Employment Industry News
Does Online Coaching Really Work?
April 2011
A few years ago, employees in need of coaching services either had to go to the coach or have the coach come to them.
Today, if you Google “online coaching services,” you’ll get more than 95,000 hits. Today’s varied technologies combine sight, sound and online tools to make coaching more accessible, and sometimes more cost-effective than ever. Both online coaches and “coachees” say the online experience is as rewarding as face-to-face coaching, if not more so, and both ends of the equation appreciate the benefits:
- Lower cost. Coaches online often charge less because their expenses are less and delivery more convenient.
- More flexibility. No need to rigidly adhere to time and space, as coaching can be available “on demand” through access to various coaching tools, as well as through scheduled appointments
- Greater anonymity. Clients who fear others finding out they are receiving coaching can have complete confidence in privacy.
Both Sides Happy
Dr. Richard Levin is an executive coach and leadership development expert with Richard Levin Associates, in Wellesley Hills, MA. He has
been experimenting with webcam and both he and his clients are happy with the process. He says, “My being able to see facial expressions, people moving around and holding up notes or other documents is quite effective.”
The next step will be to incorporate technologies offered through companies like WebEx or Go-To-Meeting to help make the use of documents and other visuals even easier. But, for now, Levin has found the webcam to be “probably the lowest technology option.” He even provides webcams to clients that don’t have them.
Interestingly, says Levin, he’s found that smaller companies tend to be more open to the idea than larger firms. “Some of the bigger companies just seem so constrained to try anything new,” he says.
Use Technology
Coaching doesn’t have to be limited to external resources, of course. HR departments can use the same concepts as they reach out to widely dispersed managers and employees. Tools like the free Skype, and other online technologies that allow visual connections, have made these interactions much more effective.
The HR home page on the company intranet can be augmented with various tools and resources that can enhance the coaching relationship and make accessibility easy, convenient and anonymous.
In a time of tight budgets, when the need for training employees to do more with less is ever-more-imperative, you may want to consider the cost-effectiveness of online coaching. ▲
For More Information:
Guidelines from the American Society of Training and Development
http://www.astd.org/LC/2001/1101_guest.htm
Coaching.com is one of the largest online coaching sites
https://www.coaching.com/public/Find_Answers/Coaches_Do/