was unheard of to coach via the phone (although I trained though a US based coach training company on phone bridges!!) and now virtual tech like zoom is fairly familiar now.
Good luck with your coaching practice and hope technolgy continues to support. Best wishes Hilary
Hilary speaks to something I have been researching and embroiled in for a couple of years already, wondering the impact of technology and AI on our profession as well as me, personally. I was captivated and heartened by a quote in Quartz magazine, “Increasingly empathy will be treated as a luxury. We will pay more for a real human whose job is to understand us just as we are.” Quartz 7_15_17 (Atlantic media) Digital news outlet. With this as hope I transformed the VUCA future from (V=volatility, U=uncertainty, C=chaos, A=ambiguity) into a future that better represents what I want to create for myself and our profession (V=vision, U=unity, C=connection, and A=authenticity).
Do join me in creating the future we want.
Teri-E
HI TERI-E. I really love your reframing of VUCA. It is really our perception of change and how we want to create and think of the future that is important. When Tracy SInclair started this year on the conversation of VUCA it was similar to your thinking in that it (VUCA) doesnt have to be negative. Thank you for sharing your thinking. Best wishes Hilary
Thank you Hilary for this thread, and offering an important question/challenge, “How will you embrace technology in your coaching practice?” A very solid call to action that is so important for successful change. I am a supporter of purposefully leveraging the use of technology to serve clients in new and expanding ways.
As I ponder this more, I am reminded that change is personal, and in this case, for the coach, the client, and the larger coaching community. An additional factor at play, is considering and evaluating the purpose of technological adoption to avoid the “chasing of the next shinning objective” syndrome. We will need more here to develop a knowledge base.
I am remind of a quote by author Leo Buscaglia – Change is the end result of all true learning. And with small, experimental and reflective use of technology, we as a community will learn, and knowledge will be captured to inform the future.
Thank you for the opportunity to contribute..
HI Ed and thank you for your sharing. I so agree with you and specifically the comment about ‘chasing the next shining objective’. Its a real reminder that its not about using technolgy for technolgy sake, but how we can use it in service of our clients and what we do and to support our common future. Thank you for adding to this thinking.
Best wishes
Hilary
Hi Hilary,
Great to hear the conversation is growing around the place for virtual coaching.
For myself over the last couple years I have grown tremendously as a coach by placing myself to coach in the virtual medium – how I listen, observe the subtleties and my heightened awareness of my partner has enhanced because I am virtual.
On my website I have attempted to explain virtual coaching to grow awareness of the potential value.
Keep the conversation about this going please.
So pleased to hear that. When teaching new coaches, they often question whether ‘virtual’ coaching is as effective , as impactful as in person coaching. What you have found, is certainly what I found, that in many cases it really is. It really means as coaches that we hone our listening skills – way more than just hearing the words or seeing the body language. Thank you for sharing your thinking and sharing your experience. The secondary value is that people dont need to travel so peoples time is also valued.
As you say, lets keep talking.
Best wishes Hilary
Indeed, Technology is going to be the market dominant thing, and this training is very important.
it’s estimated that over 50 percent of the workforce will be Millennials. They and the following generations are very “tech savvy” and, therefore, we, as coaches, and we, as a professional body, need to embrace it. As Microsoft recently said, “Digital transformation is a cultural shift, not a technology problem
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Cihazlar sürekli olarak veri topluyor ve aktarıyor ve gelecekte Nesnelerin İnterneti çarpıcı biçimde büyüyecek. Bu konu Nesnelerin İnterneti’nin gelişiminin yanı sıra yapay zeka ve büyük veri gibi diğer alanlarda teknolojinin ilerlemesine de yol açmaktadır.