Emotional journey
Learning does not come from doing but from thinking about what you do.
Reflection is key
Reflection is essential in the development process of an individual. Often, we go through our days without thinking too much about our experiences. It does not mean that it is wrong, there are plenty of responsibilities we have and little energy left by the end of the day.
When we live new experiences, anything outside our comfort zone or simply different from the routine, there is often learning that can take place. To turn that experience into a learning one, we shall reflect on it.
Though, self-reflection is not an easy skill to master. Even tapping to it can be challenging. It is part of a life-time journey once you access it.
When coaching for personal or professional development, there are a number of tools available that can help us achieve both. Develop our coachees and help them tap into their inner selves.
Why using a framework during a coaching session?
There are a number of effective coaching models which you can choose to use to structure coaching sessions. It is a helpful way to lead your coachee through a logical sequence and provide a framework for your coaching session.
A number of benefits can be found by using a framework during your session. It helps to provide a purpose to the session by setting a goal at the beginning. By doing so, you minimise the chances of turning the meeting into ‘chat’, losing its purpose. Due to its structure, it can ensure that the session stays ‘on track’. The skill of the coach is in knowing what your client needs at a particular moment so a toolkit of different models is helpful to draw upon and use as appropriate (Linfield College, 2019) (A guide to coaching & being coached, 2019).
Emotional journey: a multi-purpose framework
The emotional journey model is a visualization that maps and illustrates a coachee’s emotional background through the experience of interacting with a team, project, organisation, among others.
The goal is to identify how the coachee felt during the events, explore the reasons and turn it into a learning experience. Ultimately, the coachee can grow from it and improve similar future instances.
Instructions
1. Organize the session, materials and participant/s for the session.
2. Define the activity for which you want to map out the emotional journey. It can either be defined by a coach to address a specific project or situation or chosen by the coachee.
3. Collect insights on the subject prior to the session based on previous research and experiences. It will help you funnel questions to specific points that you would like to address.
4. Ask the coachee to map out the journey and mark the different touchpoints where there is a moment that can/needs to be addressed.
5. The coaches shall use a line graph to mark underneath the journey. They shall mark the moments when they felt excited and moments where they felt frustrated.
6. Analyze the results of mapping the journey. The coachee will use this framework to prompt self-reflection and reflect about a past experience. You can use your insights to prompt specific questions that could reveal blind points to the user.
Ensuring the correct use of the model
How do you know if the map drawn has reached a sufficient level to be used as a model? The chart shall show an overview of how someone feels while doing something. A look inside the ‘emotional rollercoaster’. If the chart has a flat line rather than ups-and-downs can be a sign that either the user is unable to reflect on the subject or that the subject selected does not hold enough experience to reflect on. Ensure that you have performed good research prior to the session in order to identify this.