A Unique and Innovative Pilot Program From the English Activities Committee (EAC)par Edward Rudick
So you want to stay on top of your field as a coach, to be “au courant’’, but your reading wish list is growing out of control?
So much to read, so much to learn, and yet, so little time?
Well, instead of having to initiate it yourself, what if you were assigned to read a professional coaching trade book or journal article, given ample time to read it and then invited to gather together with like-minded colleagues, who also accepted the mission, to share your insights and all that was triggered inside of you?
Robin Hornstein has proposed and has offered to lead something quite innovative, that allows interested coaches, to get involved with very topical material in one of three ways, which will be run as part of The Coach’s Dinner Exchange banner:
The idea would kickoff in the fall and winter 2018-19 with a unique and exciting trade book review and analysis event, that Robin has named P-TAG, an acronym for Professional Trade-book Analysis Group.
Everyone is welcome, however there are THREE different categories of engagement and it is your choice to select which one best suits you;
- Active Auditor 3. Passive.
Each section will be capped, with a maximum seven active, five auditors and unlimited passive.
Active participants will commit to read the book or article, receive thought provoking questions and guidance throughout the process and be present and ready to discuss, share and debate their personal reflective experience of the literature together. This portion of the evening will last 1.5 hours.
Auditors will not have read the material, but will receive a thought provoking question a few days prior to the event and be present ready to observe, listen and reflect upon their question in the context of the discussion. The last 30 minutes will be devoted to this group with each member describing a take away in consideration of the content discussed and how their question aligns.
The Passive attendees will sit back and listen, observe, reflect and hopefully capture the nuggets of the readers’ experiences and just experience the goings-on of the evening.
Those who have not read the material will gain a wonderful sense of whether they might want to invest their time in obtaining and reading the material.
The idea behind this type of event, a departure from our usual format, is to take a deeper dive into our profession beyond our client experiences. The objective is to engage ourselves into one another’s perspectives and stretch our thinking through vital debate and discussion, having all shared a common context – that of the book or article read.
The book we have selected to launch the P-TAG event is:
The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier
Here’s how some thought leaders praise this book:
This book: “distills the essentials of coaching to seven core questions”- (Daniel H. Pink)
“is highly interactive, practical and fun, and draws on the very latest psychological insights and neuroscience to help the learning stick” - (Marie Crea)
and
“is the voice in your head, the person that sits on your shoulders – guiding you to greatness” - (Sinead Condon)
This book has been a # 1 Best Seller in Mentoring & Coaching.
You can find the book in libraries and bookstores with a good business section, online (see below), available also on Kindle (possibly for free!).
Box of Crayons free download of 3 chapters – Michael Bungay Stanier
For further information about this activity or to express your interest in participating and to reserve a spot, please contact: Ed Rudick: erudick@icfquebec.org or at 514-582-6400
