Whoever said it was rude to interrupt?

Posted on: 16 May 2024

Most of us grew up being taught not to interrupt people. In many cultures, interruption, and the people who do so, are often perceived as rude. As coaches, we need to be aware of how social beliefs like this can limit our coaching effectiveness.

 

There are times when interruption is necessary in a coaching session and effective coaches can not only identify these moments, but they also have a repertoire of skills to ensure the interruption enhances the flow of the coaching, as opposed to inhibiting it.

 

ICF PCC Marker 6.6 indicates that any interruption should have a stated coaching purpose:

 

“Coach allows the client to complete speaking without interrupting 

unless there is a stated coaching purpose to do so.”

 

Many coaches struggle to determine if or when to interrupt their clients. They doubt whether an interruption is warranted and then, at times, lack the skills to execute it effectively. Indeed, knowing when and how to interrupt a client requires both awareness and skills, plus it asks you to confront and overcome any social beliefs you hold about interruption.

 

 

This is no easy feat, and, so, thanks to our collaboration with Joanna Davis, MCC, Mentor Coach and Coach Trainer, ReciproCoach will be once again hosting a group mentoring session, directly focused on mastering The Art of Effective Interruption.

 

This 90-minute group mentoring session with Joanna will deepen your understanding of:

• The purpose of interrupting
• Good reasons to interrupt
• Why we mistakenly interrupt
• How to interrupt effectively
• Signs when to interrupt
• Signs when not to interrupt
• When we don’t interrupt, but should

 

Participants will have the opportunity to submit session recording snippets of their successful and failed attempts to interrupt effectively (or interrupt at all), and discuss feedback and learning related to the skill of interruption within the context of the ICF core competencies. Time permitting, the session will also include opportunities for live practice.