The role of semi-responsive answers for relationship building in coaching
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Oliver Winkler
Abstract
This paper discusses the role of semi-responsive answers of clients for relationship building in coaching. Coaching is a process-oriented type of counseling in which a coach and a coachee collaboratively work on solving a particular worklife or daily life related concern of the coachee. The paper aims at identifying and analyzing semi-responsive answers of coachees (second pair part) as reactions to initiating turns of coaches (first pair part). It is hypothesized that semi-responsive answers are of particular relevance for any coaching process as they reveal ambivalences, (inner) conflicts, uncertainties and/or opposition on the client’s side which ought to be noticed and appropriately addressed by the coach. A conversation analysis manual was developed in order to systematically identify and analyze the linguistic characteristics of semi-responsiveness in coachee’s answers. First, theoretical and methodological aspects regarding a conversation analysis manual to study structures of social interaction are discussed. Second, a code-system to identify semi-responsive answers is demonstrated. Finally, based on the transcribed data, semi-responsive answers are analyzed with respect to how they are addressed by the coaches in third position. The data consists of 21 face-to-face coaching sessions (64 hours) in Swiss and Standard German. The analysis demonstrates that semi-responsive answers are both a valuable source of information and a challenge as they require the coach to maintain a balance between facilitating the process and maintaining a good relationship with the client.
Abstract
This paper discusses the role of semi-responsive answers of clients for relationship building in coaching. Coaching is a process-oriented type of counseling in which a coach and a coachee collaboratively work on solving a particular worklife or daily life related concern of the coachee. The paper aims at identifying and analyzing semi-responsive answers of coachees (second pair part) as reactions to initiating turns of coaches (first pair part). It is hypothesized that semi-responsive answers are of particular relevance for any coaching process as they reveal ambivalences, (inner) conflicts, uncertainties and/or opposition on the client’s side which ought to be noticed and appropriately addressed by the coach. A conversation analysis manual was developed in order to systematically identify and analyze the linguistic characteristics of semi-responsiveness in coachee’s answers. First, theoretical and methodological aspects regarding a conversation analysis manual to study structures of social interaction are discussed. Second, a code-system to identify semi-responsive answers is demonstrated. Finally, based on the transcribed data, semi-responsive answers are analyzed with respect to how they are addressed by the coaches in third position. The data consists of 21 face-to-face coaching sessions (64 hours) in Swiss and Standard German. The analysis demonstrates that semi-responsive answers are both a valuable source of information and a challenge as they require the coach to maintain a balance between facilitating the process and maintaining a good relationship with the client.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Practices of relationship management in organized helping 1
- Forging relationships in psychotherapeutic interaction 27
- Doing We – Working alliance in psychotherapeutic relationships 51
- What about you? 79
- So let’s say men can’t understand that much 105
- Relationship management by means of solution-oriented questions in German psychodiagnostic interviews 127
- The role of semi-responsive answers for relationship building in coaching 151
- Working alliance and client design as discursive achievements in first sessions of executive coaching 171
- Relationship building in oncological doctor-patient interaction 195
- Practices of relationship building in Hungarian primary care 221
- Building (dis-)affiliative medical relationships through interactional practices of knowledge management 243
- How are you getting on with these? 265
- Twitter as a helping medium 287
- Relational dimensions of organized helping 315
- Index 329
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Practices of relationship management in organized helping 1
- Forging relationships in psychotherapeutic interaction 27
- Doing We – Working alliance in psychotherapeutic relationships 51
- What about you? 79
- So let’s say men can’t understand that much 105
- Relationship management by means of solution-oriented questions in German psychodiagnostic interviews 127
- The role of semi-responsive answers for relationship building in coaching 151
- Working alliance and client design as discursive achievements in first sessions of executive coaching 171
- Relationship building in oncological doctor-patient interaction 195
- Practices of relationship building in Hungarian primary care 221
- Building (dis-)affiliative medical relationships through interactional practices of knowledge management 243
- How are you getting on with these? 265
- Twitter as a helping medium 287
- Relational dimensions of organized helping 315
- Index 329
