How a Coaching Menu Can Lead to More Clients and Better Professional Learning
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In this guide, I shared my coaching menu for literacy leaders. It gives potential clients several entry points for engaging in professional learning.
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“How do you recruit teachers to sign up for coaching with you?”
This was a question posted in a recent professional learning session for coaches in our state.
Another coach noted that she finds “word-of-mouth to be the most effective way of finding more clients.”
I agreed. A quality coaching cycle, especially one that leads to insights and outcomes around student learning, is powerful. Word spreads fast when the impact is clear.
But I also know that each school is unique. Some cultures are very open to a coach working with any teacher who wants a new perspective on their current practice. Other cultures treat coaches as pseudo-administrators: assigning them to “work with” the lowest performing teachers.
Coaches can make a difference with school culture, but typically not at the level of a principal. Their circle of influence only goes so far. This is probably for the best; we don’t want coaching to be a mandate.
In addition to hoping one’s reputation leads to additional work, a coaching menu can be a key entry point for an educator to start engaging in this personalized approach to professional learning.
I have found multiple benefits.
A coaching menu offers multiple entry points to engage in coaching.
I have found that some potential clients don’t know where to begin. They have a challenge, for example how to meet the many diverse needs in their classroom, but aren’t seeing it yet as a problem of practice.
A coaching menu can provide language for educators when they aren’t sure how to articulate their inquiry.
Below is an example from my own coaching menu: several questions that encapsulate what it is an educator is exploring in their contexts.
I have revised this menu multiple times based on what seems to be the most pressing problems educators are dealing with at the moment.
A coaching menu narrows the services you provide to help ensure success.
It’s okay for a coach to position themselves within the contexts in which they will find themselves successful.
For example, I use the principles from my most recent book as the big buckets that organize what topics/questions I feel most confident coaching around with a client.
Within each principle, I list specific questions that I imagine a principal or other literacy leader might be pondering. I even bold the key terms so they stand out and catch the eye of a potential client.
If a particular topic is not listed in my menu, that may mean that it is an area I don’t feel as comfortable coaching around; why set myself up for failure?
I increase the likelihood of a client feeling supported and successful when I position myself in situations in which I feel confident coaching others.
A coaching menu can articulate the expectations and the process of the professional learning experience.
Many educators have never been coached. They don’t know what they don’t know. This may be a reason why our colleagues are not engaging in this work. Maybe they conflate coaching with traditional evaluation systems.
A coaching menu can provide transparency on the process. As an example, on the second page of my coaching menu, I include a coaching documentation tool. It is a simple form that potential clients can see prior to any interactions.
Knowing the process/tool I use to capture the key ideas during our conversations can reduce anxiety. They know what to expect. I could be even more explicit here. For instance, I could put a disclaimer in my form that these notes are only for the client and me; they will not be shared with a supervisor.
Key Benefits of a Coaching Menu
It’s such a simple move - articulating in writing what questions/topics we can coach around - that can lead to several key benefits.
Empowerment
When we curate the most promising pathways for supporting colleagues based on our expertise, it helps ensure both parties are successful.
Validation
When educators see problems of practice spelled out, they realize that they are not alone in their challenges. Other professionals are experiencing the same obstacles.
Optimism
Offering a menu of options in which to coach around conveys confidence that you can help a client solve their problems.
Curiosity
For educators who have been resistant to coaching in the past, a list of questions to consider can be the spark they needed to explore what’s possible in their practice.
Try it: Create Your Own Coaching Menu
Download my coaching menu below and use it as a template to create your own resource for your practice. Revisit it periodically and make updates as the needs of your staff change over time.
What questions do you have regarding a coaching menu?
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