POSITIVE PROVOCATION in COACHING
READERSHIP
Every reader is unique. You will all differ in terms of personality, communication style, and openness to new ideas, to name just three ways in which you will have your own unique experience of these articles. Some of you will find my language too challenging, and others will perceive it as playful and stimulating.
One major difference in readers will be their years of professional experience. If we can divide coaches roughly into beginner, intermediate and advance practitioners, members of each of these three groups will have distinct reactions to the provocations found herein.
Theoretically, beginners ought to find the material fairly challenging because it will fly in the face of some of the common tropes in coaching. More seasoned coaches, on the other hand, will likely have arrived at some of these challenges on their own, and find some to be less provocative. It is my hope that, across the articles, everyone will find at least a few ideas that spark reflection, invite inquiry, and offer the possibility of deepening beliefs and improving practice. For example:
"There are those moments in life that are provocative in their very existences, that embed in our minds forever, and sometimes our very souls. They change us, mould us, maybe even save us. But some are darker, dangerous. If we allow them to, they control us. Seduce us. Quite possibly even destroy us.
The moment I walked into Sonoma’s Reid Winter Winery and Vineyard and made eye contact with Faith Winter for the first time was one of those moments. Provocative because I know at least one of her secrets, of which, I suspect she has many. Provocative because she believes I was a stranger to her when we met, but I am not. Provocative because I sought her out, with no intention of touching her. But now I have. Now I want her. Now I have to have her. But that changes nothing. It doesn’t change why I came for her." (Jones, 2017)
DEFINITION OF PROVOCATION
The typical definitions of the word provoke have a pretty negative connotation. They suggest that a person is trying to incite, stimulate or otherwise make someone uncomfortable, aroused, or angry. An unabridged Oxford English Dictionary offers many definitions of provocation, one of which is “calling out to fight”. To be the troublemaker. To call a person provocative does not seem to be a compliment in the way that calling them humble or generous does.
The word ‘provocative’ derives from the Latin word ‘provocare’ which means to 'elicit' or 'call forth'. And the positive intention of a provocative approach is to call forth resources in the coachee. By gently teasing or challenging the coachee, a coach is aiming to call forth the coachee’s own ability to assert themselves, to defend themselves, to demonstrate a sense of their own self-worth, to engage with their vulnerability for a positive purpose, to take responsibility for their own change.
Instead relying on ones own intuition and relationship with provocation, regardless of what the dictionary tell us, is to use a self-defining concept. Viewing the meaning of provocation as exciting, interesting, and positive, I think of it as including challenging new ideas, fresh thinking, and a call to reflect on current practices.
MATHS IN COACHING
Mathematics coaching is complex work, and coaches must be supported to become experts in mathematics, mathematics instruction, and mathematics coaching.
There are an increasing number of well-established coaching models that may influence a mathematics coach’s philosophy about his or her role in working with individual teachers and within a school system. Barlow, Burroughs, Harmon, Sutton, and Yopp (2014) identified three models that are widely used by mathematics classroom coaches. In this section, we present brief synopses of these models based on our interpretation of the primary coaching text associated with each model: Cognitive Coaching (Costa & Garmston, 2002), Content-Focused Coaching (West & Staub, 2003), and Instructional Coaching (Knight, 2007).
The differences lie primarily in the philosophical approach to the coaching relationship. Cognitive coaches are mediators who help teachers uncover and recognize their own solutions. Content coaches focus on teacher knowledge and student evidence, while instructional coaches prioritize partnership and relationship
Another is called the 90-Degree View. Let’s review circles: there are 360 degrees in a circle. A 180-degree angle is a flat line and represents opposing line segments. In the social world, this angle is a metaphor of the people who shoot you down, dismiss your idea, refuse your requests, and hold opposing views. You see the world through the 0-degree peephole, with immediate access to all your own memories, values, opinions and belief.
Good educators (and coaches) have a sense of where people are and how to push or pull the coachee to engage them in new ways of thinking without completely pulling the rug from under them: a 90-degree view.
If I had to write it as a formula, it would be noted that:
positive provocation = (novelty of argument + strength of argument) x openness to argument.
On the coach’s side of the equation is the “argument” or challenge, if you prefer. The coach makes an educated guess about how novel the challenge will be.
The other part of the equation belongs to the coachee and their open-mindedness and willingness to be changed by the new material. That is the person has to feel safe enough, be ready enough for growth, and feel resourceful enough to consider the challenge.
As can be viewed in the film 'The Mirror Has Two Faces' (1996) directed by Barbara Streisand (see above). As Sheehan (2024) states, if you peer behind the immediate pleasures on offer there’s very little story here at all.
There’s a strikingly, almost endearingly naive account of higher education, with Streisand not only the advocate of a Leavisite literature-equals-life philosophy. (Leavisism is a form of literary studies named after F. R. Leavis. Leavis was greatly influenced by Matthew Arnold, and they shared the notion that?culture is the high point in civilization and concern of an educated minority), but also the bravura guru-teacher who knows her hundreds of students’ first names.
It’s her pedagogical pyrotechnics that first draw Bridges into her orbit, and her subsequent coaxing and coaching of him into being a better teacher is the film’s preferred metaphor for their growing closeness.
BELIEF IN COACHING
For example, could a person be humble and confident at the same time? Could a person be attractive and intelligent at the same time? Is it possible for a person to be religious even without a faith?
These types of challenging questions, it turns out, are a staple of coaching. Coaches offer their clients challenges large and small not to discount the client but to encourage new thinking.
Dismissing someone beliefs simply leaves them feeling defensive and angry, and they will be closed to adapting. Similarly, pandering to their existing knowledge does little to move them forward and may even leave them feeling arrogant in their knowledge. The sweet spot is in the middle: to say things that are new and challenging but still makes room for existing beliefs.
The Sanskrit term Adhikari-bheda, found in Hindu scriptures, essentially refers to the idea that a particular person is qualified and ready to receive a teaching. Krishna gives Arjun the teaching of the ‘Bhagavad Gita’, for instance, because the latter is uniquely open and ready to receive them at that particular moment. If anything, this reinforces the notion that great coaching is built on creating a relationship that feels safe for the coachee – not safe from challenge but safe enough to be challenged.
"And one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?" (Holy Bible, James 2:16)
POSITIVE PROVOCATION FRAMEWORK
The process of positive provocation is germane, in the coaching endeavour itself. One of my favourite definitions of coaching is “conversations designed to engage the client in self-directed learning.” What appeals to me about this stance is that it de-emphasizes goals and emphasizes client learning.
When thought of this way, anything that engages the coachee’s learning would seem to forward the coaching and increase its effectiveness. Offering coachee’s new perspectives, engaging them in reflection about what they know and what they don’t, and challenging them to rise to the occasion are all examples of core coaching activities that help clients learn through mild and positive provocation.
Using the same example, it is stronger to say “Strategic Interruptions can ensure that incredible moments do not pass by” than “interrupting is good.” More on that later. The trick, then is for the Coach is to have considered existing knowledge and to be able to articulate a well-reasoned argument why the existing knowledge is more nuanced than might be first be assumed.
I want to offer provocative challenge that invites you to pause and reflect on your own assumptions about coaching, your own style, and your own preferences. Rather than saying immutable rules, I am to pull back the curtain to reveal general wisdom that contains both nuance and exceptions. The result I hope, is emerging Coaches who are flexible and reflective.
To be clear, I am not interested in dismissing you, invalidating your beliefs, making you feel defensive or coming across as superior in any way. I want my provocation to be positive. I want Coaches to lean forward and wonder what I mean, to question how I arrived at my conclusions, and to learn from research on these topics. In each case, I will try to present the most cogent arguments possible.
That said, I make no demands that you agree with my way of thinking. You have every right to your own values, experiences and opinions. I only offer the idea that, in considering the provocations in this article – regardless of whether you change your mind, or if they simply reinforce your current beliefs – you will be better for have gone through the process of reflection.
In this way, the articles are intended to mirror the coaching process itself. Coaching is a process that invites Coachees to reflect on the ways they view themselves and their current situation and to articulate a desirable future. Positive Provocation offers the same invitation to you. At its core, it asks the question such as “what as coaches should be doing?”
Whether we call great coaching a challenge or positive provocation or the more saccharine invitation to reflect, it involves pushing on some fundamental assumptions and behaviours. If we employ this technique in the servicer of our coachees, why not on ourselves as well? Shouldn’t we Coaches also be asking ourselves questions that are equally powerful in their seismic capacity?
The trick is, of course, is that it is exceedingly difficult to do so. In fact, to offer questions that our coachees have not thought of for themselves is our fundamental purpose as Coaches. In the same way, we cannot easily shift our own thinking. That is the purpose of these articles, to consider each of my provocations, as if they were a coaching question that you are free to answer in any way you see fit. In fact, you will notice, that many of the titles are provocations. For example:
PROVOCATION 8: What’s so great about Interrupting?
I am an active conversationalist, which is a diplomatic way of saying that I tend to interject and interrupt. Some Coaches have a strong and negative reaction against the idea of interruption, so I would like to veer from Coaching for a moment to discuss this in the real-world context, from an experiment with interrupting by seeing how frequently we could do it before it became off-putting to clients. It was found out that one or two interruptions didn’t step on a client’s toes. More than that and a client would be frustrated.
So, in what circumstances might we strategically choose to interrupt:
Looking at this short list, you will notice that the interruptions fall into two distinct categories. In his book Introduction to Coaching Skills, Christian van Nieuwerburgh describes two types of “appropriate interruptions”. Sometimes, though, you do need to interrupt — the key word being “need.”? Interrupting is appropriate and even helpful in certain circumstances, especially when done respectfully, as to correct an error, or to stop inappropriate comments.
领英推荐
The first is a “procedural interruption", in which the interjection is offered to help manage the conversation. Time-keeping is an example of a procedural context in which interruption might be acceptable.
The second category is “emphatic interruption”, which happens in response to the risk that a critical moment might slip by unless the coach interjects. Highlighting an important point or celebrating a win are examples of occasions when emphatic interruptions might be well received.
I think of interruptions as a technical skill that can be applied with greater or lesser degrees of grace. I typically interrupt in one of several ways that can be thought of on a continuum of politeness to rudeness (and I do them all from time to time). On the polite side of the spectrum, I might preface my interruption with a justification as “with an eye on the clock, I’d like to jump in here” or “I’d like to jump in with a follow-up, if you don’t mind.” On the other end of the continuum, I just speak out forgoing any niceties. I tend to do this specifically in the case of clarification or seizing on an important moment.
I also believe that interruption is stylistic. Some coaches will be more comfortable with this approach than others. Neither group is correct. Interrupters, like me, might occasionally plow over valuable information. By contrast, those who do not interrupt occasionally miss the opportunities to seize upon golden moments.
In the end, clients can be the final arbiter. If they do not mind the occasional interruption -- and very few do when it is done well – then you have an additional arrow in your coaching quiver.
As a final consideration, I would ask that you reflect on your own tolerance of interruption. What would make them palatable? How can you re-create that in your own coaching?
On first blush, you might say that you don’t like being interrupted. On deeper reflection, however, you will see that in many instances, you don’t mind it at all.
Listen to: Moments Passed by Dermot Kennedy
Why use Provocative questions in coaching engagements?
It’s likely you’ve already used provocative questions in your sessions, even if unintentionally.
There are a variety of situations and opportunities where you may want to use provocative question. As a coach, you need to trust yourself and use your judgment (yes, in this case using your judgment is a helping tool). Some common situations could include:
A provocative question is one that is meant to be challenging. These questions may differ from others in that they may create more of an emotional stir with the intent to stimulate a reaction, a thought or emotion in someone, or incite a certain thought or feeling. ?It is often synonymous with words like charged, inciting or edgy.
Provocative questions satisfy several Core Competencies, and other benefits may include:
Provocative questions can be closed- or open-ended, hypothetical, probing and direct, though leading and loaded questions should always be avoided.
HOW DOES A PROVOCATIVE APPROACH WORK?
Underpinning assumptions:
Provocative Methods
A provocative coach may use any of the following approaches and techniques to provoke the client into taking responsibility for change:
There tends to come a point in the session when the client will react or resist the provocation and at this point, the session often moves towards consolidation and the integration of new behaviours.
The three good things about provocative work
Three things make provocative coaching attractive for helping professionals. First of all, provocative work can be surprisingly fast and effective. And it can work quite elegantly with clients who don’t do well with conventional change work. That’s the second reason. And number three: it’s fun! Preliminary research shows that coaches become happier people when they start doing provocative work. Provocative coaching is one more possibility. It is a nice new option, not a mandatory replacement of other coaching principles.
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REFERENCES
Robert Biswas-Diener, (2023), 'Positive Provocation: 25 questions to elevate your coaching practice', published by Berrett-Koehler Publisher Inc.
Jones, L. R., (2017), 'Provocative', White Lies Duet series, [Kindle] published by Julie Patra Publishing,?Provocative (White Lies Duet, #1) by Lisa Renee Jones | Goodreads ?[accessed on 13/03/24]
Mudzimiri, Rejoice & Burroughs, Elizabeth & Luebeck, Jennifer & Sutton, John & Yopp, David. (2014). A Look Inside Mathematics Coaching: Roles, Content, and Dynamics. Education Policy Analysis Archives. 22. 10.14507/epaa.v22n53.2014. A_Look_Inside_Mathematics_Coaching_Roles_Content_a.pdf [accessed 13/03/2024]
The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996), [DVD], Directed by Barbra Streisand, USA: TriStar Pictures.?The Mirror Has Two Faces - teaching example - YouTube ?[accessed 13/03/2024]
Sheehan., K. (2024)?BFI Events Programmer, Woman with a Movie Camera, British Film Institute (BFI) Southbank,?The Mirror Has Two Faces - BFI Southbank Programme Notes ( bfidatadigipres.github.io ) ?[accessed 13/03/24]
Knoll, Stefan & Horton, Graham. (2010). 'Changing the Perspective: Improving Generate ThinkLets for Ideation'. Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. 10.1109/HICSS.2010.103.?Changing the Perspective: Improving Generate thinkLets for Ideation ( researchgate.net ) ?[accessed on13/03/2024]
ON LOAN FROM DWP LIBRARY:
Robert Biswas-Diener, (2023).Positive provocation : 25 questions to elevate your coaching practice, published by Berrett-Koehler Publisher Inc. [accessed 12/03/24]
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