Coaching facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Coaching is when an experienced person, called a coach, helps someone else, called a coachee, reach a specific goal. The coach gives training and guidance. It's like having a helpful guide who supports you. Coaching is different from mentoring. Mentoring is more about general advice. Coaching focuses on reaching clear, specific goals.

What is Coaching?

Coaching is a way for people to learn and grow. A coach is someone with experience. They help a learner, or "coachee," achieve a personal or work goal. The coach gives advice and training. Sometimes, coaching can be an informal chat. This happens when someone with more experience helps another person learn. But coaching is different from mentoring. Coaching focuses on clear tasks or goals. Mentoring is more about general life development.

Where Did Coaching Start?

The word "coach" was first used for a teacher around 1830. This was at Oxford University. A "coach" was a tutor who "carried" a student through an exam. So, "coaching" meant helping people get from one place to another. The idea of coaching in sports began in 1861.

How Coaching Has Grown

Coaching has been shaped by many areas over time. These include adult education and the Human Potential Movement from the 1960s. Ideas from leadership studies and personal development also played a part. Different types of psychology have influenced coaching too. The University of Sydney started the first coaching psychology course in 2000. Since then, many groups and journals for coaching psychology have started.

Where is Coaching Used?

Coaching is used in many different fields. You can find coaches in sports and performing arts. Singers have vocal coaches. Actors have drama coaches. Coaching is also used in business, education, and health care. Even in relationships, like with dating coaches, coaching can help.

Coaches use many communication skills. They listen carefully and ask good questions. They help clients see things in new ways. This helps clients find different ways to reach their goals. These skills work in almost all types of coaching. Coaching can help people in many parts of their lives. This includes health, personal life, work, sports, and family. Different cultures can also influence how coaching is done.

ADHD Coaching: Focus and Skills

ADHD coaching helps people with ADHD. It started in 1994 with a book called Driven to Distraction. This type of coaching is special. It uses methods to help with common ADHD challenges. These challenges often involve executive functions. Coaches help clients manage time better. They also help with organizing, setting goals, and finishing projects.

Coaches help clients understand how ADHD affects them. They also help them find "workaround" strategies. These strategies help with specific problems. Coaches also help people use their strengths. They help clients understand what they can realistically expect from themselves. People with ADHD often need outside help to see their potential.

Business and Executive Coaching

Business coaching helps leaders, managers, and teams. It gives positive support and advice. The goal is to help people do better at work. This often involves changing behaviors. Business coaching is also called executive coaching. It can be called corporate coaching or leadership coaching too. Coaches help clients reach specific work goals.

These goals can include changing careers. They can also involve improving communication at work. Coaches help with managing performance and being more effective. They help with handling changes and making good decisions. They also help with leading teams and building trust. An industrial-organizational psychologist might also work as an executive coach.

Business coaching is not just for outside experts. Many companies want their leaders to coach their teams. This helps teams perform better. It also increases job happiness and personal growth. Studies show that executive coaching helps both at work and in personal life. The impact can be different for internal and external coaches.

In some places, you don't need a license to be a business coach. Joining a coaching group is also optional. How coaches are trained can be very different. Many business coaches also call themselves consultants. This is a wider business role than just coaching. Research shows good coaches are honest and supportive. They also have good communication skills and are trusted.

Leadership coaching at work can make employees more confident. It helps them share their own ideas. Research also shows that coaching can help lower stress at work.

Career Coaching: Your Work Path

Career coaching focuses on your job and career path. It is similar to career counseling. Career coaching is different from life coaching. Life coaching focuses more on personal growth. Another common name for a career coach is "career guide."

Christian Coaching: Faith-Based Help

A Christian coach helps with specific goals. They do this from a Christian or biblical point of view. A Christian coach is not the same as a pastor or counselor. However, they might also have training in those areas.

Co-coaching: Learning Together

Co-coaching is when people coach each other. They do this to learn better coaching methods. It's a way for coaches to improve their skills together.

Dating Coaching: Finding Relationships

Dating coaches offer advice and services. They help clients do better in dating and relationships.

Financial Coaching: Managing Money

Financial coaching is a newer type of coaching. It helps people reach their money goals. A financial coach works one-on-one with clients. They give encouragement and support. This helps clients follow their money plans. A financial coach or money coach helps with debt. They also help with spending less and saving money. They teach financial discipline.

A financial adviser is different. They offer a wider range of money products and services. Early research shows financial coaching can help clients. But more study is needed to be sure of the exact effects.

Health and Wellness Coaching

Health coaching is a new way to help people. It helps them manage illnesses and health conditions. This is especially true for long-term conditions. A coach uses special methods and their experience. They encourage the coachee to make healthy changes. The goal is to lower health risks and health care costs.

The National Society of Health Coaches (NSHC) explains the difference. A health coach helps those with health problems. A wellness coach helps healthy people. They guide them to keep or improve their general health.

Homework Coaching: Study Skills

Homework coaching helps students with study skills. It teaches them how to succeed in school. This is different from regular tutoring. Tutoring usually focuses on one specific subject.

Coaching in Education

Coaching helps students, teachers, and school leaders. For students, coaching can mean working with classmates. This helps improve grades and skills. For teachers and leaders, coaching can help when they start new jobs.

Life Coaching: Personal Goals

Life coaching helps people find and reach personal goals. It helps them build skills and good attitudes. This leads to them feeling more in control of their lives. Life coaching often deals with problems like putting things off. It also helps with fear of failure, relationship issues, and low confidence. It can help with work-life balance and career changes. Life coaching usually happens outside of work. Some people worry that life coaching might make friendships too much like business.

Relationship Coaching: Better Connections

Relationship coaching uses coaching ideas for personal and business relationships. It helps people have better connections with others.

Sports Coaching: Team and Player Help

In sports, a coach guides and trains a team or players. Sports coaches help with managing the team. They also help with training, competing, and representing the team. A study in 2019 found more writings about sports coaching. Most of these used a scientific research approach. Sports psychology started in the 1890s.

Vocal Coaching: Singing Better

A vocal coach, or voice coach, is a music teacher. They usually play the piano. They help singers get ready for a performance. They often help singers improve their singing technique. They also help them take care of their voice. A vocal coach is not the same as a singing teacher. Vocal coaches can give private lessons or group workshops. They also coach singers during rehearsals or recording sessions.

Writing Coaching: Improve Your Writing

A writing coach helps writers. This includes students, journalists, and other professionals. They help them write better and get more done.

Rules and Standards for Coaching

Since the mid-1990s, coaching groups have worked to create training rules. Psychologist Jonathan Passmore said in 2016: "Coaching is now well known. But sadly, there are still no widely accepted rules or licenses. Professional groups have made their own rules. But because there are no strict laws, anyone can call themselves a coach."

One challenge in coaching is keeping high standards. Coaching groups have rules about good behavior and quality. But these groups are not controlled by the government. And coaches don't have to join them. So, the rules can be different for different coaches. In 2016, two big coaching groups started a "Global Code of Ethics." This is for the whole coaching industry. People and groups are asked to agree to it.

Many coaches have less training than other helping jobs. For example, to be a counseling psychologist in California, you need 3,000 hours of supervised work. Some coaches are both certified coaches and licensed psychologists. They combine coaching and counseling.

Some people think life coaching is like psychotherapy. But it doesn't have the same legal rules. There are no state rules or licenses for coaches. Because of this, people without formal training can legally call themselves life or wellness coaches.