Getting to Yes #3: Your Coaching Method

Posted by Dave Buck on January 22, 2009 under Business Academy | 2 Comments to Read

Business Academy Session #3

We started with a round up of scores from the game last week. Many of the teams did really well. Team 3 had the top score with 134 out of a possible 140. (Vicki, Brad, Doug and Julica) Awesome.
As with every game we play, the only way to lose is to NOT PLAY at all.

The game last week was to interview 5 people who are playing the game you Coach. The first challenge is to find them. Then get them to say YES to the interview – great practice in playing for Yeses.
The purpose of the interview is to find out what joys they experience and challenges they face in the game – this will help you craft the way you talk aobut what you do.

The next part of the game was to complete Getting to Yes Playbook part 2 - articulate your coaching method. This is a BIG project that happens to be life altering for a Coach. Coaching can seem vague to many people, this project makes it REALLY tangible REALLY fast. It goes beyond the benefits of Coaching and into exactly HOW you do what you do.
When you can explain that in 5 minutes or less, your certainty goes way up. Remember… Getting to YES! is the object of the game, building your level of certainty is the number one thing you do to play better. It is like going to the gym for an athlete – you just have to do it because it works.

Then of course the final part of the game is making offers, counting yeses and fulfilling what you offer. This is what the game is all about. It is sooo exciting to me to see so many high scores from the teams – this means you are out there making offers and getting some yeses. You may not know it yet, but you are building a skill that will serve you well in every business or leadership game you play for the rest of your life. It’s huge. Keep playing. You will get better and better.

FEEDBACK requested.
1) What did you learn from doing your interviews? About the game? The people who play it? about yourself? How was the excercise valuable for you?

2) What did you learn by defining your coaching method? Was the exercise easy? challenging? How was it valuable for you?

3) What are you learning about making offers? Every week 5 more offers. Is it getting easier? harder? Is it stretching you?

Bonus question…
4) Give me a little status report on talking to people about how you do what you do as a Coach! How is it going?

To reply you can simply comment to this post. Or send me an email if you want to keep your feedback private.

Keep playing!
Coach Dave

Susan Kenney said,

One of the gentleman that I approached works with my husband and so I was talking to him with my husband present as well. My husband…Dave…(great name) was able to give me some great insight into “manspeak”, as well as some constructive feedback on my presentation. Then he and I worked on some words to use that would appeal specifically to men. I sent an email to his co-worker to follow-up and as a result of changing terminology I was able to interest him and he asked if I would also Coach his daughter who is in University!
Sandra Williams said,

The great thing that I am learned this week was that I was making this process harder than it is. With a structure (coaching method) in place and my confidence in what I am doing and a open and playful attutude, “Coaching Happens”. I find it easier to talk to people because I am learning the difference between offering my services, and trying to sell someone. When you are committed to what you are doing and believe in its value to help someone the conversation flows. In doing the interviews I am finding about more of what I have to offer. Also of what I am capable of learning from each person. I smile a lot more (and thats a whole lot of smiling) and it naturally draws people to me, and I smile harder because I know that we are about to have a veeerrrrrryyyyy interesting conversation.