Coaching as ongoing reflection

Coaching is a process of ongoing reflection. The reflective process continues for clients, even in the absence of the coach. All clients engage in the process of reflection to some degree between sessions. Indeed, coaching requires clients to go away and reflect.

Therefore, the process of reflecting outside of coaching sessions is just as important as reflecting during coaching sessions. In order to engage in deep reflection, the process begins with a quality of “not knowing” and then “stopping to think”. There are also four types of reflection that happens which are shown in the diagram below and make up the ongoing reflective process.

 

 

Thus, ongoing reflection, both inside and outside of coaching sessions, is an integral part of facilitating learning in coaching.

 

Reference:

Griffiths, K. (2008). Discovering, applying and integrating self-knowledge: A grounded theory study of learning in life coaching (Ph.D). Centre for Learning Innovation, Queensland University of Technology.