Coaching in a Digital-First World

One of the challenges of a digital-first world is that we spend most of our time engaging with technology, whether in our personal or professional lives. In many work environments, professionals frequently switch between Zoom meetings. And, at times, they can go hours without moving away from their desks. Screen fatigue is real!

How can coaches who deliver virtual coaching sessions make their conversations more interactive and dynamic for coachees who may be joining a session sandwiched between several other Zoom calls?

Reflect on your own schedule this week. How much of your time did you spend behind a screen?

Turning Fatigue Into Fuel

Although screen fatigue is one of the downsides of a digital-first world, one of the helpful upsides is the use of digital tools. From virtual whiteboards to polling tools, breakout rooms, and generative artificial intelligence (AI), digital tools can help coaches lead virtual sessions with a new level of interactivity that was traditionally unavailable.

What limitations of in-person coaching could be solved or surpassed by clever use of digital tools?

Virtual Whiteboards: Visual Thinking, Unlocked

For visual thinkers, neurodiverse coachees, or those who struggle to articulate ideas verbally, virtual whiteboards are a game-changer. Moving again from the traditional limitations of in-person whiteboards with sticky notes and markers, virtual whiteboards allow people to participate in dynamic ways. As a coach, you can structure your activities to allow for the use of virtual sticky notes, emojis, pictures, GIFs, and more. The increased functionality will enable people to express themselves in unique and innovative ways as they participate in and engage with the activities you have designed.

From Miro to Mural, identify a platform that best suits your coaching services. As always, it is essential to provide clear instructions on coachee expectations and help guide people through the process. In addition to receiving coaching, some coachees may gain digital literacy by simply engaging in the activities you create.

How could you use a virtual whiteboard to spark creativity or reflection in your next session?

Polling Tools: Gamify Engagement, Amplify Insight

In this digital-first world, gamification is a crucial theme in any digital tool. Consider a recent conference you may have attended that utilized a conference app to gamify engagement over the two to three days. Polling tools can be helpful to coaches aiming to increase engagement during coaching sessions. Keep in mind that we don’t want to use tools just for the sake of using them. Whether using Kahoot! or Poll Everywhere, the idea is to leverage the tool to make the session more engaging and meaningful for the coachee(s).

What question could you ask in a poll that would deepen your coachee’s self-awareness?

Breakout Rooms: Small Spaces, Big Impact

Yes, by now, you have all been on video conference calls and placed into breakout rooms. Think of ways that make sense in your group coaching sessions to use breakout rooms to foster reflection, peer interaction, and collaborative brainstorming. Best practices for having successful breakout rooms include providing clear instructions to the coachees, offering timing information, and ensuring that the priority is on meaningful contributions from each coachee. Whether your default is to use Zoom or Microsoft Teams, build your digital literacy to create, open, close, and recreate breakouts before the live session.

Draw from your experience as a participant. Identify three to four times when you were part of a session that had well-structured and effective breakout rooms that were conducive. Likewise, think to three to four times when you have experienced completely ineffective breakout rooms. What worked well? What didn’t work well?

How could breakout rooms support a group coaching goal you’re working toward?

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Each person handles change, and specifically technological change, differently. If you tend to lean tech-forward, consider ways you may want to use generative AI during sessions.

For coaches, consider ways AI may help you mid-session:

• Refresh or adjust prompts for breakout rooms.

• Summarize key points from virtual whiteboard activities.

• Generate discussion questions or create poll questions based on the discussion.

For coachees, consider ways AI may help their engagement:

• Summarize discussions and insights.

• Create a list of action items from the session.

• Provide language to enhance initial thoughts.

Again, the idea is not to use AI for the sake of using AI. However, rather than identifying ways to use digital tools like Microsoft Co-Pilot, ChatGPT, or others, consider how they can help your coachees succeed. Certainly, participant consent and ethical considerations must be at the heart of AI integration; however, consider ways the tool may help enrich the collaboration.

What’s one way AI could help you personalize your next session?

Integrating Tools for a Seamless Experience

The digital-first world enables coaches and coachees to engage and interact in ways that were previously unavailable. When used creatively, online sessions can be more engaging and dynamic than traditional in-person meetings. Digital tools aren’t just add-ons. They are amplifiers. When used with intention, they can make virtual coaching more engaging than in-person sessions. Start small, experiment boldly, and always center the coachee’s experience.

What’s one digital tool you’ll explore this month to elevate your coaching practice?