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Structuring Coaching Sessions
The frequency with which you meet with a coachee will be determined by your particular program, but 1-4 times per month is typical. The structure of your sessions will depend on where the coachee is in the KCS learning process.
It is management's responsiblity to create an environment where people want to learn KCS. Your role as a coach is to help people down the KCS path.
Focusing on the relationship, learning, and building confidence will go a long way. Remembering your ABC's, or "Ask Before Coaching," builds trust. Examples include:
- "Is this a good time?"
- "Can I share something that has worked for me?"
A KCS Coach has access to tools like the Content Standard Checklist and PAR, which are indicators of how well a knowledge worker understands KCS article structure and workflow. When using these tools, conversations should be focused on behaviors, not data.
Coach Responsibilities
- Establish rapport and meet regularly with the knowledge workers they are coaching
- Act as a change agent by promoting understanding of the intent and benefits of KCS
- Help knowledge workers assess the quality of knowledge articles and adherence to the problem solving and knowledge management process
- Review KCS articles framed by the KCS Candidate until they reach required levels of competency
- Promote understanding and adherence to the content standard (Content Standard Checklist)
- Promote understanding and adherence to the Solve Loop processes (Process Alignment Review)
- Provide feedback to the knowledge workers and, when appropriate, to management about KCS skill development
- Develop and monitor your own coaching skills
- Attend regular KCS Coach and/or KCS Council meetings
- Provide recommendations to the KCS Council to improve the workflow and the content standard
First Session
- Establish Rapport: Get to know the person you will be coaching.
- Discuss the Big Picture (benefits of KCS to us as knowledge workers, to customers using self-service).
- Negotiate an Agreement: Informal, discussing what expectations there are for each of you, how you will interact and be committed. Determine a cadence for coaching sessions.
Second Session
- Establish a baseline: This is the time to discover what was learned at KCS training and where the gaps are in learning.
- Establish milestones: What needs to be accomplished and what are the milestones along the way?
- Invite the person you're coaching to set goals and objectives for development: “Is there a time frame in which you hope to become a Publisher?”
Ongoing Sessions
- Prepare for Sessions: review articles, search for duplicates, query the KB, check in on contributions, results from Content Standard Checklist and PAR, review notes from last session.
- Coaching Session: be sensitive to where the knowledge worker is and what they need the most help with.
- Evaluate what you observe and discuss: track your notes and discussions for easy evaluation of proficiency progress.
- Ask for feedback with questions like “What about coaching is working for you?” and “What is not working as well for you?”
- Ask the coachee what they want to work on between now and next session and document that in your coach's notes.
- At the end of every session, set the expectations for the next session: schedule a time, initial agenda, and note any items to focus on or prep for.
- After Session Activities: take time for self-reflection. Ask yourself, “what can I do better?” and document your thoughts and ideas.
Proficiency Progress
Progress in KCS proficiency will happen at different rates for each knowledge worker, and timelines will vary by program.
When setting up your coaching program, build a sample timeline to guide your coaching and keep you and the knowledge worker on track. Iterate based on experience.
The below cadence is offered as an example. Amend for your environment!
- Session 1: Train
- Review learning from training. Knowledge worker understands expectations and is starting to Capture, Search and Link and Flag.
- Sessions 2-3: Coach
- Knowledge worker understands Capture, Search, Link and Flag, and is learning about Create and adhering to the Content Standard.
- Sessions 4-8: Practice
- Knowledge worker understands Capture, Search, Link, Flag, Create, Content Standard adherence and is learning about Improving.
- Sessions 9-12: Monitor
- Knowledge worker is proficiently and confidently Capturing, Searching, Linking, Flagging, Creating, Improving, adhering to the Content Standard and building on consistency in behaviors.
Sample Questions a Coach Might Ask
- How is it going with the KCS workflow?
- Walk me through your workflow.
- How's the experience of searching for articles while you work?
- What have you found that's been helpful?
- What have you found that's been distracting or difficult?
- What questions do you have about the Content Standard?
- Is there a case you worked this week that you want to look at together? Articles found while working case, create/modify an article, link an article?
- Do you find it is easy to create an article before moving onto the next case?
- What is currently challenging for you?
- How did it feel when you found that article and linked to the case to quickly help that customer?
- What would you like to get better at? (sample options include but are not limited to: capturing, searching, linking, flagging, creating, content standard, creating, improving, process adherence)
- Where have you made progress since we met last week?
- Can you show me how/where you are doing that so I can see what you are describing?
Coach Session Tracking Template
Consortium Members have extensive experience with KCS Coaching and have developed both the offered coaching session guidance as well as this coach session tracking template.
Consortium Members have access to this workbook in Google Sheets for use in coaching sessions. Save a copy and duplicate tabs for separate sessions, or adapt this into your tool of choice.
(Thanks to Jennifer Crippen and the work of the Connecting the Dots on Coaching team for this guidance and template!)