THE BIG IDEA
Appreciative Awareness is a tool that helps you assess a situation and help the coachee find solutions. It helps you identify positive learning of the coachee’s past experience to use in the current situation.
Steps of Appreciative Awareness:
1) Identify the situation
- You could say, “What is the specific situation you would like to talk about today? What would you like to get out of this conversation?”
2) Explain the approach you want to take
- For instance, say, “By looking at what is working for you in this situation and what strengths and resources you have, I think you will have more options.”
3) Inquire/Advocate about positive aspects of current situation
- Say, “This is challenging, but you’ve done hard things before. What personal strengths or traits of yours could you use here?”
4) Help coachee identify learnings from similar situations that may apply now
- Say something like, “What similar situations have you tackled in the past? I know from the last project you worked on you…. Could you use that skill now?”
5) Ask coachee to apply the positive aspects to current situation
- Help the coachee see that they can handle the situation and find their own answers
- For example, “So we know what’s working, we see the need, and you know how to plan and get others on board. How could you use all this in your favor?”