Being a successful school leader has become an increasingly complex role that demands not only tremendous craft knowledge and skills but also highly developed interpersonal skills. Both the research and extensive experiences of the authors suggest that a very effective and inexpensive strategy to provide support and motivate staff as the entire school community transforms, is through simple yet powerful coaching conversations between the school leader and staff. Coaching Conversations: Transforming Your School One Conversation at a Time is meant to provide school leaders at all levels with simple, practical, easily learned and applied coach-like conversational techniques that will lead to open and reflective conversations with all members of the school community.
Foreword by Simon T. Bailey Preface Acknowledgments About the Authors 1. Coaching Conversations: The Link to Change What Is a Coaching Conversation? Why Our Brains Need Coaching Why Trust Matters Holding Difficult Conversations Moving Toward Coaching Conversations Summary Reflections for Practice 2. Coaching, Mentoring and the Leadership Continuum Leadership Practices Continuum How the Continuum Works in Practice Being a Coach-Like Mentor The Case for Being Coach-Like Summary Reflections for Practice 3. Committed Listening Listening Assessment Moving to Action Components of Committed Listening Verbal and Nonverbal Communication Value Silence Unproductive Patterns of Listening Listen Without Obligation to Act Summary Reflections for Practice 4. Powerful Speaking and Questioning Expressing Positive Intent Avoid Advice Ask Powerful Questions Summary Reflections for Practice 5. Reflective Feedback The Importance of Feedback Three Types of Feedback Options for Offering Meaningful Feedback Responding-on-the-Fly Framing an Important Conversation Using Reflective Feedback Journal Reflection About an Important Upcoming Conversation Using the Reflective Feedback Frame to Support Excellence Reframing Resistance Summary Reflections for Practice 6. Moving to Action: A Way of Being The Basic Framework Study 1: Using the Reflective Framework in a Supervisory Coaching Conversatio Study 2: Using the Reflective Framework for Large Scale Challenges Next Steps Summary Reflections for Practice Appendices Appendix A: Powerful, Open-Ended Questions Appendix B: Reflective Feedback Appendix C: Reframing Resistance Appendix D: Reflective Feedback Framework for Coaching Conversations References Index
